5-Card Draw Poker

Overview

5-Card Draw is a classic poker variant where each player receives 5 private cards, with one opportunity to exchange cards to improve their hand.

Players

2–6 players

Setup

• Standard 52-card deck
• Each player starts with 1,000 chips
• Small blind (SB) and big blind (BB) are posted

Game Flow

1. Deal

Each player receives 5 face-down cards.

2. Betting Round 1

Starting left of the big blind, each player may fold, call, or raise.

3. Draw Phase

Each remaining player may discard 0–5 cards and receive replacements from the deck.

4. Betting Round 2

A second round of betting, starting left of the dealer.

5. Showdown

Remaining players reveal their hands. The best 5-card poker hand wins the pot.

Hand Rankings (highest to lowest)

1. Royal Flush — A, K, Q, J, 10 of the same suit
2. Straight Flush — Five consecutive cards of the same suit
3. Four of a Kind — Four cards of the same rank
4. Full House — Three of a kind plus a pair
5. Flush — Five cards of the same suit
6. Straight — Five consecutive cards of any suit
7. Three of a Kind — Three cards of the same rank
8. Two Pair — Two different pairs
9. One Pair — Two cards of the same rank
10. High Card — Highest card when no other hand is made

Betting Structure

• No-Limit (default): Players may bet any amount up to their entire stack.
• Limit: Fixed bet sizes. Betting round 1 uses the big blind amount; betting round 2 uses double the big blind. Maximum 4 raises per round (unlimited heads-up).
• Pot-Limit: Maximum raise equals the current pot size.

Blinds

Blinds escalate every 5 hands to ensure the game progresses.