Draw Poker

Written by Nigel

Another popular variation of poker is dubbed draw poker.  For many people, actually, this is the first type of poker that they learn.  However, today, with the popularity of Texas Hold ‘em, the situation may be different.  In any case, every poker player should know how to play draw poker.

The basic idea behind draw poker is being dealt cards face down all the time.  Each player then has the option of changing some cards from the deck.  The number of cards to be changed would depend on the sub variation of draw poker that is being played.  The goal is to form the best hand possible by eliminating the weakest cards in the hand and hoping to draw better cards from the deck.

Draw poker is typically played this way.  The players are dealt cards face down and then they bet.  After the initial betting round, each player draws from the deck.  Another round of betting ensues.  Then another draw follows, with the last round of betting after.  Whether players bet before the first draw is decided by the house rules of the dealer.  The same goes for the number of draws allowed to the players.  More so, the dealer can dictate the number of cards that each player may exchange in a single round of drawing.  In determining this number, the dealer has to take into account the number of cards available in the deck.

As with other basic poker games, draw poker has a lot variations.  Even the slightest variation has a large impact on the game, thereby creating a new poker variant.  We will talk about some of them next time.