Poker as a Game Mechanic

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

Does anyone use poker as a game mechanic? If so, how does it work? What are your thoughts?

I am working on this and seeking some feedback.

 

[Corathon]

Deadlands uses poker as a game mechanic, in several ways.

The effectiveness of hucksters' spells is based on how good a poker hand they can make after drawing a certain number of cards.

Poker chips are allotted to each character to represent luck; they are used up for rerolls or to lessen or negate wounds.

Initiative is determined by dealing cards.

All Savage Worlds games have the last 2, actually.

 

[amerigoV]

Deadlands uses poker as a game mechanic, in several ways.

The effectiveness of hucksters' spells is based on how good a poker hand they can make after drawing a certain number of cards.

Poker chips are allotted to each character to represent luck; they are used up for rerolls or to lessen or negate wounds.

Initiative is determined by dealing cards.

All Savage Worlds games have the last 2, actually.

In the Deadlands setting, its used also used for a gunfighter duel (not sure if that translates back to the original game, but in the current version).

 

[Umbran]

Deadlands uses poker as a game mechanic, in several ways.

The effectiveness of hucksters' spells is based on how good a poker hand they can make after drawing a certain number of cards.

I'm running a classic Deadlands game, so I can speak to this...

Both Hucksters and Mad Scientists use versions of the same mechanic. A die roll is made (exactly what depends on what spell or invention the character is trying to make). How well they do on that roll determines how many cards they draw.

They draw those cards, and the best poker hand they can make determines how well the thing works, if at all. Some working may have a lower-bound (say, it needs a hand two-pair or better, or somesuch).

Jokers act as wild cards. The red joker is beneficial, the black joker means bad news (think, "loss of sanity, and possible spell malfunction").

Everyone uses cards for initiative: roll initiative dice - the roll determines how many cards you draw. Draw cards, and the GM counts down from Ace - you act once each time the GM gets to a card you have.

 

[rkarnes]

Dogs in the Vineyard uses dice, not cards, but the mechanic is very novel and a lot like having a "hand" of dice that are played like cards. It's a strong mechanic, and a great game, so you should check it out.