How to Play Five-Card Draw Poker

Five-card draw is relatively easy to learn. Winning consistently is another story. To test your poker skills on-line, for free-play and real money play, visit this recommended online poker site.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Poker Chips
• Playing Cards
• Card Tables
• Folding Chairs

Know Your Cards and Poker Terminology

1. Familiarize yourself with the values of the cards. The order of increasing value is 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, jack (J), queen (Q), king (K) and ace (A). The ace can usually double as the lowest card for use in straights.
2. Familiarize yourself with the definitions and values of different hands. The hands are, in order of increasing value: One Pair, Two Pair, Three of a Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush and Royal Flush. A given hand beats all hands listed before it.
3. Be aware that if two or more players hold the same type of hand, the player with a card or cards of a higher value wins.
4. Understand that the ante is the initial bet made by everyone. Raising is matching the previous player's bet and adding some extra money to increase the bet. Folding is laying your cards down on the table and forfeiting the hand (and your ante). Calling is matching the previous player's bet once a player has opened the hand by betting.
5. Know that the maximum number of cards that an individual can exchange after the first round of betting is determined by the house rules. A player may also choose not to exchange any cards. This is called "staying."

Play Five-Card Draw

6. Have each player place his or her ante into the pot.
7. Deal each player five cards.
8. Have the player to the dealer's left bet or pass. If he passes, play is deferred to the player on his left. The player on the left may then either bet or pass.
9. Gather the cards if every player passes. Ante again, and have the player to the dealer's left deal a fresh hand.
10. Have subsequent players either call, raise or fold after a player opens a hand by betting.
11. Give each of the surviving players - once everyone has either bet or folded - the option to exchange some cards for an equal number from the top of the deck.
12. Start another round of betting after every player in the hand has either exchanged his cards or stayed.
13. Have the players who have not folded show their hands following the betting round.
14. Let the player with the highest hand take all the poker chips that are in the pot.

Tips & Warnings

• One Pair is any two cards of matching numerical value.
• Two Pair is two different pairs of cards.
• Three of a Kind is three cards of matching numerical value.
• A Straight is five cards in numerical order (3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 7, 8, 9, 10, J, for example) with the cards belonging to various suits.
• A Flush is five non-sequential cards belonging to the same suit.
• A Full House consists of a Three of a Kind and a Pair in one hand.
• Four of a Kind is four cards of matching numerical value.
• A Straight Flush is a Straight with all cards belonging to the same suit.
• A Royal Flush is the 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of a single suit.