The poker variant known as Five Card Draw is one of the easiest versions of the game to learn. As with most poker games, the ranking of hands is as follows, in ascending order: High Card, One Pair, Two Pairs, Three of a Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush, and Royal Flush. The game is played using a standard poker deck, with the 2 being the lowest card and the Ace being the highest card. However, straights may be formed using the Ace either as a high card or low card.
Important Terms
Antes are the forced bets required by players in order to receive a starting hand. Betting is the act of voluntarily putting money into the pot when a player is not facing a raise. Calling is the act of matching a bet. Raising is the act of voluntarily putting more money into the pot than is required to call. When a player is faced with a bet and does not want to continue, the act of discarding the hand is known as folding. The pot is the antes and bets accumulated through the playing of a hand. The high hand is the best completed hand shown at the end of each game. In the case of more than one player having the same hand, the one with the higher cards is the high hand. An example of this would be two straights, one ranging from 2-6 and the other from 4-8. The straight from 4-8 is the high hand because the highest card of 8 is more valuable than the opponent's highest card of 6. The owner of the high hand is the person that receives the pot.
How to play the game
To begin, each player puts an equal bet into the pot to receive a starting hand. The player sitting directly to the left of the dealer has the first option of checking or betting. If this player decides to bet the next player to his left must decided whether to call the bet, raise the bet, or to fold his cards. This pattern continues around the table with a maximum of 1 bet and 3 raises. Once all players who have chosen to remain in the hand have equaled all bets, the next stage of play occurs. The first remaining player with cards directly to the left of the dealer is the first to act. This player may opt to discard any number of the cards in his initial starting hand and receive replacement cards from the dealer. After the decision is made, each player has the opportunity to replace cards from the initial deal. Once all players have replaced the cards, another round of betting ensues, again starting with the first remaining player to the dealer's left. This player can check or bet and each remaining player may check, raise, or fold. After a maximum of 1 bet and 3 raises, each player deciding to stay to the end must show their cards and the highest-ranking hand is awarded the pot.
One method a player may employ to improve his skills at Five Card Draw is to use real-time software to learn the nuances of the game. Beginning players would be well-advised to avoid bluffing as it is a high risk maneuver best used by skilled players. After studying the game with the computer software beginning player is ready to experience the exciting game of Five Card Draw.
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