Five card draw is probably the poker game that most people know how to play in one way or another. It's the game you played for pennies as a kid, and probably the one you associate with cowboys and outlaws. Aside from penny games and Billy the Kid, five card draw is actually a fairly popular game in some card rooms. You won't find it as often as Texas Hold'em or seven card stud, but it's out there. If you are interested in playing five card draw in a casino, or you are looking to play in a home game, it's a good thing you have come here first, because five card draw has many variations and it's important you know the right rules.

 

Five card draw can be setup and played in a few different ways, we are going to cover the two most common variations. Five card draw can be played with a normal 52 card deck, or with a 52 card deck plus one joker. Playing with the joker will be explained later in this section, click here to go directly to those instructions. Five card draw can also be played with either antes or blinds. The game can be played heads up between two players (like how outlaws played) or with as many as nine players.

 

The most common way to play five card draw in your home would be with antes. The ante is usually one fifth of the small bet. For example, in a $5/$10 game, the ante would be $1. Each player must put $1 in the pot to be dealt cards.

 

If you play five card draw in a casino, you most likely will be using blinds. In this case there is a button that indicates the dealer and then a small blind to the immediate left of the dealer and a large blind to the left of the small blind. If you are playing with blinds, the small blind is generally half of the small bet. For example, in a $2/$4 game, the small blind would be $1 and the large blind would be $2.

 

In five card draw the dealer begins passing cards to the player to his or her immediate left and then continues to deal in a clockwise motion. The dealer deals each player one card at a time until each player has five cards. After the deal is completed, the player to the left of the dealer is first to act. That player may either bet or check. If the player bets, he or she must bet in accordance with the lower limit of the game. For example, if it is a $2/$4 game, then all first round bets and raises must be in increments of $2. Once the first player has acted, play then continues in a clockwise motion until every player has either bet, called, or folded. Once a player has bet, then the remaining players have the choice to match the bet by calling, raise the bet, or to concede and fold the hand.

 

 

Once the first round of betting is concluded, players are afforded the chance to improve their hands by drawing cards. The first player remaining to the left of the dealer first discards and then is dealt an equal amount of replacement cards. This continues in a clockwise motion until all players remaining have had a chance to draw cards. Once the drawing is complete, the second round of betting begins with the person who opened the betting in the first round. That player may either bet or check, and then the players who follow may take action. Once all players have either called or folded, there is a showdown. The last bettor or raiser must reveal their hand first and then players may either show a stronger hand or muck their hand. The strongest five card hand takes that pot.

 

 

If you wish, you may add one joker to your standard 52 card deck to make a more interesting game of five card draw. The joker can be used to complete a straight, a flush or a straight flush and it may be used as an ace. It cannot simply be used as a wild card for whatever a player needs.