Five Card Poker - this is not the most popular poker format, but it also has its fans. This type of poker is considered the forerunner of modern Texas Hold'em - it was played at the beginning of the last century. There are now many different variations of the five-card game. The more popular name for this format is Draw poker.

Draw Poker, which is played in modern rooms, differs in many ways from the five-card poker of the last century. But we will tell you exactly about the rules of the Draw game, as they are more relevant today.

Main features of the game

Let's highlight some of the features of five card poker that you should be aware of right away:

• The game uses deck of 52 cards... Jokers do not participate in the distribution;
• To win, players need to collect the most a strong hand at the table... The precedence of the hands is the same as in Texas Hold'em. Another way to win the pot is to get all your opponents to fold;
• At the tables, as a rule, the blinds are posted... These are compulsory bets made by the two players to the left of the button. The button moves from one player to another every new hand clockwise.

How is the distribution going?

There are two betting rounds in Draw poker. First, players receive five cards in their hands. They will be considered the combination that the user has collected. After that, the first auction begins.

Poker players can perform the following actions at the table:

• Check... Skip turn. This can only be done if no one has raised the bet before you or all players have called your raise;
• Bet... You can place a bet if no one has done so before you. But it must be larger than the big blind;
• Call... Players can support a bet that was placed before them;
• Fold... If you do not see any prospects in the hand, you have the opportunity to fold and exit the game;
• Raise... Users can raise rates even if someone has already raised their bids before.

As soon as all the players at the table have equalized the rates and there is more than 1 participant left at the table, the game continues. Now poker players can exchange any number of cards for new ones. You can either fold your entire hand or stay with your cards.

After this, the final round of bidding takes place.

If after him there is more than 1 poker player left at the table, the combinations of the players are compared and the strongest is revealed. If the combinations are the same, the pot is divided equally between the players.

Which strategy to choose to win?

In Draw poker, many players change their strategy depending on where they are at the table:

• Blind positions... The most unprofitable, since you will already spend money regardless of the strength of your hand. Therefore, in such positions it is better not to take risks, especially since you will not know how your opponents will behave;
• Average positions... You will know what the players will do before you, but you will not know about the opponents in the late positions. In this case, you can raise rates. But only if you have a good chance of winning;
• Late positions... Most profitable at the table, as you will know or assume what your opponents are holding. This will allow you to either fold without loss or unexpectedly raise the bet, knocking out the blinds and initial bets from the poker players.

Note that despite the opportunity to change any number of cards, poker players with small combinations often win in the hands - it can be a pair or even the highest card.

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You can play this poker format in the most popular online poker rooms. You will find tables at 888poker, Pokerstars, Poker dom, PartyPoker... Moreover, these rooms play Draw at different limits, which is convenient for players of all levels. Come into five card poker and have fun with every hand!