New Order Poker
Where the powerful set the rules and the clever exploit them
The Game That Evolves As You Play
New Order Poker transforms traditional poker into a dynamic economic battlefield. The hierarchy of hands isn't fixed—it shifts throughout the match based on player investments. Early winners reshape the game cheaply while latecomers pay premium prices to challenge the established order.
This isn't just poker with a twist. It's a simulation of market manipulation where strategic timing, resource management, and reading opponents matter as much as the cards you're dealt.
2-6
Players
45-90
Minutes
14+
Age
Core Mechanics: Rank, Bet, Revolt
Dynamic Rankings
Hand rankings persist across the entire match and can be promoted through strategic investment. The column you see in hand one will look completely different by hand ten.
Escalating Costs
Manipulation starts at just 1 chip but increases with each promotion, eventually capping at 20. Early movers control the game; late adapters pay the price.
Disruptor Effects
85 special cards introduce permanent rule changes—wildcards, suit hierarchies, inverted values, and economic shocks that fundamentally alter gameplay.
What's In The Box
The System Deck (108 Cards)
- 85 Disruptor Cards – Instant, Personal, and Community effects that warp the rules
- 13 Ranking Cards – From Flush Five to High Card, the hierarchy you'll manipulate
- 1 Ledger Card – Tracks manipulation cost from 1 to 20
- 5 Blank Cards – Make your own rules
- 4 Instruction Cards – Quick reference for gameplay
Additional Components
- 1 Metal Book Dart – Slides along the Ledger to track current cost
- 6 Hedging Tokens – Place side bets on which hand rank will win
You'll need a standard 52-card deck and poker chips (150+ recommended)
Setup:
01
Arrange the Ranking Column
Place the 13 Ranking Cards vertically from strongest (Flush Five at top) to weakest (High Card at bottom). This is the hierarchy you'll manipulate all game.
02
Set the Ledger
Position the Ledger Card beside the column. Slide the Metal Book Dart to position 1—your starting manipulation cost.
03
Prepare Disruptors
Shuffle the 85 Disruptor Cards and place them face-down. These cards will fundamentally alter reality as the game progresses.
04
Distribute Resources
Each player receives starting chips (75 for 2 players, scaling down to 35 for 6 players) and 1 Hedging Token. Choose a random dealer.
Hand Structure: Ten Phases of Strategy
1
Phase 1-2: Ante & Deal
All players ante 1 chip. Dealer distributes 5 hole cards to each player.
2
Phase 3: Betting Round 1
Critical phase: Players may manipulate the Ranking Column ONLY when they Bet, Call, or Raise—never when checking or folding.
3
Phase 4: Draw
Discard up to 3 cards and draw replacements. Information warfare begins.
4
Phase 5-6: First Community Card
Dealer reveals first shared card. Second betting round with manipulation opportunities.
5
Phase 7-8: Second Community Card
Dealer reveals second shared card. Final betting round—last chance to reshape reality.
6
Phase 9-10: Showdown & Draft
Best 5-card hand from 7 total cards wins according to CURRENT rankings. Winner picks first from revealed Disruptor cards, then second-best hand, continuing in order.
The Manipulation Engine
How It Works
When you Bet, Call, or Raise, you may pay chips to promote any hand type one position up the column. Pay the current Ledger cost to the pot, then slide the dart up by 1. The next manipulation costs more.
Example: Ledger shows 5. You bet 4 chips and promote Straight for 5 chips. Total: 9 chips to pot. Straight moves up one position. Dart slides to 6.
Strategic Timing
- Early Game (Cost 1-8): Manipulations are cheap—experiment aggressively and shape the meta
- Mid Game (Cost 9-15): Real commitment required. Adapt to what wealthy players established
- Late Game (Cost 16-20): Column is effectively frozen. Single manipulation at cost 20 is a nuclear event
Hard cap at 20 chips—once reached, cost remains 20 for the rest of the match.
The Disruptor System: 85 Cards of Chaos
Instant Cards (26)
Resolve immediately when drafted. Includes free promotions, hostile takeovers, market crashes, and extinction events that permanently remove hand types from the game.
Personal Cards (27)
Affect only you. Max 2 per player. Features wildcards, hand elevation mechanics, extra draws, and the legendary Identity Theft card that copies any opponent's exact hand.
