Edmund Fitzgerald

When you hear the name “Edmund Fitzgerald,” what comes to mind? Is it the tragic mid-70’s shipwreck that occurred on Lake Superior? Is it the hit song by Gordon Lightfoot? Is it the delicious porter from Great Lakes Brewing Company out of Cleveland?

For me, first and foremost, I think about poker, and the popular variation played in our home poker game. Often called simply “Edmund,” this game is based on the game of “Threedom,” which I will also explain in this post. There is some debate over who properly should deserve credit for this game, some argue it was Palmer, and some argue that it was Higgs.

By my recollection, it was Palmer who invented Threedom, which has become a popular game for our crew in July every year. And it was Higgs who deviated on this game to create Edmund Fitzgerald.

I should also mention the game “Two Handed,” which has been a favorite for much longer, as Edmund also is influenced by that game.

How to Play Two Handed

Two Handed Hold ‘Em has always been a bit of a misnomer, as it seems like it would be similar to Texas Hold ‘Em, but where players are dealt two hands instead of one. Instead, this game is more like Omaha, where players must play exactly two cards from their hand. Initially players receive four cards, and they must immediately split the cards into two sets of two. This is a high-low game, so cards are often split into the best possible starting low hand and the best possible starting high hand.

Big Bill will almost always deal this hand by calling out, “Two handed, two handed, two handed. Split them up.” This is often mimicked by other players now that Big Bill has moved away from Ann Arbor, a clear homage to our Bay State compadre.

Once the cards are split by each player, we follow the blinds around the table. It’s important to note that in the first round, the bets are fungible. That is, if I call the big blind under the gun, and then the bet is raised as play moves around the table, then I may choose to fold one hand and play the other, and my bet can be moved to only the one hand I am playing.

Once everyone moves through the first round of betting, and decides if they are playing one hand or two (or zero if they fold), then we get a flop, a round of betting, a turn, a round of betting, a river card, and then a round of betting.

From there it’s time to declare whether you are going high or low with your hand. There is no qualifier on the low hand. If you have kept both hands all of the way to this point, then there is no reason to declare. We call this “Streinbrennering” after the former New York Yankees owner, George Steinbrenner, presumably because he worked hard to buy all of the talent available.

Players declare if they are playing high or low by taking two chips under the table, and then reappearing with a closed fist over the middle of the table. Once all of the participating players have their hand over the line, they open their palms to reveal either zero chips (going low), one chip (going high), or two chips (going both high and low). The rule if you go both is that you must win both the high and the low (without tying), otherwise you lose both.

Once players display their chips to indicate whether they are going high or low, then there is another round of betting. If there is only one player who declared either high or low, then they bet first, and we limit this bet to just $3 (what we commonly refer to as a gentleman’s bet). We limit this bet because they already have a guarantee that they will win half the pot.

Ultimately the pot is divided between the player with the best high hand, and the best low hand, with the best possible low being A-2-3-4-6.

OK, so that’s Two Handed, 50% of the basis for Edmund Fitzgerald.

How to Play Threedom

The second game that you need to understand is called Threedom. Again, my recollection is that Palmer invented this game, but I may be mistaken.

For Threedom, the game is a bit easier to explain. Players are dealt four cards, and the game is exactly like Omaha, except that players must play exactly 3 cards from their hand. This game can be played as a High-Low, or as a High Only game, and we play it with pot limit betting. The best low is a wheel, and the high hand can be very deceptive as a player could have a full house or even quads regardless of how the flop lands.

We like to play this game around the forth of July (because it rhymes with Freedom), although honestly, this has become a less popular game in our group, as it is so unpredictable to guess what others are holding.

Threedom is pretty straightforward, and now you have the background that you need to understand Edmund Fitzgerald.

How to Play Edmund Fitzgerald

It’s important to note that this game can only be played with 7 or fewer players. Each player is dealt 6 cards, and betting moves around the table. Because this is a combination of Two Handed and Threedom, you’ll need to understand that you must play three cards from your hand, this is a high low game, and you will have to break your six-card hand into two three-card hands when the following occurs:

When a low hand is possible (in this case, when there are two low cards on the board), then the low front has come in on Lake Superior and the ship has broken in two. Your ship (or hand), thus also must be split into two hands and you must play all three cards from each hand. You can of course choose to fold one or both of the hands as betting ensues.

Once you get through the flop, turn, and river and the corresponding betting with each round, then you will show your hand. In this case, there is no declaring high or low. Cards talk, and the winner or winners are determined. For the low, the same rules for Omaha exist, with five cards valued at 8 or lower comprising a low, and a wheel straight (A-2-3-4-5) being the best low possible, and perhaps winning the high as well (although this is less likely in this juiced up game.

So, that’s the game. I hope you’ll give it a try in your next home game.

By the way, November 10, 2025 will be the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I already have a calendar invite out to folks here in Ann Arbor, so you know we’ll be playing that evening, drinking beers from Great Lakes Brewing Company, and listening to Gordon Lightfoot’s iconic song.