Choose a Class and Court
Your Class defines your broad style. Your Court adds a second family of Powers, so every combination plays differently.
START HERE
One hand, from deal to consequence.
Royals & Rogues begins with familiar poker, then opens specific windows where Powers, Items, Tokens, and table states can change what happens.
Prepare the table
Each player begins with 100 coins. Add one Joker to the 52-card poker deck, set out Items, Tokens, state markers, and each player’s Power Deck.
Draw Powers
Draw three Powers before the first hand and one before each later hand. Powers stay hidden until their timing lets you use them.
Deal three hole cards
Every player receives three private poker cards instead of the usual two. The ordinary Hold’em board and hand rankings still matter.
Resolve Setup Powers
Setup Powers happen before betting. Players commit them face down, reveal them in order, and then discard down to five Powers.
Bet and change the hand
Play No-Limit Hold’em using antes. Round Powers change decisions during betting; Counter Powers answer specific events and resolve newest first.
Resolve Showdown
Eligible players commit Showdown Powers before revealing their hole cards. Resolve Powers, reveal hands, and award the pot.
Carry the consequences forward
Update coins, Tokens, Items, Heating Up, Tilted, and discard piles. These persistent states make the next hand different from the last.
THE MATCH
Win all the coins.
The original tournament structure uses ten-minute ante levels of 1, 3, 5, and 10. If several players remain, four sudden-death hands at a 25 ante decide the winner by stack size.