Five Card Draw is one of the earliest forms of poker. Preceded by Five Card Stud but preceding most other poker games Five Card Draw began during the times of the twenty card deck – although strictly speaking the game would be better described as five card no-draw!
Back then (in the 1830’s) each player was dealt five cards, there was then one round of betting and the cards were revealed with the best hand winning the pot. The small deck meant there were not enough cards for players to draw and the game involved very little skill.
When the fifty-two card deck was introduced to North America in 1833 there were suddenly enough cards to allow players to draw. This created more action, with an extra betting round and the chance for players to improve their hand. Thus Five Card Draw was born.
Player Numbers
Five Card Draw is best played with around five or six players. Given that each player can redraw his entire five card hand you need to be careful about numbers. It is highly unlikely (and will almost never happen) but it is theoretically possible that every player might decide to redraw five cards. If that happened in a five player game there would only be two cards left in the deck so imagine if it happened in a six player game! In fact, as we’ve said, this will almost never happen, but to ensure there are always enough cards in the deck the game should never be played with more than eight players.
The Basics
To begin with all players put an ante into the pot. They are then each dealt five cards, face down. There is then a single round of betting before any cards are exchanged. Once the betting round has been completed players may exchange the cards in their hand for new cards from the deck. There is then a final round of betting after which the remaining active players show their hands and the highest hand wins.
Basic Strategy Tips
Raise with aces but be cautious with all other pairs (including K-K and Q-Q). The reasoning behind this advice is that a player with a single ace can easily outdraw you when he exchanges his cards. With A-A however, you are unlikely to be redrawn.
If your opponent draws only one card, be inclined to call him with hands like a medium pair. If your opponent draws just one card then he is probably drawing to a straight or a flush; he will miss his draw 80 percent of the time and you will win the pot. If after drawing a single card he often bets then he will be bluffing most of the time.
Look out for sandbagging. Sandbagging means checking a good hand in the hope of inducing a bet in your opponent. It is extremely common in this game, more so than in most others. This is one reason you can be suspicious when a player draws to just one card and then bets afterwards – if he really hit his draw he’d probably try and trap you!
When drawing with a pair, draw three cards. Players often think they should keep a good kicker to go with their pair when drawing – they shouldn’t. It’s almost always best to draw three cards to your pair, vastly improving your odds of making trips. Unless you have an incredible read on your opponent (such as you think he is holding the exact same pair as you) then you should generally exchange three cards.
Expect to be called. Five Card Draw is a difficult game to bluff in. It’s not impossible by any means, but new players should work on the assumption that their bets will always be called – because they probably will. Keeping this in mind will save you mucho dinero!!