In the standard version of Pineapple, players discard one card before the preflop betting round begins. Unlike Texas Hold’em, you’re not locked into playing the two cards you’re dealt – you can choose two out of the three you’re dealt and discard the other.

Several other variations of this game exist as well. Let’s take a look at Pineapple poker and some of its offshoots.

What Is Pineapple Poker?

Pineapple poker is played just like Texas Hold’em, but with one major difference. All players are dealt three hole cards instead of two.

Before the preflop betting round begins, all players discard one card, face down. The hand then plays out just like it would in a standard game of Texas Hold’em, with players using two hole cards.

The object of each hand in a Pineapple poker game is to make the best possible five-card hand according to standard poker hand rankings, using any combination of your two hole cards and five community cards.

It’s important to understand the rules of Texas Hold’em poker before you jump into a game of Pineapple. We’ll do a quick rundown on how to play Pineapple, but be sure to check out our comprehensive guide to No-Limit Hold’em (and other Hold’em variants) for a detailed look at how to play poker’s most popular game:

https://upswingpoker.com/poker-rules/texas-holdem-rules/

Pineapple Example Hand

The universe of poker games includes many different versions of Pineapple. Let’s take a look at a theoretical example hand from the regular Pineapple version.

Like all versions of Hold’em, Pineapple uses a system of blinds and a dealer button. The blind positions are to the direct left of the dealer button.

Players in the Small Blind and Big Blind positions post mandatory bets before the round begins. In a game of $2/$5 Pineapple, for instance, the small blind would put $2 in the pot before the hand begins, and the big blind would put $5 in the pot.

Each player gets dealt three hole cards to begin each hand. You then discard one card (this third card remains face down and is returned to the dealer), and play the rest of the hand with your remaining two hole cards.

After each player discards one card, the first round of betting begins. Let’s say you’re dealt:

This is a pretty easy decision, as you want to discard the and play pocket aces as your hole cards.

Beginning with the player to the direct left of the big blind, each player gets the chance to either call, raise, or fold. Let’s suppose this player is you; you would want to raise with the best of all starting hands, pocket aces.

In this example, you raise to $6. The player on the button calls, and the player in the big blind calls. Just like a hand in a standard hold’em game, the three players that still remain in the hand then proceed to the flop.

The pot is $20, and the dealer puts out the following flop:

Per the rules of all hold’em card games, the small blind (or the next remaining player to the left of the small blind) is first to act in all postflop betting round. In this case, that’s the player in the big blind. This player checks.

The action then moves to you. You have a strong hand with your pair of aces, and you decide to bet $10. The button calls, and the big blind folds.

The dealer then puts out the turn card, and the board now looks like this:

You’re first to act, and the pot is $40. You bet $30, and your opponent (the player on the button) calls.

The dealer then deals the river card, and the final board looks like this:

The pot is $100, and you bet $75. The button player calls, and it’s time to go to showdown.

You show your pocket aces and your opponent shows . You have the best hand and win the pot.

As we can see from this example hand, the gameplay in a Pineapple hand is identical to Hold’em, aside from the fact that all players get three hole cards, and discard one.

Other Pineapple Variants

The standard version of Pineapple sees all players get three hole cards, discard one before the preflop betting round, and proceed through the hand with two hole cards.

Many different versions of Pineapple games can be played, however, with slight variations on the standard version. These variants include:

Crazy Pineapple Poker

In Crazy Pineapple, the hand begins just as the standard versions of Pineapple. Each player gets three hole cards, but you don’t discard before the preflop round.

Instead, you keep all three hole cards through the preflop and flop betting rounds. You discard one card before the turn is dealt.

Lazy Pineapple Poker

In Lazy Pineapple, you keep all three hole cards throughout all betting round in the hand. When the hand goes to showdown, you can use any combination of two hole cards and the community cards to make the best hand.

Keep in mind that you can’t use all three hole cards to make a hand, however.

For example, if you get to the end of a hand with as your hole cards, and the board reads , you unfortunately don’t have four-of-a-kind fives. You do have a full house, however with fives full of twos.

Irish Poker

Irish Poker combines elements of Omaha and Hold’em into a unique Pineapple variant.

Players start with four cards, much like the popular game of Pot-Limit Omaha. Just like Crazy Pineapple, you keep all four hole cards through the end of the flop betting round.

Before the turn is dealt, you must discard two cards. The rest of the hand then plays out like a standard Hold’em hand.

Check out our guide to Irish Poker for an expanded look at this fun poker game.

After discarding one of your original three hole cards preflop, you proceed through the rest of a Pineapple hand like it’s a standard Texas Hold’em hand.

Pineapple Poker Strategy

No matter what version of Pineapple you’re playing, it’s important to keep a few things in mind in terms of strategy.

If you’re playing the standard version of Pineapple, you can generally stick to the starting hand ranges you would play in a regular game of Texas Hold’em. Keep in mind that the card you get rid of in the discard round is no longer in play.

For example, if your starting hand is Qh], keep in mind that you’ll have a slightly lower chance of making a flush because you have to discard a heart.

In Crazy, Lazy, or Irish Poker Pineapple, look for starting hand combinations that include high pairs, suited cards, and connected cards. The strategy in these games somewhat resembles Omaha starting hand strategy, where you like to see hand combos that can make strong hands in several different ways.

