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Subject: Cosmic Poker: Part 1 - basic rules From: pluther@cs.pdx.edu (Pat Luther) Date: 20 Sep 1994 01:25:15 -0700 Message-ID: <35m69b$oi6@xavier.cs.pdx.edu> Cosmic Poker Rules - Part 1 of 3 Written by Pat Luther 1993 email: pluther@cs.pdx.edu If you actually play this, please email me! I would love to see how it works. Any comments, suggestions, questions, whatever are welcome. This file, and the two accompanying parts may be distributed freely. All parts of this file may be edited, fixed, revised, and messed with freely provided my name stays on top, and some sort of hint about what changes you made are attached to your name after that. A copy of the original of this may be obtained by emailing me directly. However, if someone posts changes that I really like, I might replace my copy with theirs. Rules for Cosmic Poker The following assume the reader is familiar with both the games Cosmic Encounter and Draw Poker. It is not recommended that you play this for real money. Or with people you don't know. Or with particulary anal-retentive people. The rules are terse and you may have to use logic or even common sense. Hand Ranking is as follows, from lowest to highest: High Card One Pair Two Pair Three-of-a-Kind Straight Full House Four-of-a-Kind Five-of-a-Kind Note that there the flush is not listed, for reasons which should become obvious if you stop and think about them for a moment. It's only a straight if the cards are actually consecutive. So 18,19,20,30,40 is not a straight. Edicts count as a face value of zero. So two Cosmic Zaps beat a 40 high. Only five of your cards count toward your hand at the end, you choose which five, and you may change them up until the pot is given to the winner. (e.g, put a compromise into your hand if you see you can't win). If you play a compromise as part of your final hand, you lose the hand, but you get 1/2 of the amount you put into the pot back for each compromise card you play. (e.g., if you play 4 compromise cards, you get back twice as much as you put in. The winner gets the rest, if there is any.) (Note you cannot get more than the entire pot this way) When a player folds, he discards all his cards, and cannot use his alien Power. If there is only one player left at any time (i.e., all others have folded or otherwise been removed), he gets the pot, and doesn't have to reveal his cards, though he may if he wishes. Turn Sequence is as follows: 1) Deal 8 cards to each player (or less if they already have some). 2) First round of betting occurs, starting with the player on the dealers left. 3) The Draw: Each player discards any number of cards he doesn't want, and draws new ones. Again, starting with the player on the dealer's left. 4) Second round of betting occurs. 5) All players who haven't folded reveal cards. Winner might get to take some of the money from the pot after edicts and alien powers are done fucking with it. 6) The player to the dealer's left becomes the new dealer, shuffles the deck, and play continues with step one.
Subject: Cosmic Poker: Part 2 - powers From: pluther@cs.pdx.edu (Pat Luther) Date: 20 Sep 1994 01:26:00 -0700 Message-ID: <35m6ao$oj2@xavier.cs.pdx.edu> Powers in Cosmic Poker Anti-Matter The lowest hand wins. step 5 Aura After the first round of betting, but before the draw, make all other players reveal their cards. step 2.5 Cavalry After cards are revealed, you may add any from your hand to the losing players hand, and get 1/2 the pot if he wins. step 5 Changeling Switch alien powers with anyone who hasn't folded yet, except the person who gave you changeling. step 1 Chosen Discard any number of cards and replace them with an equal number from the deck. step 1 Chronos After cards are revealed, you may take a second draw, of the same number you drew the first time step 5 Clone You may keep any cards you revealed to use in your next hand step 5 Connoisseur Draws double the the number of cards normal steps 1 & 3 Empath If you play a compromise, all other players have too. Half the pot is split among remaining players, and the other half stays until next hand. step 5 Filch After cards are revealed, you may take any revealed cards not your own and use them in the next hand. step 5 Insect Copy the power of any one player who hasn't folded. You retain use of that power for the rest of the hand, even if the player folds. steps 1-5 Loser After the hand is dealt, you may declare low-ball step 1 Magnet Before the draw, you may force one player to fold or to not fold if he can meet the current bet. steps 2-3 Macron Before the draw, anything you bet counts 4 times, but you cannot raise. steps 1-3 Mind You may look at one other players hand. step 4 Mutant You may take cards from other players as well as from the deck during the draw. step 3 Pacifist If you play a compromise card and no-one else did, you win. step 5 Philanthropist You may give any player one card from your hand. 1 in each step. Reincarnator Every time you lose or fold, lose your alien power, and gain one from the pile of unused powers. steps 1-5 Seeker You may ask one yes or no question of each player during the hand steps 1-5 Sniveler You may wine about either not having enough money to meet the bet, or not having a particular card you want. If no one either gives you the money to cover the current bet or gives you the card you want, you get everything currently in the pot. steps 1-4 Sorcerer Instead of the normal draw, you may switch any number of your cards with an equal number from any other player's hand, drawn randomly. step 3 Symbiote you receive double the normal starting money. Use only in a game where starting money distributed equally at the beginning. Trader You may trade hands with any one player steps 1-4 Vacuum When you lose (but not if you fold), other players give an equal amount to the winner. You specify which players give how much. Step 5 Vulch Pick up any edict played or discarded by other players steps 1-6
Subject: Cosmic Poker: Part 3 - edicts From: pluther@cs.pdx.edu (Pat Luther) Date: 20 Sep 1994 01:27:05 -0700 Message-ID: <35m6cp$ojv@xavier.cs.pdx.edu> Note the flares are not used in Cosmic Poker at this revision. Effects of Edicts: ----------------------- Step(s) Edict Name Effect 5 Emotion Control All players rmaining in the hand split the pot. 1-5 Unzap Same as in CE 1-5 Cosmic Zap The alien power zapped can't be used for the remainder of the hand. 1-5 Mobius Tubes Everyone who hasn't folded takes all their money out of the pot. 3 Force Field Prevent any one player from drawing. 1-4 Plague Put three tokens (Lucre, Dollars, M&M's, etc.) into the pot, and discard one of each card: Attack, Compromise, Edict, Flare 1-4 Victory Boon Everyone may reveal cards now. highest hand gets one third of the pot. Play continues. 5 Stellar Gas Winner doesn't get the pot. It remains for next hand. 3 Space Junk Draw last (if someone else plays a space junk after you, they draw second to last, and so on). Look through the cards everyone else discarded to get your cards. 1-4 Finder Same as in CE 1-3 Warp Break Take all your money out of the pot. 1-6 Keeper Keep any edicts or flares from your hand when you draw more cards. If you use it in turn three, count the cards as discarded, but don't discard them. 1-4 Sanity No flares or edicts may be played this hand. 1-4 Rebirth Take all your money out of the pot. 1-5 Flare Zap Same as in CE -- Pat Luther: Lex's Evil Twin pluther@cs.pdx.edu [A hollow voice says "pluther"] "I think we should leave now. I don't think he knows anything about the boy. Besides....he's got a shotgun pointed at us." ----------------------- Headers ----------------------- Path: newsbf01.news.aol.com!newstf01.cr1.aol.com!uunet!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!new s.uoregon.edu!cs.uoregon.edu!usenet.ee.pdx.edu!not-for-mail From: pluther@cs.pdx.edu (Pat Luther) Newsgroups: rec.games.board.ce