5 Card Draw

5 card draw is the classic poker game that most of us grew up with and whilst it may not be found in too may casinos these days it’s easy to pick up and can be great fun to play.

A big part of 5 card draw’s appeal lies in its simplicity. The gameplay couldn’t be more straightforward; there are no community cards, players are simply dealt five cards, all face down, and, after a round of betting, choose up to four cards that they want to replace. These cards are then discarded and replaced with cards dealt from the pack so that each player once again has 5 cards. After a final round of betting it’s the showdown and the winner claims the pot. Simple.

Of course, as with any variety of poker, however easy it may be to pick up the basics, mastering 5 card draw and winning consistently is likely to take considerably longer. Successful draw poker players will be good readers of the game and give away as little information about their own hand as possible. For instance it’s generally a bad idea to take four new cards in the draw and bluffing by drawing no cards to give the impression that you have a stronger hand than you actually do can be a good tactic. Keep in mind however that by attempting to bluff you are effectively forgoing a good opportunity to improve a poor hand so you better hope that your opponents are intimidated enough to fold.