5-Card Draw Rules: How to Play Five-Card Draw Poker
February 01, 2024 Matthew Pitt
Senior Editor
One of the simplest variants of💶 poker, and one that is many poker
player's first introduction to the game of poker, is 5-Card Draw.
More common in💶 home
games than it is in casinos, 5-card draw has been overtaken in the popularity by games
such as Texas💶 hold'em and Omaha poker.
But there are still plenty of 5-card draw fans
around the world — particularly in the online💶 world where several online poker sites
offer cash games and tournaments.
How to Play 5-Card Draw Poker
If you have played any
💶 other form of poker, 5-card draw rules are similar in that the aim of the game is to
make the💶 best five-card poker hand.
Like Texas hold'em, the poker hand rankings, from
weakest to strongest, are as follows:
High card
One pair
Two
pair
Three-of-a-kind
Straight
Flush
Full💶 house
Four-of-a-kind
Straight flush
Royal
Flush
When it comes to preflop betting, there are two different methods used in 5-card
draw.
Either all players pay💶 an ante before receiving their cards (this is more common
in home games), or there is a small blind and💶 big blind similar to hold'em and Omaha
games (this is the most common on online poker sites and in casinos).
Three💶 different
betting structures exist for 5-card draw, too.
You can play 5-card draw poker
as:
Fixed-limit
Pot-limit
No-limit
While all three formats play to the💶 same poker
rules, the different betting structures mean your strategy needs to be adapted.
For
example, some hands that you wouldn't💶 play in fixed-limit 5-card draw become playable
in no-limit 5-card draw because in the latter you can bet enough to💶 force your opponent
to fold.
Regardless of the betting structure, this is how to play 5-card
draw.
Five-Card Draw Basics
Once everyone has💶 paid the ante or the blinds, each player
receives five cards face down.
A round of betting then occurs.
If more than💶 one player
remains after that first round of betting, there follows a first round of drawing.
Each
active player specifies how💶 many cards he or she wishes to discard and replace with new
cards from the deck.
If you are happy with💶 your holding and do not want to draw any
cards, you "stand pat."
Once the drawing round is completed, there is💶 another round of
betting.
After that if there is more than one player remaining, a showdown occurs in
which the player💶 with the best five-card poker hand wins.
As you can see, the rules for
5-card draw are simple and make for💶 a fast-paced game, which is why the game is popular
with new, less experienced players.
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Basic 5-Card Draw Strategy
The fact you can learn how
to play five-card draw poker in a few💶 minutes doesn't mean that you will not need to
practice to go from beginner to pro.
The best way to do💶 that, is to practice online —
possibly with some free games. If you have a few minutes to try a💶 game or two, have a
look at 888poker.
You can play with a no deposit bonus on signup that you can💶 use to
discover 5-card draw poker and master all the basic and advanced strategy tips that
follow.
One trap lesser-skilled 5-card💶 draw players often fall into is playing far too
many hands, particularly hands drawing to a straight or flush.
In many💶 cases, the
saying "tight is right" applies when it comes to starting hand selection in 5-card
draw.
As in games with💶 community cards, your position in relation to the button is also
important in 5-card draw poker.
The closer to the button💶 you are, the wider the range
of hands you can play profitably.
Regardless of your position, you should almost always
enter💶 the pot with a raise because limping in usually results in several other players
limping behind, which in turn means💶 you need a much stronger hand to win the pot.
Play
tight from early positions and raise with hands such as💶 aces or kings.
As your position
improves, you can add other high pairs such as queens, jacks, tens, and nines, so💶 long
as the latter has a good kicker to back it up.
Those of you fortunate enough to have
been dealt💶 two pair or three-of-a-kind should always come out raising whether you're
under the gun or on the button.
Meanwhile be wary💶 of holdings such as four to a
straight or flush, because these are hands with which some players bleed away💶 their
bankroll.
With one card to come, you're around a 4-to-1 underdog to hit your hand, and
often you won't have💶 the correct pot odds to attempt filling your straight or flush,
particularly in a short-handed game.
