Rules and Strategy

Five Card Draw

Basic Strategy and Guide

Five Card Draw - The Game
This beginners guide should give you a basic idea for the concepts and basic startegy to one of the oldest formats of poker. Because it is old, does not mean that 5 Card Draw is without merit and indeed, there are many online rooms that have now added this classic game to their lobby of tournamnets and cash games. If you wish to try out 5 Card Draw online, i would recommend Doyles Room as one of the best places to start.

The rules are simple - much like Holdem, we have the dealer button followed by a small blind (SB) and a big blind (BB). In tournaments or Sit and Go's, the game is usually played at Limit or Pot-Limit stakes with an ascending blind structure, often including an ante (eg. often a tournament may begin with the SB = 5, BB = 10 with an ante for all players of 1). Each player is dealt five cards face down. After looking at your hole cards, there is one round of betting started by the player to the left of the big blind. Once the betting round is complete, we enter the draw phase where players can exchange from 0 to 5 cards (sometimes 0 to 4) with the dealer. This round, as with all the rounds, commences with the player to the left of the big blind. After the draw has been made, there is a final round of betting culminating in a showdown or won pot should all but one player fold.

Note : In a live cash game, there is usually no SB or BB but a fixed ante for all players involved prior to the cards being dealt. In this case, betting will always commence with the player to the dealers left.

Pre-Draw Playable Hands - Basic Rule Of Thumb
Firstly, it’s very important to remember that the Big Blind (BB) in 5 Card Draw will always be the last to act in both betting rounds, pre-draw and post-draw. With this in mind :-

When first to act, it is wise to only consider a minimum of premium pairs (Queens upward) or better as playable hands. 10’s and Jacks are also acceptable from a middle to late position. In terms of single pairs, flat calling with anything but Aces or Kings is the smart move but a more aggressive approach can be taken from the button (last to act) as you will often have a great possibility to take down the pot there and then with a raise (not just 2 times the BB of course).

As for small to medium pairs, only play these from the SB or BB (typically a call or check). Many players will often play these out of position looking for trips but with players to come behind you and facing potential raises, these hands are better discarded. Again these hands don’t really give you the odds to make them playable.

Flush and Straight draws are rarely worth chasing from an early or middle position (except perhaps in the early rounds where limping would be acceptable). You simply won’t have the odds to justify these hands; eg. 4.2 to 1 for your flush. In a late position and if first to act, these can be good raising hands as a semi-bluff or a limp is acceptable when having one or more aggressive players still to come behind you. It is usually sensible to fold these kind of hands to a raise unless you have both the flush and straight draw. Steer well clear of inside straight draws as these will rarely pay.

Pay Attention To How Many Cards Other Players Take
This is your best chance to assess the strength or weakness of your opponents hands, here's some standard scenarios :
Player takes no cards = They have a made hand or will sometimes be preparing to bluff (feels great when this comes off) if isolated with one other player.
Player takes one card = If they have not raised pre-draw, they will usually be looking for a straight or flush. If they have raised pre-draw, most likely they already have at least 2 pair.
Player takes two cards = Could well be trips or the BB (no raises pre-draw) looking to get lucky.
Player takes three cards = They have at least a pair or again the BB (no raises pre-draw) looking to get lucky.
Player takes four cards = This should only be the BB when allowed in cheap.

Post Draw Play
You should have a decent idea of what your opponents are holding by this stage. Check, bet, raise or call depending on a combination of your made hand, position and the size of the pot. 5 Card Draw is almost the ultimate bluff game so be sure that you only make worthwhile value calls when you feel you are probably behind.

Summary
5 Card Draw is a very easy game to learn, especially if you have played newer formats such as Holdem or Stud. It is however, an extremely difficult game to master, requiring an almost "zen like" reading of your opponents, especially when taking into account their drawing and betting patterns. Generally, poor players can be read like a childrens book whereas the more artful player will leave you feeling like you're locked in a dark cellar without a flashlight.

Once you have mastered the basics and wish to learn about more the advanced aspects of 5 Card Draw, i would recommend the excellent section in Doyle Brunson’s Super System by Mike Caro, one of the true experts of this format. It should be remembered, that Caro's piece was written primarily for the live game and no doubt the online approach will reflect the typical differences that we see in the game today.