Set of poker rules
Five-card draw (also known as Cantrell draw) is a poker variant that
is considered the simplest variant ♣ of poker, and is the basis for video poker. As a
result, it is often the first variant learned by ♣ new players. It is commonly played in
home games but rarely played in casino and tournament play. The variant is ♣ also offered
by some online venues, although it is not as popular as other variants such as
seven-card stud and ♣ Texas hold 'em.
Gameplay [ edit ]
In casino play the first betting
round begins with the player to the left of ♣ the big blind, and subsequent rounds begin
with the player to the dealer's left. Home games typically use an ante; ♣ the first
betting round begins with the player to the dealer's left, and the second round begins
with the player ♣ who opened the first round.
Play begins with each player being dealt
five cards, one at a time, all face down. ♣ The remaining deck is placed aside, often
protected by placing a chip or other marker on it. Players pick up ♣ the cards and hold
them in their hands, being careful to keep them concealed from the other players, then
a ♣ round of betting occurs.[1]
If more than one player remains after the first round,
the "draw" phase begins. Each player specifies ♣ how many of their cards they wish to
replace and discards them. The deck is retrieved, and each player is ♣ dealt in turn from
the deck the same number of cards they discarded so that each player again has five
♣ cards.
A second "after the draw" betting round occurs beginning with the player to the
dealer's left or else beginning with ♣ the player who opened the first round (the latter
is common when antes are used instead of blinds). This is ♣ followed by a showdown, if
more than one player remains, in which the player with the best hand wins the
♣ pot.
House rules [ edit ]
A common "house rule" in some places is that a player may not
replace more than ♣ three cards, unless they draw four cards while keeping an ace (or
wild card). This rule is useful for low-stakes ♣ social games where many players will
stay for the draw, and will help avoid depletion of the deck. In more ♣ serious games
such as those played in casinos it is unnecessary and generally not used. However, a
rule used by ♣ many casinos is that a player is not allowed to draw five consecutive
cards from the deck. In this case, ♣ if a player wishes to replace all five of their
cards, that player is given four of them in turn, ♣ the other players are given their
draws, and then the dealer returns to that player to give the fifth replacement ♣ card;
if no other player draws it is necessary to deal a burn card first.
Another common
house rule is that ♣ the bottom card of the deck is never given as a replacement, to
avoid the possibility of someone who might ♣ have seen it during the deal using that
information. If the deck is depleted during the draw before all players ♣ have received
their replacements, the last players can receive cards chosen randomly from among those
discarded by previous players. For ♣ example, if the last player to draw wants three
replacements but there are only two cards remaining in the deck, ♣ the dealer gives the
player the one top card he can give, then shuffles together the bottom card of the
♣ deck, the burn card, and the earlier players' discards (but not the player's own
discards), and finally deals two more ♣ replacements to the last player.
Sample deal [
edit ]
The sample deal is being played by four players as shown to ♣ the right with Alice
dealing. All four players anteR$1. Alice deals five cards to each player and places the
deck ♣ aside.
Bob opens the betting round by bettingR$5. Carol folds, David calls, and
Alice calls, closing the betting round.
Bob now declares ♣ that he wishes to replace
three of his cards, so he removes those three cards from his hand and discards ♣ them.
Alice retrieves the deck, deals a burn card, then deals three cards directly to Bob,
who puts them in ♣ his hand. David discards one card, and Alice deals one card to him
from the deck. Alice now discards three ♣ of her own cards, and replaces them with three
from the top of the deck.
Now a second betting round begins. ♣ Bob checks, David checks,
Alice betsR$10, Bob folds, David raisesR$16, and Alice calls, ending the second betting
round and going ♣ directly into a showdown. David shows a flush, and Alice shows two
pair, so David takes the pot.
Stripped deck variant ♣ [ edit ]
Five-card draw is
sometimes played with a stripped deck. This variant is commonly known as "seven-to-ace"
or "ace-to-seven" ♣ (abbreviated as A-7 or 7-A). It can be played by up to five players.
When four or fewer players play, ♣ a normal 32-card deck without jokers, with ranks
ranging from ace to seven, is used. With five players, the sixes ♣ are added to make a
36-card deck. The deck thus contains only eight or nine different card ranks, compared
to ♣ 13 in a standard deck. This affects the probabilities of making specific hands, so a
flush ranks above a full ♣ house and below four of a kind. Many smaller online poker
rooms, such as Boss Media, spread the variant, although ♣ it is unheard of in terrestrial
casinos.
Maths of Five-card draw [ edit ]
Pre-draw odds of getting each hand
Royal
flush <0.001%
Straight ♣ flush (not including royal flush) <0.002%
Four of a kind
0.02%
Full house 0.14%
Flush (excluding royal flush and straight flush) 0.20%
Straight
(excluding ♣ royal flush and straight flush) 0.39%
Three of a kind 2.11%
Two pair
4.75%
One pair 42.30%
No pair / High card 50.10%
See also ♣ [ edit ]
