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How to Play 5 Card Draw
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Five card draw is the name for what was the original poker game. In order to play five card draw you will need between two and eight players, poker chips and a pack of fifty two playing cards.
At the beginning of each round of five card draw the players agree to a common amount for each of them to place in the “pot” before the “real” betting begins. This amount is called the ante and each player is required to place an ante in the betting pot.
The dealer deals each player five cards. These cards are dealt face down and the dealing begins with which ever player is immediately to the card dealer’s left.
After each player has been dealt five cards, each player picks up his or her cards from the table to see what he or she has been dealt.
Now there is an initial betting round, based on what is in each player’s hand and what kind of hand they hope to build over the course of the game. Again, the betting starts with the player who is sitting immediately to the left of the card dealer. It is that player’s bet that the rest of the players are expect to match or to raise. If they can’t match (called “calling” the bet) or raise (which is self explanatory) the bet, he or she will fold their cards. If a player “folds” that player loses his or her ante and forfeits the rest of the game.
After the first round of betting has finished, which ever players are left in the game are then allowed to trade in cards from their existing hand for new cards. Players are allowed to trade in a single card, two cards or even three cards. In the event that a player has an ace in their original hand, that player is allowed to trade in four cards, but trading in four cards requires the showing of the ace in the hand.
Keep in mind that as a five card draw player you aren’t required to trade in cards. If you like the hand you already have, you can “stand pat.” Standing pat is obviously another name for keeping the hand you were originally dealt.
After the players are finished trading in their cards, another round of betting begins. Again, the betting starts with the player sitting immediately to the left of the dealer and again it is that player’s bet that needs to be called or raised. If the bet can’t be called or raised, then that player’s cards must be folded and he or she is out of the game—losing whatever he/she bet in the first round of betting and his/her ante.
This betting continues until all the players cannot or no longer wish to raise the bet and instead “call.”
Once all the players have “called” the bet, the players (those left in the game that is) show their cards. Which ever player has the best hand wins the entire pot.
One of the common house rules is that a player is not allowewd to trade in more than three cards unless he or she has an ace in the hand. An ace is typically referred to as a wild card. Another rule is that the dealer never gives the last card in the deck as a trade. This is because it is possible that someone might have managed to catch a glimpse of the bottom card during the dealing.
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