Community Cards (32)
Affect all players. Max 2 in play. Inverts currency values, restricts betting, warps suit hierarchies, declares "lowest hand wins," and more structural chaos.
Draft Priority Compounds Winning: Best hand picks first after every showdown. This means early chip leaders control both the economy AND access to the most powerful Disruptors. Folding costs you both pot equity and draft position.
Advanced Mechanics: Hedging Your Bets
Risk Management Through Side Bets
Pay 5 chips to place your Hedging Token on any Ranking Card. If the winning hand matches that rank, collect 20 chips before the pot is awarded. Move your token anytime for another 5 chips (previous bet is lost).
Strategic Applications
- True Hedging: Weak hand but opponent likely has Flush? Bet 5 on Flush rank to soften your loss
- Reading Rewards: If you know what opponent holds, profit even when losing the hand
- Information Warfare: Place token on the hand YOU have to mislead opponents
- Dynamic Adaptation: Reposition after community cards reveal new information
5-to-win-20 is 4:1 payout—worth it if you're more than 25% confident in your read.
Rank. Bet. Revolt.
"By the time the match ends, poker itself will feel different—and that lingering wrongness is exactly what we're after."
Economic Reality
Winners keep winning. They control chips, draft priority, and can cheaply establish the rankings that favor them. Losers must optimize for a world the rich created.
Adaptive Strategy
Every decision telegraphs information. Burned Disruptors, column manipulations, and hedging patterns reveal intentions. Reading opponents is as valuable as reading cards.
Victory Condition
Last player standing wins. All others have gone bankrupt or folded out. The match continues until only one remains who controlled the chaos.
The Disruptor Lab
Your Game, Your Rules
Grab the blank cards from your box and a Sharpie. Invent a new Disruptor card that breaks the game. If it’s chaotic enough, we want to see it.
New Order Poker: The Official FAQ & Arbiter’s Guide
Welcome to the comprehensive guide for navigating the complex strategies and intricate rules of New Order Poker. This section clarifies common queries and addresses specific card interactions, ensuring fair and consistent gameplay for all players.
Section I: The Manipulation Engine
Q: When exactly can I manipulate the Ranking Column?
A: You may only manipulate the column when you Bet, Call, or Raise. You CANNOT manipulate when: You Check, Fold, Ante, or during the Draw phase. The Golden Rule: If you aren't putting chips into the pot voluntarily (beyond the Ante), you cannot touch the column.
Q: Can I pay double the cost to move a hand up two spots in one turn?
A: No. The rule states you may promote "any hand type one position up" per betting action. You cannot pay for multiple promotions in a single action. However, if you Bet (and promote), and an opponent Raises, and you then Call that raise, you can promote again on that Call.
Q: Does the "Hostile Takeover" card increase the Ledger Cost?
A: No. Hostile Takeover (Instant) explicitly states it promotes a hand "for free". You move the Ranking Cards, but you do not slide the Metal Book Dart up the Ledger.
Q: What happens if the Ledger is at 20?
A: The economy has peaked. The cost is now 20 chips for every subsequent manipulation for the remainder of the match. It never goes higher than 20, but it stays there unless a "Market Crash" Disruptor card resets it to 1.
Q: Can I manipulate a hand that is already at the #1 spot (Flush Five)?
A: No. You cannot promote a hand that is already in the top position. You also cannot pay to "protect" it; it is simply capped.
Section II: Disruptor Cards (General)
Q: What happens if I have 2 Personal Cards and I draft a 3rd?
A: You must immediately discard one of your existing Personal cards to make room. You cannot hold three. The same rule applies to Community Cards: if there are 2 in play and a 3rd is drafted, one of the existing two must be discarded.
Q: If I "muck" (fold face-down without showing) my hand, can I still draft a Disruptor?
A: No. If you muck your hand, you forfeit your pick entirely. You must reveal your cards at Showdown to claim your draft right, even if you know you lost the pot.
Q: Do "Instant" cards count toward my hand limit?
A: No. Instant cards resolve immediately and are then discarded. They never sit in your tableau.
Q: When exactly do "Instant" cards resolve?
A: They resolve immediately upon being drafted. Note: Drafts happen after the pot is awarded. Therefore, an Instant card like "Socialism" (Redistribute all chips) happens after the winner has collected the current pot.
