5-card poker - rules, odds & how to play online poker variant

Although Playing Stud Poker might lead you to believe that is the only true 5-card poker variation in existence, it is in fact just one of many.

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Five-Card draw Limit poker is the most common form of poker played among friends or in home games but there are several other forms of 5-card poker out there too.

In the list below we have listed all the different kinds of 5-card poker games we have on our site. Click any of the links below for a direct jump to that game's rules and details.

You can also find instructions for how to play 5-card draw poker with both high and low hand designations, as well as a few unusual twists on the standard game.

Different Types of 5 Card Poker Games

5-Card Draw

The most widely played poker variation in the world - both online and in live games. Our explanation of the basic rules of 5-Card Draw poker will get you ready for a game in no time. We also explain some good drawing hand prospects as well as some simple 

5-Card Draw Lowball

Most poker games are high-hand games, where Aces are high and five-card hands are ranked similarly to their ranks in Hold’em and Omaha. But a large and growing minority of poker games are lowball games where the lowest hand wins – and where Aces are often called "low" and count as low cards.

Depending on the lowball game the lowest hand can consist of:

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  • The lowest possible flush
  • The lowest possible straight
  • The lowest possible hand with no straight or flush

As long as there are no sets of identical hands there'll be no disagreements about the ranking of the hands. But since lowball poker often has such a hand where e.g. 2 people have the lowest possible straight both in regular suits order and in reversed suit order it can become tricky at times. This applies especially for games with 6 players.

The four most common types of lowball poker are:

  • Ace-to-5 low (also called "Lowball") Here only straight, flush and pairs counts. The ace is regarded as low and thus an "Ace-five" is the same as any other five. As an example "2-3-4-5-8" is a straight and a very strong hand in this type of poker.
  • Ace-to-6 low Here the deck of cards is altered so 2's are removed. As a result the lowest possible straight is now "Ace-4-5-6-8". In this variant the Ace is still considered low meaning that "Ace-5-6-8-9" is actually higher than "2-3-4-5-7". This form of lowball poker is also known as "Deuce-to-seven low".
  • Low Chicago is similar to Lowball but with a twist. If a player has both a strong high hand and a strong low hand he/she scoops both halves of the pot. This motivates the players to try and make both a strong high hand and a strong low hand instead of just focusing on making the best possible low hand.
  • High Low Split is not really a lowball game although the low hand will win half the pot. The player with the highest hand will collect the other half of the pot. This game is mainly played as a mixed game in later stages of championship events like the Norwegian National Championship or the World Championship.

Because the value of the cards are completely opposite of what your used to you should learn the .

2-7 Triple Draw

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Like  but with only 5 community cards instead of 7. Also called "Seven-card lowball". Lowest hand (the "bring-in") wins the pot unless there's a high hand with a pair or higher. A cool game with lots of bluffing opportunities.

Blackout Blackout

Blackout Blackout is a  variation played by sending BU messages to everyone in the chat list. It is also a 5-card poker game, but without a traditional community card aspect. Instead each player is dealt 5 cards face down and the goal is to make the best 5-card hand possible.

The main difference between traditional video poker and blackout blackout is the "blackout" aspect. Get a blackout (a full house) and you're basically unbeatable. In fact, at Pokio we've set the rake to 0% for blackout hands (verification required). You can read more about blackout blackout here:

Crazy Dutchy

Crazy Dutchy is a fun poker game based on the idea that flushes and straights don't count. That makes it almost certain that more than one player will have a top 5 hand and therefore keeps the action going.

It was created by Norwegian poker legend Peder Bernhardt, who got the name "Dutchy" during his younger days playing poker in Amsterdam's Rembrandt Square. He earned the nickname "crazy" along the way, which is why the game is called Crazy Dutchy. Here you find the complete rules:

Sviten Special

This poker game is also called "Holi-Cali" and is immensely popular in Norway, particularly in Holmen and Californien (immigrant neighborhoods in Oslo and Stavanger respectively). Sviten Special is a relatively new poker game, reportedly invented by a group of immigrants who combined elements from Follow the Queen, Nine Boy Nine Girl and Casino Hold’em to create something brand new.

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With its combination of skill and luck Sviten Special has quickly become one of the most popular poker games in Norway, and even though it's yet to go viral beyond Norway's borders it does have at least one famous fan: Online poker champion Pius Heinz.

Read more about this exciting poker game and how to play it here:

Follow the Queen

Yet another poker game that's very popular amongst immigrants from South and South East Asia in Scandinavia, specifically Norway. Interestingly enough Following the Queens was invented in the US, specifically in Las Vegas, when the game tried to emulate the success of Follow the Packe (see below).

