In the Weird West, the cards are stacked, the stakes high, and the monsters are coming.
Monster Gunslingers The Game® is a supernatural spin on Texas Hold’em, blending classic poker mechanics with special abilities. To play, assemble your team of outlaws, gunslingers, lawmakers and more before monsters threaten to take over Main Street.
The first gunslinger to win 3 rounds rides off with the win. To kick things off, select a first player at random. For every round after the first, the winner of the previous round starts.
Set-Up
- Give the 52-card deck a good shuffle.
- Lay out 5 cards face down in the center of the table to create “Main Street.”
- Leave space for a discard pile (discarded cards are always face down).
- Each player draws their starting hand:
2 players: Draw 5 cards each.
3-5 players: Draw 4 cards each.
6 players: Draw 3 cards each.
PLAYER ACTIONS
On your turn, choose ONE of the following actions:
• Flip a Card and Draw: Pick any face down card on Main Street and turn it face up. Draw a card from the deck to add to your hand.
OR
• Holster a Card: Place a card from your hand face down into your holster. You can only have two cards in your holster at a time. If you’ve already got two, you’ll need to discard one to make room.
OR
• Play an Action: Show a card from your hand to all players, perform the action, then discard the card face down. If the card says “Holster Action,” play the card face up into your Holster and take the action. The card stays in your holster.
HOW TO WIN A ROUND
The round ends when all the cards on Main Street are face up by the end of a player’s turn. Each player then reveals their holster. The player with the best 5-card poker hand, made from any combination of cards on Main Street and their holster, is the winner.
Game Definitions
• Main Street: Always consists of 5 cards in the center of the play area.
• Discard Pile: Cards in this pile are always face down.
• Hand: There is no limit to the number of cards you can hold in your hand.
• Draw Deck: The deck of cards that all players draw from; it is shared among all players.
• Holster: A personal storage area where each player can hold up to 2 cards. A player can always play a card into a holster even if they have two cards in it already, but they must discard a holster card to make room first.
Full Overview Video
• Deck Management: If you run out of cards in the draw deck, shuffle the discard pile to create a new draw deck.
• Holster Management: If you’ve got 2 cards in your holster, you can still add another card, but you’11 need to immediately discard one of your current holster cards. Do not play actions from cards when holstering cards (unless instructed to do so by the card).
• Breaking Ties: If there is a tie, whoever has the most cards in the winning holster’s hand wins. If there is a still a tie, then both players win.
• Card Abilities: Printed text on the card supercedes game rules. When players flip or peek at a card on Main Street, the player can choose any card in any order.
• Peeking and Turning Cards Face Up: Cards may be revealed in any order on Main Street. Cards may be peeked at in any order when that ability is used.
Strap on your boots, draw your cards, and may the best group of monster gunslingers prevail!
If you want to play with the following betting rules, grab your poker chips or a pile of pennies and begin.
Each player starts with 10 chips. At the beginning of each round, all players ante a chip to form the pot. Whenever the 4th card on Main Street is revealed, betting begins.
During betting, starting with the active player, players can check, bet, or fold. If a player folds, they will be out of this round and discard the cards in their hand and holster. At the end of the 3rd round, the player with the most chips wins.
If the 4th card is revealed during the middle of using an Ace, finish betting before completing the additional turns from the Ace.
Monster Gunslingers The Game® 