5 Card Draw Video Poker Strategy

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Introduction to 5 Card Draw

Easy no-download video poker! Jacks or Better, Bonus, Double Double, Deuces, Joker Poker, total of 17 variations plus perfect play trainer. The object of the game is simple. You’ll be dealt out a hand of five cards from a standard deck (sometimes with a joker added into the mix). You can then choose to keep as many of those cards as you want, discarding the rest. Your discarded cards will be replaced from the deck. The odds of dropping all five cards and then picking up, say, a flush are astronomically low and this is simply not a good strategy to try. Poker is about playing the odds in your favor. You go for the open-ended straight draw because there are eight cards in the deck that can help you.

5 Card Draw is one of the oldest forms of poker around. It is very basic and easy to learn, although like so many other versions, can take a long time to master.

Unlike some of the popular versions of poker, such as Texas Hold’em, 5 Card Draw does not have community cards, and no one gets to see any of your cards until the end of the hand.

5 Card Draw can be found on many online poker sites, however, it can be hard to find a game during off-peak hours as it isn’t as popular as versions such as Texas Hold’em and Omaha.

Five Card Draw can be played with 2-8 players. Each of them gets 5 cards face down to start. In the rounds that follow, called draw rounds, they may give up arbitrary numbers of their cards in favor of being dealt new ones. Betting rounds take place before and after the draws. Normally in the online environment, 5 Card Draw is played in either 5- or 6-handed format. The regular form of 5 Card Draw online is played with a small and a big blind. Usually the small blind (SB) is the half size of the big blind (BB). There are some sites which offer 5 Card Draw with antes.

5 Card Draw Rules

5 Card Draw Poker uses a single deck of 52 cards. As in most other forms of poker, all cards count at their respective values with Aces counting as either high or low.

Most online sites use the blind structure whereby 2 players at the table pay a forced bet each hand. Please note that in some versions and more commonly when played in a home game, it is played with antes, meaning all players pay a small bet at the start of each hand.

As the blind system is the most common online, this is the one we will be explaining.

At the start of each hand, one player is designated as the dealer. You will see a ‘button’ in front of this person to represent the dealer position. Cards are dealt starting with the player to the left of the dealer. After each hand, the disc and therefore all other positions move around the table in a clockwise direction.

Before the first cards are dealt, 2 players need to pay a ‘blind’. The player directly to the dealer’s left pays the ‘small blind’. If you are in a cash game, this amount is the same each hand depending on limits of the table you are at, if you are playing in a tournament, you will see the blinds increase at regular intervals, thus ensuring the tournament comes to a conclusion once it increases to a certain point. The player 2 positions to the left of the dealer – directly to the left of the small blind – pays a big blind bet which is normally double that of the small blind. Players take it in turns to be sat in these positions hence why the dealer button gets moved after each hand. The purpose of these bets is to ensure there is a pot to be won in every hand.

Once these bets have been made, every player is dealt 5 cards face down, ensuring no one else can view them, starting with the player to the dealers left, the small blind.

The first of 2 betting rounds takes place after cards have been dealt, starting with the player to the left of the big blind. Like any poker game, a position is important in 5 Card Draw, the later you act in a hand the more advantage you get as you will see what other players are doing before you act yourself. This gives you a better feel for what other players have.

The same as in other forms of poker, players need to either ‘Call’ the current bet – so place a bet equal to the largest bet made, at the start of the hand this will be the big blind bet – ‘Raise’ the current bet – increase the biggest bet that has previously been made, this normally needs to be at least double the previous largest bet – or ‘Fold’ – end your interest in the hand by throwing away your cards if you don’t feel they are good enough to win the hand.

The Play (otherwise known as Action) continues clockwise around the table until all players have either Called the highest bet made and put an equal amount in or Folded and thrown their cards away leaving the hand. The big blind is the last player to act and if no one before them has Raised, they can ‘Check’ – this effectively means they ‘Call’ the bet but as they have previously put in the largest bet, they don’t need to add more funds to the pot in order to proceed to the next round.

Once this betting round has been completed, the action starts again with the player to the left of the Dealer who is still in the hand. The example below shows the player holding a pair of kings and preparing to discard the other 3 cards.

