The rules of 5 Card Draw are very easy to learn. The object of the game is to create the best 5-card poker hand (see Poker Hand Rankings here), high enough to beat each of your opponents.

Each player is dealt 5 cards to start. The players may discard as many of these cards as they wish after the first betting round. The dealer will then replace however many cards a player has discarded, leaving each player once again with 5 cards. These 5 cards make up your final hand. The player with the best hand at this point wins the entire pot.

One distinct difference between 5 Card Draw and Texas Hold’em, or any Stud poker game, is that your opponents are never able to see any of your cards. In fact, in a live or home poker game, players should always be careful to keep their cards concealed at all times. Hold them close and pay attention that they are directly facing you.

5 Card Draw can be played in Fixed Limit, No Limit or Pot Limit betting styles, or even with Antes in some home games. For these 5 Card Draw rules, we will use Fixed Limit betting with $2/$4 Blinds. For more information on No Limit and Pot Limit betting styles, please see our Texas Holdém Poker School, here.

The Game Starts

Before any cards are dealt, a Small Blind and Big Blind bet must be placed, based on the stakes being played; in this case, $2/$4. The player directly left of the Dealer must place the Small Blind of $1 (half the low-end stakes), while the player left of the Small Blind places the Big Blind bet of $2 (equal to the low-end stakes).

Each player is then dealt 5 cards. Note that no cards are dealt face-up throughout the entire game of 5 Card Draw. Only the player who is dealt the cards may see them.

The first round of betting begins, starting with the player left of the Big Blind. He must Fold (throw in his cards), Call the Big Blind bet (wager the same amount) or Raise. Since this is a Fixed Limit game, all Bets and Raises in the first betting round must be equal to the low-end stakes of $2. General poker rules dictate that only 3 Raises may be placed in a single Fixed Limit betting round. Once betting returns to the Big Blind bettor, if no player has Raised, he may Check and proceed to the Draw phase, or Raise. If a Raise has already been place, he may Call, Raise or Fold.

Draw Phase

Each player now discards any cards in their hand they do not wish to keep. Depending on the ‘House Rules’, a player may be allowed to discard at most 3 or 4 cards from his hand, though some house rules may allow for discarding all 5 cards. Players may also take the option of keeping all 5 original cards. Once each player has made their decision, the dealer will give each player as many cards as they have discarded, returning each player’s hand to 5 cards.

The second and final round of betting now commences, starting with the player left of the dealer. All bets and Raises must now be made in amounts equal to the high-end stakes of $4. The first bettor may choose to Check (not place a bet, but remain in the hand), Bet or Fold. If the first bettor Checks, all subsequent bettors may also Check, unless a Bet is placed, in which case all players must Call, Raise or Fold.

The Showdown

If more than one player remains in the hand (not everyone has Folded), the Showdown begins. Each player reveals their hand. The player with the highest ranking poker hand wins the pot. In the case of an exact tie, the winners split the pot.