Strip poker - rules

How to play: Basic rules for a game of strip poker - as featured in the erotic short story: Birthday Treat

There are probably 100's of variants of the card game we know as poker. And all of these can be easily adapted into a 'strip' version. Whilst most forms of the game involve betting, the simple type played in 'Birthday Treat' removes the gambling element and focuses solely on the strength of hand. The person with the worst hand at the reveal is the loser, and the loser of each round is required to remove an item of clothing. These are probably the simplest strip poker rules.

The game uses the Five-card draw format that is considered the simplest variant of poker. As a result, it is often the first variant learned by new players: it is a great option for those players not familiar with poker as is often the case when players are encouraged to take part in a game of strip poker. The game uses a standard deck of 52 cards and is suitable for 2 - 8 players, although the ideal number is 4 - 6.

Tip #1 - Make sure everyone consents to play

Never force anyone to play. All players should be consenting adults.

Of course, alcohol may help some of those initially more hesitant!

Tip #2 - Agree on what counts as clothing

Ideally all players should start off wearing the same amount of clothes. In 'Birthday Treat' the three players are wearing nine items each. As a general rule, the more players, the less items each should be wearing. For example, if there are four players then seven or eight items is appropriate. If there are five players, then six or seven is appropriate. Once you've agreed on the number of clothes, that determines if watches and jewelry count. In 'Birthday Treat' one of the girls counts her scrunchie to bring her up to the required amount of clothes.

Also agree how far the game will go. Is your group daring enough to get completely naked, or will they only be comfortable stripping to their undies?

"Phil breathed deeply as her hands slowly moved to the top of her faded blue jeans and un-popped them. She gradually undid all the buttons on the fly and ... raising herself slightly out of her chair and slowly eased her jeans down until they were around her ankles." – Extract from 'Birthday Treat'

Tip #3 - Make sure everyone knows the ranking of the hands before you start

Without understanding the poker hand rankings, you won’t know whether your starting hand is strong or weak, and you may end up losing your clothes as a result. There are ten different poker hands in total, starting with the highest-ranking Royal Flush to the lowest - the single high card (with an Ace being the highest).

So, in order: 1) Royal Flush, 2) Straight Flush, 3) Four of a Kind, 4) Full House, 5) Flush, 6) Straight, 7) Three of a Kind, 8) Two Pairs, 9) One Pair, 10) High Card

If some players are not sure, then supply a 'cheat sheet' for them to refer to.

"Phil turned over her cards to reveal two pairs: Kings and Queens. When I showed my three Sixes, Phil quickly checked the ‘cheat sheet’.“Three of a kind beats two pairs.” I confirmed." – Extract from 'Birthday Treat'

Tip #4 - Game Play

Once all the preliminaries are sorted, the game can begin! All players pick a card and the one with the highest is dealer for the first round. Five cards are dealt face down to each player. The players look at their cards and determine how many they are going to keep. They are allowed to discard up to four.

After everyone has replaced their discarded cards with new ones they take turns to reveal their hands. The one with the lowest value hand loses and takes off one item of clothing.

"Kirsty put her hands behind her back and unclasped her bra. She took her arms from the straps and let the black lacy garment fall away." – Extract from 'Birthday Treat'

Once the loser has removed an item of clothing, the next player deals and the game continues.

Tip #5 - And the winner is....

The winner will be the one with the most clothes on at the end of the game. The loser(s) will be easier to identify - they'll have least on, and may even be naked! This will depend on how far you agree to go at the start.

It was a strange but exciting feeling standing completely naked in front of my two best female friends, both of whom were close enough to touch my private bits." – Extract from 'Birthday Treat'

Remember

It’s not necessarily about winning the hand, it’s about not losing. Only the loser must take anything off.

Have fun, if it's not fun then stop.