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Why should you learn how to play 5 Card Poker? The answer is fairly simple. Learning the rules and basics of 5 Card Poker not only gives you a grounding in a popular game, but it also sets you up for success in other variants of poker, including Texas Hold’em.
If your goal is to become a well-rounded poker player, there are key aspects of 5 Card Draw you need to understand. Even if you already know how to play 3 Card Poker, it’s important to learn this variation, as the rules and strategies differ.
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What Is 5 Card Poker Online
5 Card Poker, also known as 5 Card Draw, is a classic poker variant where each player receives 5 cards. You make hands by holding cards and exchanging them with the dealer. It differs from community card games like Texas Hold’em, or Omaha, even if you are familiar with how those are played.
The absence of community cards can be a challenge if you are used to playing Texas Hold’em. This key difference changes the strategy, so it’s a good idea to learn about those wrinkles as you continue to read this guide, especially before jumping into 5 Card Poker on offshore poker sites.
History of 5 Card Poker
The history of 5 Card Poker is somewhat complicated to trace. There are threads that trace it back to Mississippi in the late 19th century, while others go as far back as the mid-1800s in the old American West.
5 Card Poker really began to spread in the 1870s and 1880s in the “Wild West” and became a staple in poker. For a long time, 5 Card Draw was the game synonymous with “poker” and was often the first game that people would teach to others.
5 Card Poker Rules
The rules of 5 Card Poker are not complicated and can be easily understood. Typically, either antes (in fixed limit home games) or blinds (in blind-structured online or casino games) are used.
Some rare 5 Card Draw rules require everyone to put in an ante before any cards are dealt; however, it is more common for two people to put in antes, called the small blind and big blind.
Once the antes have been posted, everyone receives five cards face down, known as hole cards. They are only visible to the players to whom they have been dealt.
You can look at your hand and assess your situation at this point, and then make one of the following moves:
- Fold: Give up the hand.
- Call: Match the current largest bet.
- Raise: Increase the size of the current bet.
Once everyone gets a chance to act, one of these two things will happen:
- A player raises, and no one calls. This player wins the pot without a showdown.
- At least two players match the current biggest bet, and the hand continues on.
If two or more players remain active in the hand, they can make one of two moves:
- Stand Pat: Keep all 5 of their cards.
- Draw: Discard any number of cards and exchange them for new ones.
Anyone who draws gets their cards before a second betting round takes place. If two or more players continue after the draw, then the cards are shown, which is known as a “showdown”.
The winner of a 5 Card Draw showdown has the highest-ranking hand, which will be explained shortly. Understanding this is fundamental to learning how to play 5 Card Poker.
5 Card Poker Hands: Poker Hand Rankings
The standard poker hand rankings apply perfectly to 5 Card Poker, as they are the same as in many other games, such as Texas Hold’em.
Here is an easy look at how the different hands stack up:
| Poker Hand Rankings | Example |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠ |
| Straight Flush | Q♦J♦10♦9♦8♦ |
| Four of a Kind | 7♣7♠7♦7♥K♣ |
| Full House | J♦J♣J♠5♣5♥ |
| Flush | K♣J♣9♣4♣3♣ |
| Straight | 9♦8♣7♠6♥5♦ |
| Three of a Kind | A♣A♠A♦7♣6♥ |
| Two Pair | Q♦Q♣8♥8♠5♥ |
| One Pair | 10♠10♣8♠6♣2♥ |
| High Card | A♥K♣9♠7♦3♣ |
One of the interesting aspects of 5 Card Poker hand rankings, as you can see in our poker cheat sheet vs other variants, is that you will be using all five cards in your hand to make your best combination. In other variants like Stud or Texas Hold’em, you are dealt seven cards and choose the best five to make your hand. But in 5 Card Poker, once the draw phase is complete, your final 5 cards are your hand – none are left out.
How to Play 5 Card Poker Online
In order to play 5 Card Poker successfully online, you must understand not only how to play this game, but also how a typical hand plays out.
Here is an example of a 5 Card Poker hand in a simulated cash game:
- Game: 5 Card Draw
- Stakes: $1/$2
- Number of Players: 5
The Initial Deal
- Seat 1: Posts the $1 small blind and receives 5 cards.
- Seat 2: Posts the $2 big blind and receives 5 cards.
- Seat 3: Receives 5 cards.
- Seat 4: Receives 5 cards.
- Seat 5: Receives 5 cards.
First Betting Round – Action Starts With Seat 3
- Seat 3 folds.
