Draw Poker Rules
Draw poker is any poker variant in which each player is dealt a complete hand before the first betting round, and then develops the hand for later rounds by replacing, or 'drawing', cards. The descriptions below assume the reader is familiar with the general game play of poker, and with hand values (both high and low variations). In Draw Poker, all the cards are dealt face down to the players. In Stud Poker, some of the cards are dealt face up as the betting progresses, so that all of the other players get to see a part of each player's hands.
OBJECTIVE OF DRAW POKER: Form the best hand and win the pot at the final showdown.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2-6 players
NUMBER OF CARDS: 52-card deck
RANK OF CARDS: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
TYPE OF GAME: Casino
AUDIENCE: Adult
INTRODUCTION TO DRAW POKER
Draw Poker or Five Card Draw is one of the simplest and oldest forms of poker. It was the best-known form of poker until Texas Hold’Em was popularized. Examine the poker hand rankings and basic poker rules for an introduction to poker, the following rules assume a certain level of familiarity with poker. There is a lot of opportunity to bluff in this variation of poker, so, it is often played for high stakes.
THE ANTE & THE DEAL
Five Draw Poker Rules
Prior to the deal, each player pays the ante to the pot. Typically, the ante is equal to the minimum bet.
After, begin the deal by shuffling the cards and cutting the deck. The dealer passes each player one card, face-down, at a time until each player has a hand of 5 cards. Players examine their hand and a round of betting begins.
FIRST BETTING ROUND
Starting with the player to the dealer’s left, after everyone has looked at their cards betting begins. If everyone checks (or passes) in the first round, all hands are thrown in, and the cards are dealt by the new dealer (the player o the left of the first dealer). The pot stays and players place a new ante.
The first round of betting is limited to 4 raises in fixed and spread limit games.
THE DRAW
Draw Poker Rules Wikipedia
If after the first round of betting there are more than 1 active player, players can improve the cards in hand by discarding some and drawing replacements. Starting with the first active player to the left of the dealer, players announce the amount they are discarding and place the cards face down. The dealer passes them an equal amount of cards in return.
Players can discard 0-3 cards. Discarding 0 cards is called standing pat, since your hand remains the same.
In games with 6 players, the deck can become exhausted during this phase. The dealer shuffles the discards, cuts them, and creates a new deck.
SECOND BETTING ROUND
After each player had a chance to draw the second round of betting commences. It begins with the player who started the first round of betting. Bets can be between the minimum and maximum limits, and the limits are typically doubled in this round.
SHOWDOWN
After the second round of betting, if the pot has not be won already, active players reveal their hands starting with the last person who bet and moving clockwise. The player with the best hand wins the pot.
Draw Poker Rules Wikipedia
REFERENCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-card_draw
Texas Draw Poker Rules
https://www.pagat.com/poker/variants/5draw.html