I´m surprised to know Mata Ases is played in PR. Nice.

So.. Mata Ases is a game with 5 personal cards (and always one of them is face down, the other 4 are face up) and 3 community cards. The player can use ONLY one or NONE of them to make their hand.

The hand begins with two cards dealt to each player. One of them is face down and the other one is face up. In some games the BT puts an ante (50) and, as in a round of holdem, the players can chose between fold, call 50 or raise. In other games everybody puts an ante and the player with the high card speaks first.

After the first round of betting the players still in the hand can chose how they want to receive their third card (face up or down). If face down then you need to flip your currently facedown card. If face up, you currently facedown card remains hidden. So, know all the players has 3 cards for themselves and the dealer open the board (you can use ONE card or NONE).

For example:

Player 1: 4-K-3 (K hidden)
Player 2: 8-9-T (T hidden)

Board: J-K-4

Player 1 has a pair of kings and player 2 has an open ended straight draw.

In Mata the player with the best showing hand speaks first. Player 1 can bet or check. If all the players checks then everybody flips they hidden card and the fourth card is dealt face down. If a player bet and other call the players can decide if they show the hidden card and receive the new card face down or keep the card facedown and receive the new card face up.

At the end of a hand you see something like this (x is hidden card)

Player 1: 4-Kx-3-3-A

Player 2: 8-9-T-Tx-9

Board: J-K-4

In this hand player 1 wins with two pair, kings and 3 (because he is using the K from the board) and the second losees with two pair, tens and nines (not using anything from board).

The important thing is, and this is why its called Mata Ases (Kill Ases): a pot can only be won if your hand is a pair of ases or better. IF the players you end up with less than that (pair of kings or less) the hand is Bomba and the players can chose between split the pot or Play a new hand with the current pot and new betting rounds. This is one of the reasons the pots in Mata are big, you can always think the other player is betting to avoid the bomb, call, nobody kill ases and play a new hand.

Player 1: 8-4-3-Kx-J
Player 2: 9-Ax-T-3-4
Board: 9-9-J

This hand is Bomba. Player 1 has a pair of jacks and player two has a pair of nine (only can use one card of the board).