Running It Twice
This is not a trick question: How many community cards are there in Texas Hold’em or Omaha?
Yes, five is the right answer, but to be absolutely correct, the answer should be “usually” five. Because there are times when you can have more than five community cards. This situation is called Running It Twice. In a cash game, never a tournament, when two players get involved in a large pot and one of them is all in, the may agree to run it twice. This means that whatever community cards still remain to flopped, turned or rivered; they will be put out twice. So if the “run twice” is agree to after the flop, then a turn and river are put out and then another turn and another river. The players are in effect playing two hands. If one player wins both, they win all the pot. If the players each win a hand, the pot is split.
This really is just a form of insurance when players get involved in a big pot. Not all poker rooms allow players to run it twice and some only allow it in their high limit games, so check with the floor or the dealer, if you want to run it twice.
If you want to discuss this interesting poker idea, head over to the online poker forum
-this is Beginner’s Poker Blog Post #205
