Optional rule |Poker Strategy|

Optional rule. There may be no more than two straddles, and the limit for a raise is always two chips before the draw and four chips after the draw, regardless of the number of straddles.

Rank of hands. In addition to the ordinary poker hands, the following hands have value:
Big cat, or big tiger: King high, eight low, no pair. Loses to a flush, beats any lower-ranking hand.

Little cat, or little tiger: Eight high, three low, no pair. Ranks next below a big cat. Big dog: Ace high, nine low, no pair. Ranks next below a little cat. Little dog: Seven high, deuce low, no pair; ranks next below a big dog, beats a straight or any lower hand. As between two cats or dogs of the same rank, ties are broken as between any two no-pair hands. That is, K Q 10 9 8 would beat K J 109 8; 76 4 3 2 would beat 7 5 4 3 2.

(The object of using cats and dogs is to increase the number of hands worth drawing to and so bring more players into the pot, enlivening the game. Such hands, and other special hands. which are defined in the glossary, are encountered in any type of poker game, but most often in blind-opening games. Some but only a few-players rule that since a cat or dog beats a straight, a cat flush or dog flush beats a straight flush and becomes the highest-ranking hand. This is subject to agreement in the particular game before starting to play.)