There are some similarities between these two poker games, but Following the Queens / Dames is easier to play and understand while still giving plenty of opportunity for skillful players to use their abilities to outmaneuver their opponents. You can find more info on the rules to following the queen / dames here:

Follow the Packer

Follow the Packer (aka Follow the Packe) is a poker game created in Norway that's become extremely popular in immigrant communities from South and South East Asia.

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The game is rather complicated so it's natural to wonder whether there's some skill involved. The answer is yes, there's quite a bit of room for skillful players to use their knowledge to gain an edge over their opponents. Here's our take on the rules of follow the packer:

Low Chicago

Low Chicago is a lowball poker variation where both the high and low hand gets paid. If you end up with both the low and the high hand, you "scoop the pot". Chicago part of the name refers to the fact that it's common to scrap ("Chicago") your hand even if you're not likely to improve.

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Low Chicago is typically played as a fixed limit game with 2-7 triplet stipulations meaning you can only use 2 cards from your hand plus 3 cards from the board to make your best 5-card hand. More on the rules here:

Lowball (Ace to Five)

When playing Lowball Ace to Five / High-Low Split, or just Lowball, Aces are low and Flushes and Straights don't count. Suits are also important to keep track of because the best possible hand changes depending on the suit configuration.

E.g. the best possible hand with 3 spades and no hearts is significantly stronger than the same hand without any spades or hearts. You can find the complete rules for Lowball poker here:

Omaha Bade

Omaha Bade (also spelled Badu) is a form of Omaha Hi where the best low hand gets to take the pot. Since high hands are much more common than low hands this adds an interesting dynamic to the game as high-hand players are forced to consider themselves beaten by a low hand.

Omaha Bade / Badu is not as popular as 2-7 Triple Draw but it's gaining traction fast due to it's exciting gameplay. You can find the rules and hand rankings for Omaha Bade / Badu here:

Packament

Another Norwegian poker invention. This time from Bergen. Unlike some of the other Norwegian creations Packament isn't a lowball game and only uses 6 cards (no seventh card/board cards).

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Instead it's a split pot game where both the high and low hand gets paid. Because there are fewer cards in play and only 2 hole cards to work with the hand rankings go up a notch. E.g. a flush beats a full house in Packament.

Also, straights ARE recognized which makes a straight flush the same as two sealed quads almost certain to go all the way. Here's the complete rules for Packament:

Spade Race

Spade race / Spadelauf is a Norwegian poker creation that's quickly gained in popularity around Europe and North America. At first glance Spade Race looks a lot like Omaha with a few key differences:

  1. You can ONLY use spades from the board and your own hand to make your best spade hand.
  2. There is NO high hand - only the best spade hand takes the pot.
  3. Each player starts the hand with three spade cards facing up and one spade card in the fold facing down.
  4. All action happens before the players get to choose cards to fold / replace.

All these factors combine to turn Spade Race into a very different beast indeed. And one that's hard to put down once you've started playing. Here's the complete rules for Spade Race:

Tiffany

Tiffany is a  game that originated in Oslo, Norway. It was created by Espen Uhlig (espenuhlig on Twitter and Pokio) and first tested out in the poker club scene in 2013-14. It's a pretty difficult game to master but also very rewarding when you get the hang of it.

Compared to other poker games Tiffany features a couple of unique mechanics:

  • Only the highest card of each suit matters for the community cards. Everyone can use ALL cards of a suit, but only the highest is shown. The rest are facedown until someone tries to win the hand with just the high cards visible.
  • There is a "trump" card that can beat anything.

You can find the rules for Tiffany here:

Best 3 Card Poker Games

While most poker games are played with five cards or more there's also a whole category of poker games that are played with only three cards. Some of the most popular poker variants ever created fall into this category including:

These three card poker variants are so popular they have their own page with rules and hand rankings:

Three Card Draw Poker

Three card draw poker is another member of the draw poker family but, as the name implies, it only uses three cards. As a result the action tends to move faster and there are more chances of high quality hands developing during the draw round.

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Three card draw poker shares many characteristics with Five Card Draw but, obviously, on a smaller scale. Hand rankings are the same as in other forms of poker so a Royal Flush beats everything else.

The dealer deals each player three cards face down followed by three cards (the "flush") face down in the middle of the table. This is called "third street."

Once every player has had a chance to look at their cards each player then decides to either check, bet or fold. After the first betting round the dealer burns a card and then turns one card face up. This is called "fourth street."

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After another round of betting the dealers burns another card and turns the second card on the board face up. Players now have the option of exchanging up to all three of their cards against fresh cards from the deck.

Once all players have had a chance to exchange cards and the cards have been shuffled there's another round of betting. Finally, all cards left in players' hands are exposed and the player with the highest poker hand wins.

Since there are much fewer combinations of cards it's less common for two or more players to have the same hand. That said, three of a kind is the highest hand that can develop during the draw phase so it's possible for three or more players to have similar hands.

