Have you ever seen the film “Maverick” with Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster? If not you should because it is a good film all about Draw Poker. It features Gibson playing Brett Maverick who is a Five Card Draw poker player who thinks he is the best in the world. Five Card Draw is easy to learn and low limit players can play at decent limits because there are only two betting rounds. On my Internet surfing travels I found a free video to watch on the game which showed a proficient player for 29 minutes discussing his hands. I was hooked immediately.
Something about the game seems to work for me. As I have mentioned in previous articles you should try as many of the variations of poker as you can because one persons trash is another persons treasure so just because everyone plays Texas Hold’em does not mean it is your best game, or your most profitable.
Each player is dealt five live cards after the posting of the small blind and big blinds, just like Holdem. You place your bets in the first betting round. After the first betting round each player, from the player to the left of the dealer button onwards, can choose to draw one to five of their cards and have them replaced. They do not have to draw a card they can “stand-pat” and keep all of their cards. This usually signifies a strong hand. Players can of course fold before they bet; you are not forced to draw. There is one final betting round after the draw and if required the showdown then takes place. The best poker hand wins, with the hand strengths the same as Texas Hold’em. The winner takes the pot!
The game is slightly more simple to learn that Holdem because it only contains two betting rounds. In relation to strategy you should not be entering hands with less than a high pair as this is usually the best hand that is not beaten at showdown. Ideally you want something better than top pair before showdown. Because there are only two betting rounds your key choice in the game is whether to play the pot limit or no limit versions. Swings are smaller because of the two rounds of betting, but getting your money in good is where the money comes from in this game. If you are good at picking your spots then this is where money can be made. Pot Limit Draw is probably best played by either beginners looking to learn and not suffer big swings or professionals who have a sustained edge over their competition. Both games have their merit and it depends on your own personal preference which version of Draw you choose.
Some players do not like the game because money tends to go in with any hand bigger than a straight. If Player A, for example, holds a straight whilst Player B holds a flush, there are no community cards to scare you away from putting your chips in and thus a strong hand versus strong hand is always going to be all-in. Because there are only six players at a table (so everyone can draw cards out of the deck) the blinds come around quickly so your money would always have to go into the middle at this point. You are forced to call with good hands, but this lends itself to opportunities to profit as even good players must call when they would fold in other games.
The excellent part of Five Card Draw Poker is that it is quite similar to Hold’em in the way hand strength is played out and also when you are ahead you will generally be well ahead as you are not sharing your cards via the community cards. A player capable of watching their opponents closely, as there is lots of showdowns and information is more easily obtained on players, makes the observant player the best rewarded.
Bluffing must be well timed and based on player information, so the only way you can learn is to focus on your opponents and learn their tendencies. You cannot overdo bluffing as you will be called with many hands, but big calls on the river are less profitable because generally you either have a decent hand or you do not and new players migrating from Hold’em may not realise this. Online poker sites have a growing number of Draw games on their poker rooms so look out for better cash games popping up. I think this may turn out to be a really popular game in the future.
By Malcolm Clarke