Bid ‘Em
There will be a number of values that the dealer will need to determine prior to dealing this game. In the explanation below, example values have been given, but they will need to be tailored, based on your table stakes.
One card is dealt face-down to each player. The dealer then flips the top card of the deck face-up next to the deck. The player to the dealer’s left is given the first option of either bidding 25 cents on the visible card or paying 50 cents for a blind card from the deck. If the player takes a blind card, then it is dealt face-up in that player’s hand, and the same option is presented to the next player, using the same visible card.
If the player bids on the visible card, then any other player after him in sequence (who has not yet received a card) has the option of bidding more for that card than the opening 25 cents. The player who bids the most puts that amount of money into the pot and gets the card. A new card is flipped from the top of the deck to replace it. The option to bid on the visible card or pay for a blind card continues around the table until each player has received another card. Players who received a card out of sequence by outbidding the rest of the table are skipped over until every player has received one new card.
After every player has a new card, the visible card is discarded. A betting round follows, opened by the player with the highest card showing. A new card is flipped over from the top of the deck, and another bid/buy round ensues. This time, it is the player two seats to the left of the dealer that bids first. Each bid/buy round is followed by a betting round.
Once each player has four cards (the initial buried card, and three new cards from bid/buy rounds), each is dealt a ‘free card’ face-down from the top of the deck. After another betting round, each player is given the option to exchange one card from their hand for a new card from the deck for $1. If they are discarding a down card, they receive the new one down; if discarding an up card, they receive the new one up. After a final betting round, best hand wins.
