Cowboy Poker Rules
Cowboys and poker surely seem like a natural combination. Lonely cowboys with no family to spend their meager earnings on, a card game to pass the time when they’re not riding the dusty trail. However, the actual sport of cowboy poker is an entirely different species of sporting event. It takes guns, nerves of steel, and more than a little bit of luck to come out with the best hand in this adrenaline-inducing event. This is a great alternative for domino qq today.
Imagine trying to hold your seat and not stand up and run for the hills with 2000 pounds of angry bovine flesh charging at you. Try concentrating on the cards, and your fellow opponents, when you have a massive beast breathing down your neck. Think how difficult it has to be to hold your ground and your nerves all the while seeing that bull out of the corner of your eye, bearing down on you.
Poker then was not like poker now. The games were much simpler, and almost all of them were what we would consider stud variations. They used a different deck of cards, and the rules were different, too. A deck of cards consisted of only 20 cards in 4 different suites–the ace, king, queen, jack, and ten were the only cards in the deck. However, it was a win in the $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em event during the 2004 Plaza Ultimate Poker Challenge in Las Vegas where he gained a nickname, thereby solidifying his spot in poker history. A woman in the audience at the tournament kept yelling 'Go Cowboy!' And 'Ride 'em Cowboy!' During the tournament because of his Stetson hat. Rodeo Cowboy Poker Rules A rodeo event that is taken place inside of a rodeo arena. A table is set up and contestiants are sitting around it as if they are playing poker. A rank bull is set free in the arena.
The game of cowboy poker (also widely known as bull poker, due to the rather large contestants) began innocently enough with a group of cowboys who decided one evening to spice up a rather boring round of cards. They placed their poker table and chairs in the middle of an arena (for those who do not know, an arena is a large, secure fenced in area in which riding and rodeo competitions are normally held), and proceeded to start a normal game of poker. They had a fellow player turn one of the bulls loose from the day’s rodeo events, and bull poker was born.
The rules of this seemingly insane game are simple. Four competitors enter the arena and sit at a normal-sized table placed near the center. They are dealt a regular poker hand, and the bull is released from the chute. The object of the game is not to have the best poker hand. The way to win cowboy poker is simple: stay in your seat the longest. The last man out of their seat wins. Whether the cowboys are knocked out of their seats or turn tail and run, being dislodged from your seat automatically eliminates you. Last man sitting wins the jackpot.
Cowboy poker has become a highly requested sport at rodeos and fairs across the country. People line up by the thousands to see, and to participate, in this crazy game. Would be competitors often pay a small entry fee, which is placed into a jackpot of sorts for the last man sitting. The game is open to players of all ages and genders, and has no limitations besides the limitations the players place on themselves. There are safety precautions in place in most games, which include well-trained rodeo clowns, but it’s certainly not without risk.
Cowboy poker is surely an event to make a big splash across the country. After all, who wouldn’t want to watch a bunch of brave (or foolhardy) cowboys try and stay sitting with a massive bovine zeroing in on them? Spectators and competitors alike feel the adrenaline rush of this highly entertaining sport.
Cowboys taking a break. Photo by Erwin E. Smith, 1907.
“A man’s got to have a code, a creed to live by, no matter his job.”— John Wayne.
First chronicled by the famous western writer, Zane Grey, in his 1934 novel The Code of the West, no “written” code ever actually existed. However, the hardy pioneers who lived in the west were bound by these unwritten rules that centered on hospitality, fair play, loyalty, and respect for the land.
Ramon Adams, a Western historian, explained it best in his 1969 book, The Cowman and His Code of Ethics, saying, in part:
“Back in the days when the cowman with his herds made a new frontier, there was no law on the range. Lack of written law made it necessary for him to frame some of his own, thus developing a rule of behavior which became known as the “Code of the West.” These homespun laws, being merely a gentleman’s agreement to certain rules of conduct for survival, were never written into statutes, but were respected everywhere on the range.
Though the cowman might break every law of the territory, state and federal government, he took pride in upholding his own unwritten code. His failure to abide by it did not bring formal punishment, but the man who broke it became, more or less, a social outcast. His friends ‘hazed him into the cutbacks’ and he was subject to the punishment of the very code he had broken.”
Cowboy drinking Wiedemann Beer Advertisement
Though the Code of the West was always unwritten, here is a “loose” list of some of the guidelines:
Governor Of Poker
Don’t inquire into a person’s past. Take the measure of a man for what he is today.
Never steal another man’s horse. A horse thief pays with his life.
Defend yourself whenever necessary.
Look out for your own.
Remove your guns before sitting at the dining table.
Never order anything weaker than whiskey.
Don’t make a threat without expecting dire consequences.
Never pass anyone on the trail without saying “Howdy”.
When approaching someone from behind, give a loud greeting before you get within shooting range.
Don’t wave at a man on a horse, as it might spook the horse. A nod is the proper greeting.
After you pass someone on the trail, don’t look back at him. It implies you don’t trust him.
Riding another man’s horse without his permission is nearly as bad as making love to his wife. Never even bother another man’s horse.
Always fill your whiskey glass to the brim.
A cowboy doesn’t talk much; he saves his breath for breathing.
No matter how weary and hungry you are after a long day in the saddle, always tend to your horse’s needs before your own, and get your horse some feed before you eat.
Cuss all you want, but only around men, horses, and cows.
Complain about the cooking and you become the cook.
Always drink your whiskey with your gun hand, to show your friendly intentions.
Do not practice ingratitude.
A cowboy is pleasant even when out of sorts. Complaining is what quitters do, and cowboys hate quitters.
Always be courageous. Cowards aren’t tolerated in any outfit worth its salt.
A cowboy always helps someone in need, even a stranger or an enemy.
Never try on another man’s hat.
Be hospitable to strangers. Anyone who wanders in, including an enemy, is welcome at the dinner table. The same was true for riders who joined cowboys on the range.
Give your enemy a fighting chance.
Never wake another man by shaking or touching him, as he might wake suddenly and shoot you.
Real cowboys are modest. A braggart who is “all gurgle and no guts” is not tolerated.
Be there for a friend when he needs you.
Drinking on duty is grounds for instant dismissal and blacklisting.
A cowboy is loyal to his “brand,” to his friends, and those he rides with.
Never shoot an unarmed or unwarned enemy. This was also known as “the rattlesnake code”: always warn before you strike. However, if a man was being stalked, this could be ignored.
Never shoot a woman no matter what.
Consideration for others is central to the code, such as: Don’t stir up dust around the chuckwagon, don’t wake up the wrong man for herd duty, etc.
Respect the land and the environment by not smoking in hazardous fire areas, disfiguring rocks, trees, or other natural areas.
Honesty is absolute – your word is your bond, a handshake is more binding than a contract.
Live by the Golden Rule.
“The Code of the West was a gentleman’s agreement to certain rules of conduct. It was never written into the statutes, but it was respected everywhere on the range. ” — Ramon F. Adams.
Compiled and edited by Kathy Weiser/Legends of America, updated September 2020
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Code of the West 11×17 Poster with photo collage, available at Legends’ General Store.
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