There are some casino poker variants that allow players to replace their entire hand. These games are different from draw poker variants. In draw poker players can replace as many cards as they want and they do not have to pay anything extra for doing so. In second chance poker variants it is all cards to be replaced or none. An additional bet is to be placed if the player wants a second chance.

Both a five card and a three card version of second chance poker games are on offer at online casinos. The five card variant goes by the special name of Mulligan Poker. It can be played at all Vegas Technology online casinos like those of the English Harbour group and the Go Casino group. The player has to wager the ante bet to start the game and can wager the optional bonus bet as well. Five cards are dealt to the player face up and five cards are dealt to the dealer face down. The player has then to decide whether he should stand or take a Mulligan. Taking a Mulligan refers to replacing his dealt hand. If the player chooses to take a Mulligan, then he has to wager a raise bet equal to his ante bet. If the player takes a Mulligan his existing hand will be discarded and a new hand will be dealt from the remaining cards in the deck. One important thing about taking a Mulligan is that the bonus bet, if made, will be forfeited. The dealer’s hand is then exposed. If the dealer has an ace high or higher, then he will stand. If the dealer has a king high or less, then he will take a Mulligan. The hands are compared using the normal poker hand rankings. If the dealer’s hand wins, then the player loses the ante and raise wager. If the player’s hand wins, then both ante and raise are paid according to the ante and raise pay table. A tie results in a push for the ante and raise bets. The bonus bet is paid according to a separate pay table. The ante and raise pay tables start with payouts of 100 to 1 for wins with a royal flush and go down to 3 to 1 for wins with a full house. Wins with a lower ranking hand pay 1 to 1. The bonus bet pays 5 to 1 for holding a two pair. The payout rises to 10,000 to 1 for a royal flush.

The three card variant is simply called Three Card Second Chance Poker. It has been developed by WagerWorks and can be played at Virgin Casino. The play mechanism is exactly the same as in Mulligan Poker. However, three card poker hand rankings apply in this case. For those not familiar with three card poker hand rankings, in decreasing rank they are straight flush, three of a kind, straight, flush, pair and high card. Because of the higher probabilities of getting winning combinations the payouts are lower than in Mulligan Poker. The ante and raise pay tables start with payouts of 6 to 1 for wins with a straight flush and go down to 3 to 2 for wins with a straight. Wins with a lower ranking hand pay 1 to 1. The bonus bet pays 2 to 1 for holding a flush. The payout rises to 35 to 1 for three aces.