Overview of 5 Card Draw
Five Card Draw is the oldest and most well-known poker game in the world. Even though it’s not played often for real money, most people get their start with poker by learning how to play Five Card Draw at home. It’s a simple game and is a great way to introduce poker to new players at casual home games.
Unlike other poker variations, 5 Card Draw doesn’t use a mixture of exposed and hidden cards in each player’s hand. In Five Card Draw, every card is dealt face down. The only information each player has to go on are the betting and drawing actions of the other players. This makes Five Card Draw a mostly psychological game.
Other games that use a mixture of exposed and hidden cards (such as 7 Card Stud) are more difficult for new players because they require more concentration and memorization. The strategy for such games is more complex, which makes them better for real-money games but more difficult for casual players.
For the most part, 5 Card Draw is played as a casual home game when people want to play a game but not involve significant real money. It's a very easy game to explain and learn. Once the players understand the hand rankings, the rest of the game is even easier.
Not The Greatest Real Money Game
Five Card Draw isn’t often played for real money because the lack of any exposed cards causes everyone to play tighter than normal. On top of that, strong hands come only once in a while. With fewer people getting strong hands, large pots aren’t generated as often. Some people do play Five Card Draw for real money, but not as often as other games such as Texas Holdem, Omaha, and Seven Card Stud.
Some people criticize Five Card Draw for not being a good real-money poker game. Despite those criticisms, 5 Card Draw is still one of the most well-known poker games of all time. It dates all the way back to the days of the Old West and won’t be dying any time soon.
One good thing about real-money 5 Card Draw is that the game attracts a disproportionate number of new players. If you can learn the proper strategy for Five Card Draw and become a highly skilled player, you’ll be able to make a lot of money off those new players. The one difficulty would be finding enough real money games to make it worth your while.
The good news is that several internet poker sites still offer Five Card Draw poker for real money play. These poker sites mostly spread fixed limit 5 Card Draw tables but it is possible to find the occasional no-limit table. Player traffic at these games is spotty so you’ll have to check in every once in a while to find full tables.
PokerStars actually does a pretty good job keeping its Five Card Draw tables stocked. There are almost always games running at the low and medium stakes 5 Card Draw tables there. You won’t find high stakes games often but if you’re interested in playing for real money, PokerStars is your best bet.
Make sure to check out the five card draw variations or the history of 5 card draw if you would like additional information about the game.