Picture Poker is one of Luigi's minigames in Super Mario 64 DS and a Table minigame in New Super Mario Bros.. In the latter, the minigame also has a multiplayer variation that supports between two to four players.
Picture Poker plays like five-card draw. It is a casino-style card game in which the player automatically bets coins that their five-card hand surpasses Luigi's. After the player is dealt their hand by Luigi, they can bet more coins and/or have some or all of their cards replaced with random cards from the deck. If the player does this, Luigi also replaces his cards, which appear face-down to the player, with random cards from the deck. After this, both the player's and Luigi's hand are shown. If the player has a better hand, they win a set number of coins that depends on both the rank of their hand and the number of coins bet, ranging from a Pair to a Flush, worth two times and sixteen times the coins respectively. If Luigi's hand is better, the player simply loses the coins bet. If a draw happens, the player gets their coins back.
Each time the player wins a round, they win a Star, but whenever they lose, the player loses a Star. The minimum bet is determined by how many Stars the player has, and the bet increases by one for every five Stars, with a maximum of four at 15 Stars. If the player runs out of coins, they receive a Game Over.
In multiplayer, players play against one another. The host can choose between either three, five, or seven rounds. The game randomly decides on whoever goes first. Players cannot bet any coins like in single-player. Whoever plays the best hand can steal coins from each opposing player, the number of which varies depending on their hand:
One pair: two coins
Two pairs: three coins
Three-of-a-kind: four coins
Full house: six coins
Four-of-a-kind: eight coins
Flush: sixteen coins
If four players are playing Picture Poker, the winner of a round can receive up to 48 coins, and for three players, the winner can receive up to 32. If every player gets a Junk (i.e. none of their five cards match), the round ends in a tie, and no coins are exchanged to the winner.
In-game instructions
Super Mario 64 DS:Get a better hand than Luigi to win! If you're confident your hand is best, increase the number of coins you bet!
New Super Mario Bros.
Single player:Get a better hand than Luigi to win! If you're confident that your hand's the best, increase the number of coins you bet!
Multiplayer:Collect matching cards to make the best hand. If two or more hands match, the strength of the cards determines who wins. The person with the most coins at the end wins!
Trivia
In New Super Mario Bros., Yoshi and Goomba cards are shown on the preview icon, despite neither type appearing in the minigame itself.
A few changes were made to the New Super Mario Bros. variation of the minigame:
The Super Mario 64 DS logo on the touchscreen table has been replaced with an icon of Luigi's head.
The text for the rankings is no longer stylized in all uppercase.
The "Hit" action is now labeled as "Draw" and the "Flush" hand-ranking is now simply "5-of-a-Kind".
Slip Slidin' Away • Lil' Penguin Lost • Big Penguin Race • Frosty Slide for 8 Red Coins • Snowman's Lost His Head • Wall Kicks Will Work (N64)/Mario's Super Wall Kick (DS) • Switch Star of Cool, Cool Mountain (DS)
Big Boo's Haunt
Go on a Ghost Hunt • Ride Big Boo's Merry Go Round • Secret of the Haunted Books • Seek the 8 Red Coins • Big Boo's Balcony • Eye to Eye in the Secret Room • Switch Star of the Basement
Hazy Maze Cave
Swimming Beast in the Cavern • Elevate for 8 Red Coins • Metal-Head Mario Can Move! (N64)/Metal-Head Wario Can Move (DS) • Navigating the Toxic Maze • A-Maze-Ing Emergency Exit • Watch for Rolling Rocks • Underground Switch Star
In the Talons of the Big Bird • Shining Atop the Pyramid • Inside the Ancient Pyramid • Stand Tall On the Four Pillars • Free Flying For 8 Red Coins (5th Star, N64) (7th Star, DS) • Tox Box Switch Star (DS) • Pyramid Puzzle
Snowman's Big Head • Chill with the Bully • In the Deep Freeze (N64) • Yoshi's Ice Sculpture (DS) • Whirl from the Freezing Pond • Shell Shreddin' for Red Coins (N64) • Snowman's Silver Star (DS) • Into the Igloo • Red Coins in the House (DS)
Wet-Dry World
Shocking Arrow Lifts! • Top o' the Town • Secrets in the Shallows and Sky (N64)/5 Secrets in the Shallows and Sky (DS) • Express Elevator--Hurry Up! • Go to Town for Red Coins (N64)/Go to Town for the Red Coins (DS) • Quick Race Through Downtown! • Soaked Silver Stars (DS)
Tall, Tall Mountain
Scale the Mountain • Mystery of the Monkey Cage • Scary 'Shrooms, Red Coins • Mysterious Mountainside • Breathtaking View from Bridge (Star 5, N64)/Breathtaking View from the Bridge (Star 7, DS) • Blast to the Lonely Mushroom (Star 6, N64) (Star 5, DS) • 5 Secrets of the Mountain
Roll into the Cage (N64) • Luigi in the Cage (DS) • The Pit and the Pendulums (N64) • The Pendulum Switch Star (DS) • Get a Hand • Stomp on the Thwomp •Timed Jumps on Moving Bars • Stop Time for Red Coins • Tick Tock Silver Stars
Rainbow Ride
Cruiser Crossing the Rainbow • The Big House in the Sky • Coins Amassed in a Maze • Swingin' in the Breeze • Tricky Triangles! • Somewhere over the Rainbow • Switch Star of the Manor
Bob-omb Sudden Death • Bob-omb Trampoline • Jumping Sudden Death • Jumping Brothers • Lakitu Launch • Vs. Mario's Slides • Vs. Pair-a-Gone • Vs. Trampoline Time