Each player, in turn, has to choose a number of cards which they wish to replace. They can keep all 5 of their cards if they wish, this is known as “stand pat”, or they can throw away any number of cards, all 5 if they wish, face down. They will be dealt an equal number of new cards which will give them their final hand.

Once all players have received their new cards, there is a 2nd and final betting round starting with the first active player to the Dealers left.

This is the same as before, except that there is no previous bet in this round, therefore the first player to act can ‘Check’ if he wishes meaning he doesn’t bet any further funds.

Once all players have acted and every player has either Called the highest bet of the round or Folded, the winner of the hand is determined at the Showdown. The first active player to the left of the Dealer shows his hand, play then continues around the table with the next player showing his hand if it is better or ‘mucking’ his cards – basically, admitting defeat and throwing them away – if his hand is beaten.

The player with the best 5 card poker hand wins the pot. You can check out the full hand rankings if you are unsure of the strength of each, it is a good idea to learn them before playing for real money.

See below for an example of how a 5 card draw online game will look:

5 Card Draw Poker Strategy

5 Card Draw is a very simple poker game to learn as there aren’t as many betting rounds or cards to choose from as in other forms.

We suggest playing for play money at one of our recommended sites if you are new to the game until you get used to it, following the simple steps below will help you become a winning player.

Don’t play too many hands – like all forms of poker, one of the main mistakes new players make is getting involved in too many hands. You need to be able to read your cards and the strength of them when you first get dealt them, and act accordingly, especially if you are one of the first players to act. Small pairs and drawing hands aren’t great in 5 Card Draw as there is only one opportunity to improve your hand.

Position – as mentioned above, if you are one of the first players to act in a hand, this is a distinct disadvantage. If you choose to Call when only 1 or 2 players have been, there is a good chance someone else will Raise meaning you have to either add more money to the pot or throw away your bet by Folding. The earlier you are, the fewer hands you should play, the same as in any form of poker.

Drawing hands – whilst in some forms of poker having 3 connecting cards of the same suit can be a good starting hand, you only have 1 chance to improve your hand in 5 Card Draw, therefore it is not as strong. The odds of hitting your hand are therefore much lower and we suggest you only play these in late position if you are confident you won’t have to pay a lot in the betting round to see if you manage to hit your hand.

Pairs – If you have 1 pair in your hand, discard the other 3 and go for the 3 of a kind or better. If you are dealt 3 of a kind, discard the other 2 and increase the odds of hitting that 4th card. If you are dealt 2 pairs, keep them and discard the other one to see if you can improve to a full house.

5 Card Poker Tips

Those drawing 2 cards tend to have better hands than those drawing 1…

The chances are that a player drawing 2 cards will have trips and will, therefore, be in a very strong position, it is possible that they will be drawing for a straight or flush but this is less likely. Those drawing just the 1 card are most likely to have 2 pairs or a straight or flush draw, meaning they are behind players who have trips and need to hit their card.

Mix it up to confuse your opponents…

It is easy to read some players in 5 Card Draw as they act the same way in the same situations. It is important to mix up your game a bit to keep your opponents guessing as to what you have.

Play for fun to learn the game…
If you haven’t played 5 Card Draw before, find a site that offers free play games so you can learn the rules and strategy before risking your hard-earned money for real.

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Featured Gambling Guides

One of the simplest variants of poker, and one that is many poker player's first introduction to the game of poker, is 5-Card Draw.

More common in home games than it is in casinos, 5-card draw has been overtaken in the popularity by games such as Texas hold'em and Omaha poker.

But there are still plenty of 5-card draw fans around the world — particularly in the online world where several online poker sites offer cash games and tournaments.

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How to Play 5-Card Draw Poker

If you have played any other form of poker, 5-card draw rules are similar in that the aim of the game is to make the best five-card poker hand.

Like Texas hold'em, the poker hand rankings, from weakest to strongest, are as follows:

High card
One pair
Two pair
Three-of-a-kind
Straight
Flush
Full house
Four-of-a-kind
Straight flush
Royal Flush

When it comes to preflop betting, there are two different methods used in 5-card draw.

Either all players pay an ante before receiving their cards (this is more common in home games), or there is a small blind and big blind similar to hold'em and Omaha games (this is the most common on online poker sites and in casinos).

Three different betting structures exist for 5-card draw, too.

