Tax poker and chinese stud...

If you would know me pretty well, you could figure that Toma was here. I don't think I've ever thought of new games or game variants when he was not around, but when he is, I think we're just brainfarting. We start to play standard 10game, that gets boring (well it doesn't, just becomes monotone) after a while, and then we move on to idiotic games. Here's tonight's new games:

1) Tax poker
I think we kind of proved that this game doesn't make sense game theory-wise, but still, it's pretty fun to figure out why, and also tells you a lot about the game I think. So here we go: you play standard HU limit hold'em, however you cannot see your cards, unless you pay the other guy 1/xth BB (that can depend on the structure etc, we did it with 1/4 BB, but that's too big). When you pay the amount (before every action of yours, you have the possibility to do so, even on the river), you can both watch your hole cards, and the game goes on as usual. However, until then you have to play face down.
Pop-quiz: what is the problem with this game? What is the optimal strategy for the IP and OOP player.
Real question: how could you modify the rules so that it would be a game with real strategy? Can you even change this idea into a real game? And how small the 'tax' should be so that the optimal strategy for 'large tax' wouldn't apply anymore.

2) Chinese stud
If you know Chinese poker, you may find a lot of similarities here, however it's a bit more complicated, and a lot more fun IMO. You and your opponent get 9 cards each face down, and 3 cards each face-up. Now you have to divide your 9 cards into 3 groups with 3 cards in each, matching them with a door-card. If you did it both, you have to name, which pile is for which of the 3 stud games (all 3 has to be assigned to different games), and then you just deal out the rest, better cards by the rule of the game win.
Question: how could you maybe improve this game? Would it be more fun, if for example you deal just 6 cards first, create the starting hands, and deal the 3 river cards face-down after all the other cards being dealt, then you can again assign those cards? I think it would be more skill, less fun, but not necessarily.

3) Double-game
It is a pretty strange idea, and since we didn't play a lot of hands, I'm not sure if it's good. The main element of the game, is that you and your opponent(s) get 2 different starting hands in two different games, but in the same hand (of course the structure must be similar, possibly flop-games only). Also the board cards are shared. In every decision you have the following opportunites: make an action with both of your hands (e.g. raising both, or calling with both), you can make an action with one hand, and fold the other, or fold both. If you fold one hand, but not the other, half of the current pot is your opponent's, other half is still up for grabs.

I'm not sure if it was really understandable, but let's assume a game, where we mix LHE and LO8 at 20/40 limits. Same structure, so it's applicable (we couldn't do it with LHE and PLO for example, because of the different structure). You both get dealt a holdem and an omaha hand. SB has the following options: folds (BB winds 20+10), folds either the holdem or the O8 hand, but calls or raises with the other, then BB gets half the pot (10+5 for the folded half), and they continue playing the other game on 10/20 limit. And obviously he can call or raise both hands together (but he cannot call with one and raise with the other, cause that would be like playing 2 tables LDO). Let's say SB raises.
Then the BB has the option to fold both, fold either the O8 or the LHE hand and continue with the other, or call/raise/3bet with both hands. The same applies postflop.

Variant1: you could make the rule that folding only works together and you cannot fold individually, but that kind of simplifies the game into a general split-pot game with very complex hand ranges.
Variant2: the game format is maybe not that good in games where folding is a big part of preflop strategy, for example PLHE/PLO, so there you could enforce the rule that the folding works together preflop, but you can fold individually later (or maybe just on turn and river or stg).

Playing NLHE/NLO8 in this game would be awesome IMO. Basically playing a split pot game in a split pot game. Yo dawg would approve.

Anyway, that's the rambling for today, I think you'll find these enjoyable, and probably can try it out with someone, I think all these games are really cool (except for the tax holdem, cause it's easily solvable).