Once everyone has paid the ante or the blinds, each player receives five cards face down. Regardless of the betting structure, this is how to play 5-card draw. While all three formats play to the same poker rules, the different betting structures mean your strategy needs to be adapted.įor example, some hands that you wouldn't play in fixed-limit 5-card draw become playable in no-limit 5-card draw because in the latter you can bet enough to force your opponent to fold. Three different betting structures exist for 5-card draw, too. When it comes to preflop betting, there are two different methods used in 5-card draw.Įither all players pay an ante before receiving their cards (this is more common in home games), or there is a small blind and big blind similar to hold'em and Omaha games (this is the most common on online poker sites and in casinos). Like Texas hold'em, the poker hand rankings, from weakest to strongest, are as follows: If you have played any other form of poker, 5-card draw rules are similar in that the aim of the game is to make the best five-card poker hand.