Five-Card Draw Poker: The Rules of the Game from Westerns

What is Draw Poker

Five Card Draw Poker is a game where participants are dealt initial hands of 5 cards and are allowed to exchange them during the deal. Sometimes it is referred to as “Exchange Poker”. 

Online draw poker was actively promoted by PokerStars

Before the rise of No-Limit Texas Hold'em, draw poker held the position of the most popular card game. 5 Card Draw is closely associated with Wild West times and cowboys. The legendary Wild Bill spent his last moments playing five card poker. Draw poker frequently appears in many Westerns. For example, in the film “Maverick” starring Mel Gibson.

In parallel with the regular version of five card draw poker, there are others. Among them:

• Lowball. Each player is dealt 5 cards and can exchange them during the deal. The goal of Lowball distinguishes it from 5 Card Draw. Here, the pot is taken by the player with the worst hand. In five card poker, the strongest hand is a royal flush; in lowball, it’s 23457.

• 2-7 Triple Draw. A variation of Lowball. The key feature is that players are given the opportunity to exchange cards three times.

• 2-7 Single Draw. A variation of Lowball. Opponents can exchange cards once.

Depending on the betting rules, 5 Card Draw is divided into:

• No-Limit. A player can go all-in at any time.

• Pot-Limit. A player's bet cannot exceed the size of the pot.

• Limit. At any time during the deal, a poker player can place a fixed bet.

In recent years, draw poker has been confused with varieties of Omaha. The confusion is caused by many similar cards in the starting hand—five. There are no other overlaps between five card Omaha and Courchevel with draw poker. Sometimes search engines provide information on flush draw, straight draw, and other drawing combinations when searching for “draw poker”. In Hold’em and Omaha, a “draw hand” refers to a hand with the potential to form a strong combination. For instance, four cards of the same suit allow the opportunity to complete a flush on subsequent streets.

What does the hierarchy of combinations look like in five card poker

In draw poker, there are two ways to win the pot: 1) show the best combination at showdown; 2) force opponents to fold. The hierarchy of combinations in 5 Card Draw is the same as in NL Hold’em or PLO. Let’s explore it in more detail. We’ll proceed from the weakest to the strongest.

High Card. In films, opponents regularly gather top combinations, like quads or royal flushes. In real life, the pot often rests on the high card. Let’s demonstrate with an example. Suppose Brad and Annabelle reach the showdown. Brad shows AJ894, Annabelle — KQJ95. The opponents haven’t even collected a pair, but Brad will take the pot thanks to the higher ace.

Pair. Two same rank cards form a pair. For instance, if a player's starting hand looks like A28A4, then they have a pair of aces. When opponents show pairs at showdown, the pot goes to the owner of the higher pair. Brad has KT993, Annabelle has A6882, 99 is higher than 88, the pot will go to Brad. In case of tied pairs, the winner is determined by the kicker. A kicker is the highest rank of cards not involved in forming the pair.

Two Pairs. A starting hand can also include a combination of two pairs. For example, AA883 gives two pairs. If each opponent has gathered two pairs, higher ones are compared first, then lower ones. If the two pairs are equal, the fate of the pot depends on the kicker. 

In draw poker, Texas Hold'em, Omaha, and stud, the hierarchy of hands remains the same

Set. Three cards of the same rank give a set. With a hand of AK888, a player gets a set of eights. If opponents have equal strength hands, the winner is determined by the rank of the set. Brad with a hand of QQQ27 will take the pot from Annabelle with JJJ97.

Straight. Five consecutive cards of different suits form a straight. If there're two straights, the deal is decided by their rank. Suppose Brad caught JT987, and Annabelle — 98765. Brad will take the money thanks to higher cards in the straight.

Flush. Five cards of the same suit give a flush. If both opponents have a flush at showdown, the pot goes to the owner of the higher flush. For example, Brad has a spade flush with a high king, Annabelle has a heart flush with a high queen. Brad will win the deal. In rare cases, opponents may show equal flushes of different suits. Then they split the pot. In five card poker, all suits are equal in strength.

Full House. Combines a set and a pair. If each opponent has a FH, the pot will go to the owner of the stronger set.

Four of a Kind. The combination consists of four cards of the same rank. 

Straight Flush. Five consecutive cards of the same suit give a straight flush.

Royal Flush. A combination of a suited ace, king, queen, jack, and ten forms the best draw poker combination—a royal flush. 

How the dealing process occurs in five card draw poker

Five card poker involves 2 to 6 people. The rejection of 9-max tables is dictated by the number of cards in the deck. Imagine a hypothetical situation with 9 players in a deal. When each of them receives a starting hand, there will be 7 cards left in the deck. This reserve often isn’t enough for an exchange round. 

Before the deal, opponents make mandatory bets. In exchange poker, either blinds or antes are used. In the first case, players make small and big blinds. They are placed by poker players in the seats to the left of the dealer. Every hand, the positions and the obligation to put money into the pot move one seat clockwise. The ante option is simpler — all players invest equal amounts and form the initial pot. The money in the pot encourages opponents to join the game. Otherwise, everyone would wait for strong starting hands and turn poker into a sleeping pill.

