Draw Poker

General Description of Draw Poker

Draw poker is considered the progenitor of such popular versions of this game as stud poker, Texas Hold'em, and others. Currently, this poker is not so popular at casinos. Yet, many gamblers enjoy playing it in an informal setting. Participants play against each other and can do it without the dealer, dealing cards.

A standard 52-card deck without jokers is used in this game. There are special Draw poker tables, but the game can be played at various poker tables or even at home.

The aim is to win the pot by collecting a poker hand whose rank is superior to the ranks of the opponents' poker hands, or by forcing them to fold.

Standard poker hands are valid in Draw poker. We are going to enumerate them in descending order: a royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind (tris), two pairs, pair, and high card.

Neither jokers nor wild cards are used in this version of poker.

The hands are compared according to the standard poker rules. Suits are irrelevant. The hands consisting of cards of the same ranks are considered to be equal. Read more detailed information about the rules for comparing the hands in an article about the rules for Oasis Poker.

Draw Poker Gameplay

The cards in draw poker are dealt by the croupier. However, he places a special marker (button) in front of one of the players, which means that this player becomes the dealer. The cards are initially dealt to the player who is sitting next to the button.

Before the beginning of the round, all the players make bets, which form the initial pot. After that, the croupier deals them face-down cards one by one until each player receives five cards.

• Then the first round of betting starts.
• The player sitting directly next to the dealer (button) starts it. He may miss his turn, bet (the minimum and maximum size of this bet is discussed below), or fold.
• If he misses the turn, the next player may take any of the aforementioned decisions.
• If someone bets, the others can call, raise, or fold.
• Betting ends when all participants, who want to keep playing, call.

After that, the active players may exchange any number of cards for free. This is followed by the second round of betting, according to the same rules. If the deck does not have enough cards for exchanges, the discarded cards are shuffled, and the deal continues.

The round finished with the showdown, comparison of hands, and determination of the winner, who becomes the bank owner. If two or more players have the hands of the same rank, the pot is split between them.