Poker is hands down an all time favorite casino game and luckily Draw Poker Rules are not that difficult to understand, although mastering the game might take a while. Poker is a social game that we are all familiar with as the game that got played around the kitchen table, family get-togethers or Poker nights with your friends. It is without a doubt a game that is worth learning because it can be enjoyed at anytime and anywhere, always ready to provide hours of entertainment.
How to Play Draw Poker
There are many different variants of Poker although 5 Draw Poker is probably the most popular out of the lot. The fundamental aim of the game is to end up with a high ranking hand of five cards. To teach our readers How to Play Draw Poker YourCasinoWorld.com created this guide;
Getting Started
To kick off the game each player is dealt five cards face down. The first player after the big blind has the option to fold, call or raise. Play continues clockwise around the table until betting is complete for the round. If more than one player remains after the first round, the “Draw” phase begins.
In this phase of the game players can discard the cards that he wishes to replace. Cards dealt and discarded are done so face-down. After discarding the cards the players are dealt the same amount of cards that they discarded so that everybody has five cards again.
NOTE: You don’t have to trade or discard if you’ve already got good hand. if this is the case you’ll want to “Stand Pat” and keep the initial cards that you were dealt.
After the Draw Phase the second and final round of betting begins, starting with the player to the left of the Dealer. The second, final round of betting begins with the player to the left of the dealer or with the player who opened the first round.
This is followed by a showdown (the remaining players reveal their cards face up on the table) which will then determine the winner according to the hand rankings. The winner takes all the money in the pot. If two or more hands are of the same value the pot is split equally amongst the players.
Draw Poker Hand Values
A winning Poker Hand is made up from 5 cards arranged according to the following Hand Ranks – Note that the highest ranked hand wins, starting with a Royal Flush;
| Royal Flush | A, K, Q, J, 10 – All same suit |
| Straight Flush | Any five consecutive cards – All same suit |
| Four-of-a-Kind | Four cards of the same value |
| Full House | Three-of-a-Kind and a Pair |
| Flush | Any five cards of the same suit |
| Straight | Any five consecutive cards |
| Three-of-a-Kind | Three cards of the same value |
| Two Pair | Two pairs of two cards with the same value |
| Pair | Two cards of the same value |
| No Pair | Five dissimilar cards, mixed suit |
NOTE: There are no wild cards in Draw Poker. All suits are ranked equally.
Draw Poker Specialty Hands
Specialty hands are not often used but it is a good thing to know them. Some Draw Poker games make use of the following hands in an effort to create more playable hands;
| Skip Straight/Kilter/Dutch Straight | Five cards in sequence, with a rank skipped between each of them. E.g. 2, 4, 6, 8 10 / 4, 6, 8, 10, Queen. Ranking order is between Three-of-a-Kind and a Traditional Straight. |
| Round the Corner Straight | Five cards in sequence allowed to wrap around the top and lowest ranks. E.g. K, A, 2, 3, 4. Ranking order is between a Three-of-a-Kind and a traditional Straight. When played along with the Skip Straight, the Round the Corner straight ranks higher. |
| Bobtail | A Four Flush or Open Ended Straight Draw. E.g. 4, 5, 6, 7. A hand like A, 2, 3, 4 is not open at either end and does not qualify as a Bobtail. Ranking order beats single pair but loses to any two pair hand. |
Draw Poker is one of the first forms of Poker and since it is an easy game, Online Draw Poker Rules are much easier when compared to other Poker forms. For players who would like to enjoy a relaxing uncomplicated card game, have a read through our Draw Poker Rules section and choose to play at any of our featured Online Casinos.