The Basics:

Draw poker is one of the most familiar poker games that people have played around the kitchen table before Texas Hold’em took hold and became the most popular form of poker. The game can be played with between two and six players during each hand. The game is played with a rotating dealer position and a blinds structure similar to Texas Hold’em. It can be played using an ante structure instead of a blind structure but most people choose to play with blinds. Even with the ante structure the dealer will rotate clockwise after every hand is completed. There are a total of two betting rounds and the game is normally played as a limit game. The lower limit amount is used for the first betting rounds while the higher betting limit is used for the last betting round.

The Deal and First Draw:

Each player is dealt five cards to begin. The two players to the left of the dealer usually post blinds and the first player to the left of the blinds must decide to call, raise or fold, just like Texas Hold’em. After all the players who want to continue have called, and those who don’t folded each player remaining in the hand will discard hands and draw more cards to improve their hand. Starting at the left of the dealer position each player will draw any number of cards they wish and this will continue until all the players have made their selections. Players can also choose to stand pat and not draw any cards.

Final Draw and Showdown:

After all the players have made their discards and draws, betting begins starting at the first position to the left of the dealer. Once all the betting has been completed any players remaining after this betting round can now showdown their hands in order to win the pot. The highest hand wins the pot using the conventional poker hands ranking guideline.

If you enjoy 5 Card Draw poker you may also want to learn about 2-7 Triple Draw, Omaha or Texas Holdem. Go to our
Poker Rules section for any other poker games.