Classic Poker Draw

Poker Draw is the first type of classic Poker, the second one is 5-Card-Stud Poker. The acquirement of their principles is essential to understand any other variation of Poker. The game of Poker Draw consists of two parts: the Deal and the Draw (trading of cards).

Dealing the Cards

The card dealer is appointed in advance by an agreement or a draw. The dealer may participate in the game. He or she deals five cards face side down to each player. The first player on his left hand can either Open the bets, i.e. to put in some money in the pot, or pass the turn to the next player (Check).

If any player opens, the following players, if they want to stay in the game and fight for the pot, have to Call, that means to level the bets, Raise or Fold.

If the bets got raised in the meantime, then the player, who opened or the last player who checked before the raise, begins the second round. The game continues in this fashion and the players can raise their bets until the last player calls (confirms the level of bets). The player who is not willing to risk more money by calling other players' bets must fold.

If there is only one player left, because all remaining players threw their cards in (folded), then this player wins the pot without an obligation to show down his or her cards and the game starts over. If nobody opened, the players put in another Ante bet and they are dealt new cards.

Trading the Cards

As soon as betting is over after a deal of cards, each player (except of those who folded, of course) in turn can trade from one up to five cards for the new ones. The number of cards that can be traded may be limited to three or four cards in some play rooms. The players do not have to trade their cards if they like their hand or try to pretend a strong hand.

The betting continues with the player who opened the bets. Again, he or she can bet or check and is followed by other players who can raise if they like. The betting is over as soon as the last bet or raise is confirmed by the last of the remaining players.

The Showdown

After betting is over the players show down their cards. The thrown-in cards do not need to be shown down. The player with the strongest Poker hand wins the pot. If there are equal winning hands then the pot is split among the players holding such hands. If only one player remains (the others have folded) then he or she can grab the pot without showing down the cards.

Probabilities in Poker Draw

On the Deal – Initial Hand

The probabilities to get various Poker hands are shown in the Table 1. One Pair is very common. Neither Two Pairs do not guarantee an automatic prospect of success, while Aces are better than Kings, Kings are better than Queens etc. It is advantageous to keep a Pair of Aces. If you get another Ace, your Three of a Kind will beat any other. You may be interested in common myth and mistakes that players make when assessing probability.

Table 1: The Odds Against Getting Specific Hands After the Deal in Poker Draw

Poker Combinations	Hand Examples	Odds against Acquisition
Royal Flush		649,739:1
Straight Flush		72,192:1
Poker / Four of a Kind		4,164:1
Full House		693:1
Flush		508:1
Straight		254:1
Three of a Kind		46:1
Two Pairs		20:1
One Pair		1.4:1
High Card		Even

Chances to Improve the Initial Hand

It is far more important – than knowing the probability of being dealt a specific hand – to know your chance (true odds) to improve your original hand after the trade of cards – see the Table 2. You may start the game with Two Pairs only, but you can finally reach a Full House.

Sometimes it may be useful to keep an extra card with One Pair (usually an Ace) to go after a stronger hand or to confuse other players (to induce the impression that you have already got a Three of a Kind).

Strategy and Tips, Psychology and Bluffing in Poker Draw

The player on the dealer's left (the first to turn) should open bets with a strong pair minimally (Aces or Kings), otherwise he or she risks that some next player can beat him or her with a stronger pair.

The last player has a kind of advantage as he or she can see the way the others behaved. However the roles can be swopped, for instance when the third player opens. Now the second player already knows that he or she will have the last word in the round and can count on it.

If a player trades three cards he or she has likely One Pair. The trade of two cards is worse to read. Either the player has a Three of a Kind or just One Pair with a spare card. If a player trades only one card, he or she may be trying to get a Flush or a Straight or masks a strong Three of a Kind.

If you have a good hand, opening of bets may be useful as it might discourage your opponents with incomplete Straights or Flushes.