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How to Play 5-Card Draw Poker
By Jonathan Steeve
The main difference between 5-card draw and other popular variants, such as Texas Hold’em or , is there’s no community cards or flop. Everyone gets their own five cards and the best hand wins. Of course, there are many other interesting features of this game and different ways to play it. In this poker guide, we cover all the important stuff including basic rules, top tips, different ways to play, plus video and download links to help you find the best 5 card draw poker games online.
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Basic 5-Card Draw Rules
When learning how to play 5-card draw poker, the first step is getting to grips with some basic rules. So, we’ve put together a list of key points that apply to most forms of this popular poker variation. Read these rules before you play and you’ll instantly have an advantage over those that don’t. Here they are.
- Aims: To bluff, bet and reveal your poker hands in order to win each pot.
- Number of players: 2-5.
- Number of cards: A full deck.
- Dealer (button): Used to show player deal last action.
- Blinds (small and big blind): Force weak hands into Pot to start each hand.
- Antes: Optional force for everyone to put money in Pot before deals.
- Minimum opening force: May need to show one card.
- Maximum checking: Three consecutive streets.
- Limit on raising: Unlimited but proportional to value of Pot.
- Showing your hand: Compulsory in final hand when someone declares fold.
How It Works
Now the basics rules of 5-card draw poker are out the way, it’s time to explain how this game works in practice. We’ve broken down the process into seven easy steps so you can learn at your own pace. Even if you hire the best poker tutor in the world, they’re not going to move any faster. Right, here goes …
- Place your anté in the middle of the table. Antes are optional but useful because they generate money in the pot without having to wait for strong hands. In professional environments without an ante, each player must place a minimum number of chips behind their stack, known as the “minimum buying-in amount”.
- The player to the left of the dealer (button) posts the small blind and the player another seat to the left posts the big blind. These are forced bets that go straight into the pot. However, both of these players will get to keep their bets regardless of the strength of their hands. The idea behind blind betting is to provide a starting pot for the game to begin. Otherwise, players would only ever play high card hands such as kings and aces, which aren't always winners. blind sizes won't be bigger than the size of the table limit. For example, if you play on a $5/$10 table, the blinds will never go higher than $5 for the small and $10 for the big blind. Professional players like these games since they force players with bad hands to stay in the game. This increases the chances of them making costly mistakes. Pay attention if you’re a new player seeing lots of action pre-flop. They may be using a .
- Once the blinds are posted, the dealer will then deal each player (including themselves) five cards in a clockwise direction. This is known as complete the . Players in 5-card draw poker can look at their cards at this stage. It’s also worth noting that after the initial deal, the player to the left of the dealer (the small blind in this instance) will be the first person to act on subsequent rounds. After the blinds, the dealer receives the button and acts last.
- Now players enter the . Each player can assess their hand at this point and decide what to do. You’ll have a range of options based on the strength of the hand you hold and the tendencies of your opponents. In its simplest form, you can choose to fold, bet, check, raise or call. Checking means you don’t want to bet at this stage but if someone else does, you’ll have to act on the next round. Calling means you’re going to match whatever bet has been made. Raising means you’re going to increase the size of the bet even further.
- When you learn how to play 5 card draw poker, you’ll notice that players have the opportunity to discard and replace cards during this round. According to the poker rules for 5 card draw, players can throw away, or "burn," as many as five cards and receive a replacement hand from the deck. The player to the left of the dealer goes first and they can keep all five cards if they wish. Discards are made face down to preserve the secrecy of player hands. When teaching yourself poker, it’s important to remember that players can only discard and replace cards during this round.
- Once the first round of betting is completed, the remaining players enter the second and final betting round. The action starts with the player to the left of the dealer (the small blind in this case). All actions from the previous round carry over, meaning checks are now binding while folds are actioned. Any players still in the hand enter the second betting round.
- Finally, the remains. Player actions from the previous round are still binding, so bets stand and players that folded previously are out of the running. The board comes turned face up and, depending on the type of poker being played, may be used to determine the winning hand. Hands are compared and the strongest ranked hand collects the pot. Tied hands receive an equal split of the funds.
Deuces Wild Rules in 5-Card Draw
One version of this game worth mentioning is Deuces Wild 5-Card Draw. As the name suggests, deuces (two cards) act as wild cards able to represent any other card the player needs to make the strongest possible hand. Other differences include the fact all cards are dealt face up and there’s only one round of betting after the deal and once players have exchanged cards. Additional changes involve the removal of aces when determining the strength of relevant hands. In short, aces can’t be used to complete a straight or flush. A standard hierarchy of poker hands will apply except when straights and flushes use the same cards. When this happens, the best hand is defined by the highest accompanying card. If that’s the same too, thepot will be shared.