Best 2 Card Poker Games

When Five-Card Draw is too draw-y for your liking you may want to try two-card draw, which is - you guessed it - a simplified version of five-card draw in which each player is initially dealt only two cards instead of five.

Two-card draw poker is a vastly different beast from its five-card sibling. Since it's next in line after five card draw it also deserves it's own page with rules and hand rankings:

Miscellaneous 5-Card Poker Variants

Finally we have a collection of poker games that uses five cards but doesn't necessarily fit into any other categories. These are:

Chase the Ace

Chase the Ace is similar to Follow the Queen / Dame but slightly simpler. Like FTQ it's a very popular poker game among Norwegian immigrants from South and Southeast Asia.

Hand Rankings (from best to worst):

  • Ace with picture (K, Q, J) = "chased ace"
  • Runner (sequence)
  • Color (all cards of the same suit)
  • Wanderer (non-consecutive cards of the same denomination)
  • Pair
  • High hand without any of the above

More information on the rules of Chase the Ace can be found here:

Cutthroat Poker

Cutthroat poker is a classic stud poker variation where players can throw some of their cards to other players during the deal. It's a rare example of a poker variation that is harder than Five-Card Draw despite the fact you can lose cards.

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Cutthroat poker can be played in both fixed limit and pot limit format but it really comes into its own as a No Limit game. Cutthroat poker is usually played as Mixed Cutthroat with all players getting a mix of "safe" cards and cards that need development.

To balance the effect of losing cards it's also possible to force players to start with different numbers of cards, depending on the number of players. Here are the basics:

  • 2 players: Both players start with 5 cards.
  • 3 players: The player to the left of the dealer starts with 5 cards, the middle player starts with 4 cards, and the dealer starts with 3 cards.
  • 4 players: The player to the left of the dealer starts with 4 cards, the middle two players start with 3 cards each, and the dealer starts with 2 cards.
  • 5 players: Each player starts with 3 cards.
  • 6 players: Not played very often but if you do, each player starts with 2 cards.
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Before the first betting round starts players agree on how many cards they want to throw. Then the dealer begins throwing cards to the left starting with the player to his left. Each player, in turn, can accept any single card the dealer throws UNLESS the last card thrown was also the last safe card that player received.

Example: Dealer throws one card each to Player 2, Player 3 and Player 4. Player 4 can't accept any of the cards because the last safe card he got was the first one. When the dealer comes to Player 1 he can accept one of the three cards thrown to the other players.

Cutthroat poker sounds more confusing than it is and it's actually fairly easy to pick up. Once you've understood that you CAN'T take a card that the dealer threw to you on your last turn you're pretty much golden. For the official rules of cutthroat poker, including variations, see:

Oceana Poker

Oceana poker is another Norwegian export (developed in Arendal) that gained significant traction in Norway's bigger cities. Due to it's simplicity and entertaining nature it's also a game that can be easily enjoyed outside a poker context.

The objective of Oceana poker is to get one of the three strongest hands:

  1. Ocean (Any three of a kind)
  2. Island (Any pair)
  3. Beach (Any three-of-a-kind card, e.g. three 7’s) if no player has Ocean or Island.
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Each player is dealt three cards face down that they keep throughout the entire hand. Then four cards are dealt face down in the middle of the table. Players can then ask to see one card from the table at a time on top of whichever card has already been turned over.

The person to the right of the dealer goes first and can either "fold", ask for any ONE card from the board or skip. If the player chooses to ask for a card he/she must use that card to decide his/her hand. E.g. if you ask for the ace and there's a pair of aces on the board but you have three of a kind in your hand you MUST use the three of a kind.

Once the first player has acted all players get the same options in turn. When the last player has acted all remaining players reveal their hands. Whoever has Ocean takes the pot. If no one has Ocean the player with Island takes the pot. If no one has Ocean or Island the player with Beach takes the pot.

Robber

Røvere (in English: Robbers) is a fixed-limit stud poker game originally developed in Arendal, Norway. Røvere can be seen as a cousin to Kasino (described below), but is quicker and more suitable for a smaller group.

Gameplay: Four cards are placed face down on the table. The players receive one card face down each, and then clockwise around the table. The player left of the dealer gets one extra card. Game play then proceeds clockwise, where each player has the option to steal one card from another player's hand by paying a predetermined stake (usually the fixed limit).

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A player cannot steal from a player who has previously stolen from him/her self. When all players have acted, everyone reveals their hand. The player with the best three-card flush wins. Ace can either count as low or high card.