Section III: Specific Card Interactions (Edge Cases)
Q: "Currency Inversion" swaps White ($1) and Red ($5) values. How does this affect the Ledger?
A: The Ledger tracks the number of chips, but the cost is paid in value. Scenario: Ledger is at 5. Normal Play: You pay $5 (one Red chip). Inverted Play: Red chips are now $1. You must pay 5 Red chips (value $5) or 1 White chip (value $5) to satisfy the Ledger. Rule of Thumb: The Ledger demands "Value," not physical plastic. If the Ledger demands 5, you must pay $5 worth of currency, regardless of which color chip holds that value.
Q: "Face Off" says J/Q/K have no value. "Executive Purge" says hands without face cards beat hands with them. How do these interact?
A: Face Off: Your King is now a "0". It has a suit, but a rank of 0. A pair of Kings loses to a pair of 2s. Executive Purge: If you have a Face Card in your hand (even if it's a "0" due to Face Off), you lose to any hand that has no Face Cards. Example: Player A has K-K (0-0). Player B has High Card 7. Under "Executive Purge," Player B wins because Player A holds "toxic" face cards.
Q: "Extinction Event" removes a hand type (e.g., Flush). What happens if I get a Flush?
A: It is treated as "High Card". Example: "Bubble Burst" removes Flushes. You hold 5 Hearts. You do not have a Flush. You have "High Card (Ace)" (assuming Ace is your highest heart).
Q: I manipulated the column to move Straight above Flush. I have a Straight. Is my hand "Artificial"?
A: No. Natural Hand: Any hand made via standard cards, even if the Ranking Column has been changed. Moving the column does not make a hand Artificial. Artificial Hand: A hand created or boosted by a Disruptor Card (e.g., "Shortcut Straight" allows a 4-card straight). The Clash: If you have a Natural Flush and I have a "Shortcut Flush" (4 cards), and we are tied in rank, I WIN. The Artificial Hand beats the Natural Hand of the same type.
Section IV: Hedging
Q: Can I place a Hedging Token on the hand I am holding?
A: Yes. This is officially encouraged as "Information Warfare". It misleads opponents into thinking you are hedging against a loss, inducing them to call.
Q: Can I move my Hedging Token after the cards are shown but before the pot is pushed?
A: No. You may move the token "anytime during the hand", which implies the active gameplay phases. Once Showdown [Phase 9] begins and hands are revealed, betting is closed. All hedges are locked in.
Q: What if I hedge on "Flush," but the winner has a "Straight" that was promoted to the "Flush" rank via a Disruptor?
A: You WIN the hedge. Hedging pays out if the winning hand matches the Rank on the column. If a Straight is promoted to be a "Flush" (in terms of game mechanics/Disruptor effects) or if "Straight" occupies the "Flush" slot, you check the winning rank. Clarification: You are betting on the Ranking Card in the column, not the physical cards in the player's hand. If the winning player uses the card occupying the 5th slot, and your token is on the 5th slot, you win.
Section V: Showdown & Ties
Q: Who wins ties?
A: Rank: Check the current Ranking Column. Artificiality: If ranks are identical, Artificial (Disruptor-created) beats Natural. Kicker: If both are Natural or both Artificial, standard poker high-card kickers apply. True Tie: If kickers are identical, split the pot.
Q: "Bear Market" (Lowest hand wins). How are Aces handled?
A: In standard low-ball poker, Aces are usually low (1). Unless a "Prime Economy" or other card states otherwise, assume Aces are high unless they are used as the bottom of a low straight (A-2-3-4-5). However, in "Bear Market," you want the weakest hand according to the column. If "High Card" is at the bottom of the column, the person with the lowest High Card (e.g., 7-high vs K-high) wins.
Section VI: Quick Reference for Arguments
- Q: "I forgot to ante!" -> A: Pay it now.
- Q: "Can I check-raise-manipulate?" -> A: Yes. If you Check, then an opponent Bets, and you Raise, you may manipulate on the Raise.
- Q: "Does the winner pay the hedge?" -> A: No. The Hedge is paid from the pot before the winner collects. The winner gets a smaller pot.
- Q: "I ran out of chips manipulating!" -> A: You cannot manipulate if you cannot pay the cost. The chips must go into the pot.