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Top Tips for Winning at 5-Card Draw Poker
Poker may be part skill and part luck but, when you’re starting out, it’s essential to focus on the skillset that can give you an edge over your peers. With this in mind, we’ve put together six quick tips that will help you make better decisions and, hopefully, become a more rounded poker player. Here’s what you need to know:
Tip One: Position is Key
Just like Texas Hold’em, position is everything in 5-card draw poker. Why? Because it allows you to gather more information about the strength of your opponent’s hands before you make a decision. When you’ve got more info, you’ve got more power. Therefore, you need to be more aggressive when you’re in a good position.
casinos near jackson msTip Two: Pay Attention to Your Opponents
As well as paying attention to position, you need to pay close attention to your opponents. Look at the hands they’re discarding. If one player always seems to be getting rid of high valet cards, you can probably assume they’re holding a pair. This is a great way to pick up tells in a digital game because there aren’t many external factors that can give you away online.
Tip Three: Don’t Be Afraid to Fold
Bad pun alert: knowing when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em is one of the most important skills in the 5-card draw poker rules book. However, a lot of beginners seem to think setting their hand straightway is the best approach. It isn’t. You need to be just as ruthless when it comes to folding. If you know you’re beaten, get out while the getting’s good.
Free Video Poker Games You Can Play Online Right NowTip Four: Wait for Strong Hands
This is an important tip that ties in with the previous point. You should only set values on your hand if you’ve got something strong. Yes, pairs and two pairs are always good hands but they’re not guaranteed winners. What if someone’s got a higher pair or a higher two pairs? Unless you’ve got three of a kind, four of a kind or a straight or flush, there’s always someone hiding in the weeds. That’s why it’s often better to wait for premium hands such as straights, flushes and full houses.
Tip Five: Change Your Game
Finally, you should try to change your game if people work out what you’re doing. What makes poker great is the fact every player has a unique style. At first, you won’t have a style because your opponents won’t have enough data on which to base their assumptions. However, as the game progresses and they see certain patterns emerging, they’ll be able to work out what you’re likely to do in certain situations. When this happens, you need to shake things up by changing your game. If you’re always folding in certain scenarios, try raising. If you always raise when you’ve got a pair of queens, try setting with that hand instead. Basically, you need to stop people leaning a leak in your game and taking advantage of it.
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What we’ve described above is the standard format for 5-card draw poker. However, like all good poker variations, there are lots of twist and turns you can add to spice things up. In this section, we’ve outlined some common variations and explained how they differ from conventional 5-card draw poker.
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Also known as Bob Dancer’s Game, Aces and Eights uses the standard 5-card draw poker rules but with one key exception – it comes with a proprietary pay table. According to this table, the following hands will pay out as follows:
- Royal Flush: 8x bet.
- Straight Flush: 4x bet.
- Four of a Kind: 3x bet.
- Full House: 2.5x bet.
- Flush: 2x bet.
- Straight: 1.5x bet.
- Three of a Kind: 1x bet.
- Two Pairs: 1x bet.
- Pair of Aces and Eights: 8x bet (with a kicker card).
- Pair of Aces: 4x bet.
- Pair of Eights: 1x bet.
- High Card: Bet.
(Video) 5 CARD DRAW POKER Beginner Strategy | How to Win at 5 Card Draw!
Deuces Wild 5-Card Draw
We’ve talked about Deuces Wild 5-card draw poker earlier, but it’s worth repeating. In this game, all deuces (two cards) are considered wild cards that can represent any other card needed to complete a stronger hand. Standard payouts will reflect the fact deuces can be used in various ways. For example, a payout for four-of-a-kind may be 4x your bet.
Stripped Deck 5-Card Draw
In stripped-deck 5-card draw poker, the standard 52-card deck is reduced to 32 cards. This reduces the potential number of flushes from 16 to six and, therefore, strengthens the value of flush hands. Straight chances remain the same (12 x 4 = 48 possibilities) so straight payouts remain unchanged.
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So, now you’ve read our 5-card draw poker guide, you should know enough to join a table and hold your own. However, there is one question that remains: which game should you play? Well, if you’re a total novice, we’d always recommend practicing for free. There’s no need to rush into things and you can hone your skills without risking any of your own cash. Therefore, our top tip is to . When you’re ready to switch on the oversize cheques, we’d suggest trying your hand at Aces and Eights. This is a scaleable game that allows you to test your skills against players of all abilities. Indeed, is one of the best places to play this game. It’s also worth pointing out that you can use promo codes to boost your account balance.
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