Swap Hold'Em Poker is available exclusively at PokerStars, and it takes the world's favourite poker game, Texas Hold'em, and hands players one extra decision: the option to trade in their hole cards.
Every other beat of the hand stays familiar. Blinds, flop, turn, river, showdown. The difference is that a starting hand you were never keen on doesn't have to stay a starting hand you're stuck with.
If you've played Texas Hold'em before, or simply watched enough of it on the telly to know a flush from a full house, the format will click quickly.
Bets, Payouts & Rules
The rules follow standard Texas Hold'em, with one significant addition built into the action.
- Before a player has the chance to fold, they are first offered the option to swap one or both hole cards for new ones.
- Each player may swap once per hand.
- The swap can be taken at any point in the hand, either pre-flop or post-flop.
- Players who are all-in cannot swap.
- Swapping is entirely optional. There is no requirement to use it.
Hand rankings, betting rounds and showdown all work exactly as they do in Texas Hold'em, so nothing needs relearning beyond the swap itself.
Features & Bonus Rounds
The Swap
The swap is the defining mechanic of the game. One card, two cards, or none at all, taken at whichever point in the hand you choose, as long as you are not all-in.
Swap Icon
A swap icon sits beside each player's avatar, showing who has used their swap and how many cards they traded. That single detail turns a private decision into shared information at the table.
Players can also hover over their own swap icon to see which card or cards they let go of.
Taste & Feel
This is poker with a slightly different rhythm. Hands you'd normally muck without a second thought suddenly warrant a pause, and the swap icons around the table give everyone a fresh thing to read into.
It's still recognisably Hold'em underneath: same rankings, same streets, same showdown at the end of it all. The swap simply adds one more choice to weigh up along the way.
Anyone who knows Texas Hold'em will find it an easy one to settle into whenever you fancy a look.