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!