You can play 5-card draw poker as:

Fixed-limit
Pot-limit
No-limit

While all three formats play to the same poker rules, the different betting structures mean your strategy needs to be adapted.

For example, some hands that you wouldn't play in fixed-limit 5-card draw become playable in no-limit 5-card draw because in the latter you can bet enough to force your opponent to fold.

Regardless of the betting structure, this is how to play 5-card draw.

Five-Card Draw Basics

Once everyone has paid the ante or the blinds, each player receives five cards face down.

A round of betting then occurs.

5 Card Draw Poker Hands

If more than one player remains after that first round of betting, there follows a first round of drawing.

Each active player specifies how many cards he or she wishes to discard and replace with new cards from the deck.

If you are happy with your holding and do not want to draw any cards, you 'stand pat.'

Once the drawing round is completed, there is another round of betting.

After that if there is more than one player remaining, a showdown occurs in which the player with the best five-card poker hand wins.

As you can see, the rules for 5-card draw are simple and make for a fast-paced game, which is why the game is popular with new, less experienced players.

Basic 5-Card Draw Strategy

The fact you can learn how to play five-card draw poker in a few minutes doesn't mean that you will not need to practice to go from beginner to pro.

The best way to do that, is to practice online — possibly with some free games. If you have a few minutes to try a game or two, have a look at 888poker.

You can play with a no deposit bonus on signup that you can use to discover 5-card draw poker and master all the basic and advanced strategy tips that follow.

One trap lesser-skilled 5-card draw players often fall into is playing far too many hands, particularly hands drawing to a straight or flush.

In many cases, the saying 'tight is right' applies when it comes to starting hand selection in 5-card draw.

As in games with community cards, your position in relation to the button is also important in 5-card draw poker.

The closer to the button you are, the wider the range of hands you can play profitably.

Regardless of your position, you should almost always enter the pot with a raise because limping in usually results in several other players limping behind, which in turn means you need a much stronger hand to win the pot.

Play tight from early positions and raise with hands such as aces or kings.

As your position improves, you can add other high pairs such as queens, jacks, tens, and nines, so long as the latter has a good kicker to back it up.

Those of you fortunate enough to have been dealt two pair or three-of-a-kind should always come out raising whether you're under the gun or on the button.

Meanwhile be wary of holdings such as four to a straight or flush, because these are hands with which some players bleed away their bankroll.

With one card to come, you're around a 4-to-1 underdog to hit your hand, and often you won't have the correct pot odds to attempt filling your straight or flush, particularly in a short-handed game.

What Should I Discard in 5-Card Draw?

Knowing what cards to discard during the drawing round is what makes and breaks a 5-card poker player.

On a basic level you should consider the following:

What you hold	What you should do
One pair	Draw three cards
Two pair	Draw one card
Three-of-a-kind	Draw two cards

The above list is only scratching the surface of what you should draw in 5-card draw. Adhering to it, particularly in low-stakes games, should yield positive results.

Advanced 5-Card Draw Strategy

Once you have a grasp of the basics and are feeling more confident with how to play 5-card draw, you can start applying some more advanced strategies to your game.

5 Card Draw Poker Slots

There is a large psychological element to 5-card draw thanks in large part to the drawing element of the game.

For example, while it is statistically the best play to draw three cards when you hold a pair, if you always make this play your opponents will be able to read your hand easily and alter their strategy to defeat you.

You need sometimes only to draw to one or two cards with a pair in your hand — or even to stand pat — in order to represent a holding stronger than what you actually have.

Unlike in games such as hold'em, there is rarely any stone cold bluffing in 5-card draw.

Players usually have at least a playable hand when betting even if they are indeed bluffing. This is why it is vitally important to take detailed notes when playing 5-card draw because they are extremely helpful.

5 card draw video poker strategy real money

Should you make a note that a player only opens with a pair of jacks or stronger on the button, you can easily fold a pair of nines in the blinds instead of calling.

Where Can I Play 5-Card Draw Online

As mentioned at the start of the article, 5-card draw is not a game that enjoys as much popularity as the likes of hold'em, but there are quite a few websites where you can play 5-card draw online.

The safest option is to try one of three sites below and play some games there.

These poker sites are your best bet for finding both 5-card draw cash games and tournaments at a variety of limits.