Once players have made mandatory bets, the dealer deals each player 5 closed cards. Poker players assess prospects and decide to raise, limp, or fold. If two or more players contest the pot, the card exchange stage begins. Participants can replace between 1 and 5 ranks. Keeping the starting hand is also an option. Opponents see the number of exchanged cards but do not know their ranks. After the exchange comes betting and showdown. 

In Triple Draw players can exchange cards three times, in Single Draw — once

In 5 Card Draw, there is no board with community cards. The strength of an opponent’s hand is indicated by:

• Number of cards exchanged. Suppose a player swapped 1 card. We can assume they have two pairs, a straight draw, or a flush draw. Exchanging three ranks suggests a pair.

• Bet size and aggression. With a strong hand, a poker player wants to win a big pot. Therefore, they start betting and raising right from the start of the deal. A further clue is refusing to exchange. Such a line indicates two pairs or better. 

• Player’s reputation. Observing opponents is useful in all types of poker. In 5 Card Draw, it's important to watch opponents, as there are no other sources of information. Statistical software in draw poker won’t help. Neither will a shared board aid decisions. The better we've studied an opponent, the higher the chance to outplay them.

In other types of five card poker, the dealing process differs. For instance, in 2-7 Triple Draw, players go through cycles of exchanging cards and betting three times. 

A pot can be won not only by showing the strongest combination at showdown. In draw poker, pots are also won through bluffing. However, the manoeuvrability in 5 Card Draw is less compared to NL Hold’em. It’s impossible to bet a second barrel into an overcard or to pretend a closed flush has been made without a shared board.

Where to play five card poker

The era of five card poker has passed. In the early 2000s, PokerStars offered play in draw poker. Other platforms ignored the rare card game. PokerStars found a place for 5 Card Draw in cash games and organised regular tournaments. After “Black Friday”, PS started cutting costs. Consequently, the room abandoned five card poker and other rare game variations. PokerStars remembers classic five card poker during major tournament series. In the WCOOP-2024, PS organised three tournaments for $11, $109, and $1,050. Another seven events were dedicated to different versions of Lowball.

As of December 2025, five card poker can only be played on Phenom Poker. The daily schedule offers four tournaments. The most expensive guarantee is the Triple Draw Mixed, reaching $1,000. Entry costs $100. Sometimes opponents can be found at cash tables.

The best players in NL Holdem earn considerably more than their counterparts in 5 Card Draw

A few draw poker tournaments are also organised at the annual World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. For instance, in 2025, there were three Lowball events. The largest was won by Nick Schulman. The champion’s bracelet was complemented by $497,356.

Why No-Limit Texas Hold’em is better than Draw Poker

No-Limit Texas Hold’em has dominated poker for several decades. The game is much more popular than Omaha, seven card stud, or draw poker. NL Hold'em surpasses 5 Card Draw in several aspects. Here are the main ones:

• Access. No-Limit Texas Hold’em is an industry standard. It can be found in any online room and land casino. You can play NL Hold’em 24/7 in different disciplines and formats. Five card poker is a game for enthusiasts. It’s absent on most platforms. Therefore, playing 5 Card Draw is extremely difficult.

• Prizes. Let’s take the most prestigious live poker festival, the WSOP, as an example. The winner of the largest no-limit hold'em tournament in 2025 took home $10,000,000. The champion of the most expensive five-card poker event received $497,356. A twentyfold advantage is a convincing argument in favour of NL Hold’em. In online poker, hold'em has absolute dominance: 5 Card Draw tournaments are hardly ever held.

• Depth of play. In draw poker, we know our hand and the number of cards exchanged by opponents. Information is scarce, much depends on intuition and reading opponents. In Hold’em, the community board lays the foundation for the deal. A player can compare table cards and opponents' hand ranges, build complex post-flop strategies, use position, control pot size, perform fine bluffs and value bets.

• Learning and growth opportunities. NL Hold’em has thousands of books, articles, and video courses dedicated to it. Hundreds of training programs help raise the level of mastery in Hold’em. Educational materials allow you to study the game at a microscopic level. Information on five card poker is significantly less. Books aren’t written about the game. Developers don’t create training software.

• Recognition. The name of the WSOP Main Event champion is recognised across the industry. Sometimes news of victories goes beyond the poker community. Leading five-card poker players aren’t known outside the fan circle of the game. Nick Schulman wouldn’t be invited to Katy Perry’s music video or an X-Men film. Unlike Daniel Negreanu.

• Universality. Skills learned from NL Hold’em are beneficial in other types of poker, such as Omaha. Experience from 5 Card Draw doesn’t provide additional options.

Take the first steps in No-Limit Texas Hold’em with the FF Start program. Within the course:

• we introduce the basics of poker strategy;

• we explore play with a short stack and adapt against different opponent types;

• we delve into mathematics and ICM.

If you pass the exam at the end of the course — you get a chance to join the largest online poker school, FunFarm.