Basic Rules of Five Card Draw (Straight Draw) Poker

 

Number of Players

Five, six, or seven players are considered the "ideal" number, but any reasonable number can play.

Cards

The entire deck, minus jokers, is used. Aces are high, twos are low.

The Hands, in Order from Lowest to Highest

c=Clubs
d=Diamonds
h=Hearts
s=Spades
A=Ace
K=King
Q=Queen
J=Jack

Highest card: Any five odd cards. (Example: As, Jh, 7c, 3d, 2c)
One pair: Two cards of the same rank and three odd cards. (Example: 10c, 10h, Kd, 6s, 3h)
Two pairs: Two cards of the same rank, plus two more cards of the same rank, and an odd card. (Example: 3h, 3s, 2h, 2d, 7c)
Threes: Three cards of the same rank, and two odd cards. (Example: 7d, 7s, 7h, 9c, 6d)
Straight: Any five cards in sequence, not of the same suit. Aces can be high or low. (Example: Jd, 10s, 9h, 8h, 7s)
Flush: Any five cards of the same suit. (Example: Kd, 10d, 9d, 8d, 4d)
Full house: Three cards of the same rank, plus a pair. (Example: 4c, 4h, 4s, 9h, 9c)
Fours: Four cards of the same rank and an odd card. (Example: As, Ad, Ac, Ah, 6h)
Straight flush: Sequence of five cards all in the same suit. Aces can be high or low. (Example: 8h, 7h, 6h, 5h, 4h)
Royal flush: A royal flush is just a straight flush, except the cards are the royals, the ten, and the ace high from one suit. (Example: Ac, Kc, Qc, Jc, 10c)
Fives: Only available when playing with wild cards. The most common wild cards are the Jokers. (Example: 3d, 3h, 3s, 3c, Joker)

SUITS DO NOT BREAK TIES. Only the number value of the cards in the hand determines who wins a tie. For example, at a Harlem poker game one night the highest hand in a round is three of a kind; two people have that. Fingers Mulcahy has three kings, and Sham Delanie has three queens. Because kings are higher in rank than queens, Fingers wins. If both Sham and Fingers had royal flushes, they would have split the pot evenly.

Betting and Playing

The ante, maximum fist bet, maximum raise, and the amount which raises may not exceed in a single round should be set before the game begins. An example would be ante of 1¢, maximum first bet of 50¢, maximum raise of 50¢, and raises not totaling more than $1.00. Everyone who wants to play must put up the ante, in this case a penny. The dealer deals everyone five cards, face down. After everyone has a chance to look at their cards, the betting begins.

Players have three options:

  1. Calling: Bet enough to match the amount bet since the last time you placed a bet. (If you bet 10¢ and someone after you bets 15¢, you owe 5¢.) Players can also check, which is calling when you don't owe anything to the pot.
  2. Raising: Bet enough to match the amount bet since the last time you placed a bet, and "raise" the bet by another amount of money. (If you called the previous bet (15¢) and raise it 5¢. Now you owe 10¢ to the pot.)
  3. Folding: Drop out of the current hand by placing the cards face down in front of you. You don't have to add money to the pot.
Betting continues until everyone either folds or calls after a raise or initial bet.

After the first round of betting is completed, those left in the game can exchange cards in their hands for new cards, with the hope of improving their hands. Players can exchange as many cards as they would like, but usually that number is no more than three. Discarded cards are placed face down on the table.

Once all the player who want to exchange cards have done so, the second round of betting begins in the same way the first round did. If no one raises, the players show their cards and the best hand wins the pot. If someone raises, all players left have the same three options as before. Betting continues until the final bet is either called or not. If the final bet is called, the players left show their hands, best hand winning the pot. If no one calls the final bet, the player who made the bet wins the pot without having to show his hand.

An Example Game

Fingers Mulcahy, Blind Diamond Conner, Flash McAllen, Mercy Forlani, and Sham Delanie (sitting in that order) decide to play a game of poker. After everyone puts up the ante (a penny, using the amount set earlier) and Fingers deals. Blind Diamond checks, and Flash bets a nickel. Mercy calls. Sham raises a nickel (putting 10¢ in the pot). Fingers calls, and Blind Diamond folds. Flash calls, placing a nickel in the pot. Mercy calls as well. Flash discards three cards, Mercy discards one, Sham discards two, and Fingers discards three. The second round of betting begins with Flash betting a nickel. Mercy folds, and Sham raises another nickel. Fingers and Flash both call. Betting over, everyone reveals their hands. Fingers has Ks-Kd-Kc-4c-8h, three of a kind. Flash has Jh-Jd-3c-3s-Ah, two pair. Sham has Qh-Qs-Qd-As-7s.