Special Rules: Antes & Run It Twice

Beyond the main game modes, there are optional rules in poker that can completely change the flow of the game. Two of the most common are Antes and Run It Twice — both of which you’ll see on Ginza tables.

Antes

An ante is a small forced bet that every player at the table posts before the cards are dealt. Think of it as a little tax everyone pays each hand to make sure there’s something in the pot.

Unlike blinds, which only two players post each hand, an ante comes from everyone. That means:

• Pots start bigger from the very first card.

• Players can’t just sit back and fold forever, because they’re bleeding chips every orbit.

• The pace of the game speeds up — more action, more incentive to play hands.

On Ginza, ante games are a great way to keep things lively and maximize your action-based rewards.

Run It Twice

“Run it twice” is an option when two or more players are all-in and want to reduce variance. Instead of dealing out just one turn and river, the dealer runs two separate boards for the remaining cards.

The pot is then split in half:

• Half goes to the winner of the first board.

• Half goes to the winner of the second board.

• If one player scoops both, they take the whole pot.

Players use the same hole cards across both runs — you don’t get a fresh hand. What changes is the community cards, which means more chances for each player to hit.

Running it twice doesn’t change the math of the situation, but it smooths out the swings. For example, if you’re a 60% favorite against someone’s 40% hand, running it twice often results in each player winning once, instead of one person scooping the whole thing.

On Ginza, run it twice is a community-friendly feature. It lets players embrace big pots without fearing one unlucky river card wiping out their stack.