What Should I Discard in💶 5-Card Draw?
Knowing what
cards to discard during the drawing round is what makes and breaks a 5-card poker
player.
On a💶 basic level you should consider the following:
What you hold What you
should do One pair Draw three cards Two pair💶 Draw one card Three-of-a-kind Draw two
cards
The above list is only scratching the surface of what you should draw in💶 5-card
draw. Adhering to it, particularly in low-stakes games, should yield positive
results.
Advanced 5-Card Draw Strategy
Once you have a grasp💶 of the basics and are
feeling more confident with how to play 5-card draw, you can start applying some more
💶 advanced strategies to your game.
There is a large psychological element to 5-card draw
thanks in large part to the drawing💶 element of the game.
For example, while it is
statistically the best play to draw three cards when you hold a💶 pair, if you always
make this play your opponents will be able to read your hand easily and alter their
💶 strategy to defeat you.
You need sometimes only to draw to one or two cards with a pair
in your hand💶 — or even to stand pat — in order to represent a holding stronger than
what you actually have.
Unlike in💶 games such as hold'em, there is rarely any stone cold
bluffing in 5-card draw.
Players usually have at least a playable💶 hand when betting
even if they are indeed bluffing. This is why it is vitally important to take detailed
notes💶 when playing 5-card draw because they are extremely helpful.
Should you make a
note that a player only opens with a💶 pair of jacks or stronger on the button, you can
easily fold a pair of nines in the blinds instead💶 of calling.
Where Can I Play 5-Card
Draw Poker Online?
As mentioned at the start of the article, 5-card draw is not💶 a game
that enjoys as much popularity as the likes of hold'em, but there are quite a few
websites where💶 you can play 5-card draw online.
The safest option is to try one of the
sites below and play some games💶 there.
These poker sites are your best bet for finding
both 5-card draw cash games and tournaments at a variety of💶 limits.
It is also possible
to hone your skills at the play money tables there and play 5-card draw online poker
💶 free of charge with no risk to your bankroll.
5 Card Draw Poker FAQs
How do you play
5-card draw poker? 5-card💶 draw is a simple form of poker, where each player is dealt
five cards, and they have the opportunity to💶 exchange some or all of their cards for
new ones in an attempt to improve their hand. There are betting💶 rounds both before and
after the card exchange, and the player with the best five-card hand at the end of💶 the
final betting round wins the pot. What are the poker hand rankings in 5-card draw? In
5-card draw, the💶 standard hand rankings are (from highest to lowest): Royal Flush,
Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight,💶 Three of a Kind, Two Pair,
One Pair, High Card. How many cards can you exchange in 5-card draw? In💶 most variations
of 5-card draw, you can exchange up to three cards from your original five-card hand.
Some versions of💶 the game may have different rules, allowing you to exchange a
different number of cards. What is the order of💶 betting in 5-card draw poker? The
typical order of betting in 5-card draw involves several rounds: 1. Ante: Each player
💶 puts a small forced bet into the pot before the cards are dealt. 2. Deal: Each player
is dealt five💶 cards face down. 3. First Betting Round: Players can check, bet, fold, or
raise. 4. Exchange: Players who choose to💶 exchange cards can discard and receive new
ones. 5. Second Betting Round: Another round of betting. 6. Showdown: Players reveal
💶 their hands, and the player with the best hand wins the pot. Is 5-card draw poker still
popular today? 5-card💶 draw poker has become less popular in recent years, especially in
comparison to Texas Hold'em and Omaha, which are more💶 widely played in casinos and
online, but it's still enjoyed in many home games and among poker enthusiasts.
Article
last updated💶 23 Oct 2024
Photo: Flush Poker Hand - Hearts, Guts Gaming. Creative
Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic.
Sharelines The classic poker variant returns!💶 Learn
rules and basic strategy for 5-card draw poker.
5-card draw is one of many variants
available online, and it's growing💶 in popularity. Learn and play!