Royal flame (Royal Flush with Ace as both high and low card) beats all other flushes. Written out the best hands are:

  1. Rh -> Royal flame (Royal flush with Ace both high and low)
  2. Fx -> Flame (Flush)
  3. Pre + X -> Printed (Pair)
  4. To -> Transport (Any two of a kind plus random card)
  5. Røvr -> Robber (High card)

Sticky Lowball

Yet another Norwegian creation (this time from Tromsø). Sticky Lowball is similar to other lowball games except for one very important rule:

  • Straights and flushes does NOT invalidate your hand.
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Other rules are fairly standard:

  • Aces are low
  • Suites matter: The strength of your hand depends on the suite composition of your hand relative to other players.
  • At the start of each hand all players "stick" one card face down close to themselves. These cards cannot be used during the hand.
  • The winner of a hand "sticks" one more card.
  • Low Chicago rules apply meaning the winner of the hand takes the pot AND the high hand.

Initially all players puts one card face down close to himself/herself ("sticking" a card). The dealer gives every player three cards, one at a time, beginning with the player on his left. After the third card players begin to act clockwise. A player can always check and pass the action, but if they want to bet or raise they HAVE TO use one of the cards stuck to the table.

A player can only have one card stuck per time. I.e. You can only have 4 cards total at the table. When a player wins a hand he sticks one card and puts one card in the muck.

Suites matter for sticked cards:

  • If you stick a spade and your opponent has to use a spade, your hand is stronger.
  • If your opponent has a spade and you have two spades stuck but your hand has a higher value, your hand is STRONGER.

Suite does NOT matter for cards in your hand. Here's the complete rules for Sticky Lowball:

Swedish Poker

Swedish poker is a fairly complex poker game that can be played with between 3 and 6 players. If you only have two players it devolves into a boring draw poker game. With seven players or more it becomes too complicated to handle.

Each player is initially dealt five cards face down. Then four cards are dealt face down on the table. Players get six counting their hand. The player to the right of the dealer goes first and can either fold, take one card from the table or skip.

If the player chooses to take a card he/she MUST use it to build the best possible poker hand. Once the first player has acted all players get the same options in turn. When the last player has acted all remaining players reveal their hands. The person with the best hand wins the pot.

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Now, here's where things get interesting. Before the next hand begins each player MUST declare one card from his/her hand face up. This process repeats itself until all cards in players' hands are face up. Then another round of betting begins.

Once the second betting round is completed each player MUST announce the rank of his/her hand using the appropriate hand rank abbreviation (e.g. "pair") and then discard the appropriate number of cards DOWN on the table (i.e. not in your hand). Example: If you have a full house your first disposal will be a pair, so you put a pair of your choosing face down on the table and discard another card of your choice.

The number of cards you discard and the rank of your hand is predetermined:

  • Royal flush = Discard 3 cards, High hand
  • Normal flush = Discard 2 cards, High hand
  • Straight flush = Discard 3 cards, Middle hand
  • Four of a kind = Discard 2 cards, Middle hand
  • Full House = Discard 3 cards, Low hand
  • Other winning hands = Discard 2 cards, Low hand
  • Loosing hands are discarded one at a time face down starting with the player who acted first in the second betting round.
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Sweden poker is a relatively new poker game but it's also surprisingly deep and entertaining. If you have the patience to learn the ins and outs of Sweden Poker you're likely to enjoy it quite a bit. Complete rules can be found here:

Straughter

Straughter is a fixed-limit, high low split eight-or-better (also known as Kansas City Lowball) game where every player gets four holes cards to start with and one card in the flop. The player who holds the highest spade from his or her four hole cards is required to pay a "struggle fee" to the pot.

The struggle fee is the worst part of Straughter because it happens before the first betting round. After that player has paid the struggle fee the cards are burned and the dealer deals three more cards on the board. Another betting round ensues.

Then the remaining players show their cards and the player with the best low hand takes the pot. Note that the player who paid the struggle fee can still win the high hand! If no player has a qualifying low hand (eight or better) the highest hand qualifies wins the pot. More on Straughter here:

Kasino

Kasino is a fixed-limit stud poker game originally developed in Arendal, Norway. Kasino is quicker and more suitable for a smaller group than other stud poker games.

Gameplay: Six cards are placed face down on the table. The players receive three cards face down each, and then clockwise around the table. Game play then proceeds clockwise, where each player has the option to steal one card from another player's hand by paying a predetermined stake (typically the fixed limit).

A player cannot steal from a player who has previously stolen from him/her self. When all players have acted, everyone reveals their hand. The player with the best three-card flush wins. Ace can either count as both high and low card.

Written out the best hands are:

  1. Rh -> Royal flush (Royal flush with Ace both high and low)
  2. Fx -> Flux (Flush)
  3. To -> Transport (Any two of a kind plus random card)
  4. Kas -> Casino (High card)
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Note that "casino" in this context means "house" or "high card."