- Seat 4 calls the $2 big blind.
- Seat 5 folds.
- Seat 1 calls the big blind by putting in $1 more.
- Seat 2 checks.
The Draw – Action starts with Seat 1
- Seat 1 draws 1 card.
- Seat 2 draws 2 cards.
- Seat 4 draws 1 card.
Second Betting Round – Action starts with Seat 1
- Seat 1 bets $4.
- Seat 2 folds.
- Seat 4 raises to $8.
- Seat 1 calls the extra $4.
Showdown
- Seat 1 shows: J♦J♥9♠9♣3♦ (two pair).
- Seat 4 shows: 8♣7♠6♠5♦4♦ (straight).
- Seat 4 wins the pot.
5 Card Poker Strategy
Understanding hand rankings and rules is just the beginning when it comes to playing 5 Card Poker. To succeed, you’ll also need a solid strategy. Here are a few basic guidelines to help you get started when playing 5 Card Poker online.
Play a Tight Range
Hand selection is a key aspect of every poker variant, and 5 Card Poker is no exception. Avoid overplaying weak hands or wasting money chasing unlikely draws. To improve your decision-making, check out our guide on poker hand ranges.
A good starting point in 5 Card Poker is a hand that includes at least a pair. Not the greatest hand on its own, but it can be a good starting point to try and make three of a kind or even a full house.
Aside from a pair, a hand with at least four cards to a flush or a straight is usually worth playing, given the strength of completing either. However, don’t chase these hands with only three suited or connected cards – the odds of hitting two perfect draws are very low.
Know Your Position
As with other poker variants like Texas Hold’em, position is key. You can play a wide range of hands and be more aggressive from late position vs in an early position, where you have the advantage of seeing how other players act before making your move.
Another advantage of being in a late position is facing fewer opponents and being able to assess their play based on the number of cards they discard or keep.
Know Which Cards to Discard
One thing that makes 5 Card Poker different from other variants is the ability to discard and draw new cards – something not typically found in games like Texas Hold’em or Stud. A good general rule is to discard as few cards as possible. If you are in a position where you are discarding three or more cards, then you should probably just fold instead.
Knowing which cards to discard is the next step. Let’s say you are dealt four cards to a flush, 4 diamonds, you would discard the one card that is not a diamond in the hope of being dealt a 5th diamond.
It is also important to try and assess what your opponent is drawing to as well. If they draw just one card, they are likely drawing to a big hand like a straight, flush, or full house. If they draw two or more, they could just be holding on to a pair or something weaker.
Other Variants of 5 Card Poker
There are several other variants of 5-Card Poker, and they will be touched on briefly here.
Ace to Five Lowball
This variant of 5 Card Poker is the opposite of 5 Card Draw in terms of hand rankings. In this game, the lowest value hand wins, not the highest hand. Straight and flushes are ignored, and the ace plays as a low card.
So the strongest hand possible is A-2-3-4-5.
2-7 Lowball Draw
This variant is the most popular of the 5 card variants and is often regarded as a game of high skill. The lowest hand value wins the pot, just like ace to five, but it differs significantly in other ways.
The ace plays as a high card, and straights and flushes do count, so you do not want to make those when trying to get the best hand. The best hand in this game is 2-3-4-5-7, non flush. It is the lowest hand and also unconnected.
Both 2-7 no limit lowball draw and 2-7 triple draw are high-profile bracelet events at the World Series of Poker. The two games make up four bracelets and are both played at the $1,500 and $10,000 buy-in level.
Advantages of 5 Card Poker vs Other Variants
There are a few reasons why you should learn how to play 5 Card Poker. It is the simplest form of the game to master, making it ideal for beginners. In fact, it’s the version many players start with when first learning poker.
5 Card Poker involved less betting pressure than many other variants. With fewer betting rounds, you have a bit more freedom to focus on the fundamentals of the game, rather than always worrying about your stack, which can be daunting for a new player.
At the end of the day, the main benefit of 5 Card Poker is that it allows you to focus on the fundamentals of making strong hands. There is less overall focus on complex betting strategies compared to games like Texas Hold’em, where betting is a skill set of its own. Mastering 5 Card Poker can lead you to become a very strong overall poker player.
Conclusion
5-Card Poker is a great and classic variant of poker that is well worth learning. The history of the game proves that it has stood the test of time and remains a loved game in the lore of poker. Thanks to its simplicity, it’s an ideal starting point for beginners.
