Lamarckian Poker

Published 1997

In Lamarckian Poker players start with a hand resembling primordial ooze, but attempt through successive generations to "evolve" it into something more useful. But unlike Lamarck's giraffes, they may find themselves competing with others for the very same improvements. In the end, the player who has accumulated the best Poker hand wins. Can be played using a standard Poker deck without Jokers. Published in the April 1999 issue GAMES (the magazine) and as part of Chief Herman's Next Big Thing as Darwinian Poker. Players start with four cards. Each round, there are four new cards available. Each player simultaneously chooses a card from her hand. The cards are revealed and then resolved in order from highest to smallest, with suit order breaking ties. Each card takes all the cards of same value and same suit from the pool and then goes into the pool, so a card played never returns to the hand of the player and later cards can capture earlier cards. The cards that are left in the pool are discarded and a new pool of four cards is dealt. This process is repeated as long as there are cards left in the deck, then the player who has the best five-card Poker hand wins the game.

Lamarckian Poker

Game Info

Players
2-6 Players
Time
10 min
Weight
Light-Medium — 1.63/5
Year
1997
BGG Rating
6.44
BGG Rank
#15914
Min Age
10+

Frequently Asked Questions

Lamarckian Poker supports 2 to 6 players.
A typical game of Lamarckian Poker takes about 10 minutes.
Lamarckian Poker has a complexity rating of 1.63/5.00 on BoardGameGeek, placing it in the 'Light' category. It is very accessible and great for new gamers.
The recommended minimum age for Lamarckian Poker is 10+. Younger children may enjoy it with guidance from experienced players.
Lamarckian Poker has a rating of 6.44/10 on BoardGameGeek, based on 91 ratings. It is ranked #15914 overall.
Lamarckian Poker was designed by David Howell, James Ernest. It was published in 1997.