The term draw poker is used to define any type of poker in which the players receive a complete hand before the start of the betting round. The players then develop their initial hand in later rounds by replacing cards.

If you are not familiar with the general poker game play we suggest you first look at the Game play page on this website and then return here to find out more about draw poker. We also suggest you are familiar with hand values. To learn about basic hand values go to Basic poker hand ranking.

When draw poker is played at home an ante is used. Ante is a forced bet, much like blinds. The difference is that in the case of ante all the players place an equal amount of money in the pot before the first betting round. If the dealer changes all the time during a game it is common practice for players to agree that the dealer gives the ante for each player. Betting begins with the player to the left of the dealer.

If draw poker is played in casinos instead of ante, blinds are used. The small blind is placed by the first player to the left of the dealer and the big blind is placed by the second player to the left of the dealer. The big blind is twice the size of the small blind.

The first betting round begins with the first player to the left of the big blind. The following betting rounds begin with the first player to the left of the dealer – the person who placed the small blind. Draw poker is a positional game, meaning that the position a player has in a game it is very important.

We will talk about the most common variant for beginners. It is not usually played in casinos and in poker tournaments.

Let's see how a casino draw poker game is played:

• The first and second player to the left of the dealer place the small, respectively the big blind.
• Then all the players are dealt 5 cards, one at a time and face down. Once all the players have been dealt their cards the remaining cards in the deck are placed aside.
• The players pick up the cards. One must be cautious so that other players do not see his cards.
• Once the players have seen their hand the first betting round begins. The player who places the first bet is the first person seated to the left of the dealer.
• If only one player does not fold he wins the pot. If more than one players remain in the game the draw phase begins.
• The players that remained in the game decide how many cards they want to replace then they discard the cards. The deck is shuffled and a burn card is dealt. After the burn card has been dealt the players receive the number of cards they have discarded so that they again have 5 cards.
• Players must first discard the cards he wishes to replace and only then he will get new cards. Players must also be careful that they receive the same umber of cards they have discarded.
• The “after the draw” betting round begins. The player that begins this round is the one standing to the left of the dealer. When the after the draw betting round has ended the showdown follows.
• The player with the best hand wins the pot.