Games Related To Pineapple Poker

The following games resemble Pineapple in one way or another, but technically don’t belong in the category of Pineapple that we’re discussing here:

Open Face Chinese Pineapple

Open Face Chinese Poker (OFC Poker) is a fun card game that includes an OFC Pineapple variant. OFC is a completely different game than Texas Hold’em, and as such OFC Pineapple is a totally different game than the Pineapple Texas Hold’em game discussed in this article.

For a deep dive into Chinese Poker, check out this guide from Upswing Poker.

Pineapple Poker Final Thoughts

Perhaps the most important thing to remember about Pineapple, for any variation, is that the game plays as a two-card poker game in terms of the hole cards. No matter how many hole cards or what round the discards take place, you must use some combination of two hole cards and the board cards to try to make the winning five-card hand.

For example, if you get dealt a trio of aces as your hole cards, you don’t (unfortunately) have three-of-a-kind. You must discard one of the aces and go forward with just a pocket pair of aces (which is still pretty good).

You’ll find the Pineapple poker variant in some live poker rooms and online poker rooms, but you’ll probably see it more often in home games or as part of a mixed game.

Pineapple can be played as a no-limit, pot-limit, or limit game.

The post How to Play Pineapple Poker appeared first on Upswing Poker.

The WSOP also runs multiple 2-7 Single Draw tournaments every year, and it’s a favorite among many of the world’s top players.

The 2-7 Single Draw variant (aka Kansas City Lowball) is one of several games in the lowball poker family of games.

Let’s take a look at the rules of this poker game:

2-7 Single Draw Poker Rules

The 2-7 Single Draw game falls under the category of five-card draw games, and winning hands are decided by lowball hand rankings.

In lowball games, you try to make the best possible low hand. Lowball draw poker games generally use one of two sets of lowball hand rankings:

• 2-7 Lowball – The deuce ranks as the lowest possible card, and straights and flushes count against you. The lowest/best possible hand you can make is 2-3-4-5-7 with no flush.
• A-5 Lowball – The ace can rank as both the highest and lowest possible card, and straights and flushes don’t count against you. The lowest/best hand you can make is A-2-3-4-5, and the hand counts as a qualifying low even if it’s the straight flush version.

Straights and flushes don’t count against low hands under 2-7 Lowball rules.

A hand of 2-7 Single Draw begins with each player dealt five cards, face down. The game uses a system of a button, small blind, and big blind, which should be familiar to many poker players from its use in No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO).

Once each player has five cards, the first betting round begins. Starting with the player to the direct left of the big blind, each player gets the opportunity to either bet, raise, or fold, depending on the action that’s already happened in front of them.

After the first betting round is complete, all remaining players enter the drawing round. Starting with the first live player to the direct left of the dealer button, each player declares how many cards they want to discard, and replace with new cards.

Each player declares the number, pushes the discards to the dealer, and receives the new cards all at once, before the action moves to the next player. There’s one exception to this rule – if a player chooses to discard all five cards, the dealer gives the player four cards, then deals the fifth after all other players receive their cards.

Players can also stand pat, and keep their original five cards without discarding.

After the drawing round, the final betting round takes place. If a player bets or raises, and all other players fold, that player wins the pot.

If two or more players are still in the hand when the final round of betting is completed, the hand goes to showdown, and players turn their cards face up.

The player with the best five-card poker hand according to deuce-to-seven rules wins the pot. Remember that the player with the best low hand wins, as 2-7 Lowball is not a game where you try to make the high hand.

Hands are counted down from high to low. For example, 9-8-7-6-4 beats J-5-4-3-2.

In cases where two hands share the same high card, the second-highest card breaks the tie. For instance, 9-7-6-5-4 beats 9-8-7-6-4.

Betting Structure For 2-7 Single Draw

You’ll generally see Deuce-to-Seven played in two formats: the 2-7 single draw poker game we’re discussing in this article, and also 2-7 Triple Draw.

These games share many common aspects, but differ in two important ways:

• 2-7 Single Draw has one drawing round, and is usually played with a no-limit betting structure. Players can bet or raise all of their chips at any time.
• 2-7 Triple Draw has three drawing rounds, and is generally played with a fixed-limit betting structure. The maximum allowed bet/raise is dictated by the limits of the game.

You might find both 2-7 lowball poker variants played in the mixed cash games available at poker rooms like the Lodge, as well as other poker rooms around the world.

The annual World Series of Poker features several tournaments that include lowball draw games. The $50,000 Poker Players Championship, considered the most prestigious poker championship in the world by many elite poker players, features both 2-7 No-Limit Single Draw and 2-7 Limit Triple Draw as part of a nine-game mix.

Basic Strategy Tips For 2-7 Single Draw

Poker pro Jimmy Fricke offers the following poker strategy tips for 2-7 Lowball games, covering both the single and triple draw variety:

Deuce to Seven Lowball Strategy

Tip 1: Deuces are Powerful

If it’s in the name of the game, it’s usually pretty good. Having a deuce in your opening hand is incredibly important, since the best hand you can make without having a deuce is 86543, which is the 9th best possible hand. So if you want to be able to make some real money, make sure you don’t start without a deuce.

Tip 2: Straight Draws Suck

Starting with four low cards in a row like 2-3-4-5 may look really strong, but since catching a 6 will give you a straight, you are actually going to brick a lot of draws with this hand. 2-3-4-5 is still very playable, but don’t make the mistake of thinking this hand is the best draw possible.

Side note: 2-3-4-7 is actually the best draw you can have, because catching a 5 or a 6 will give you the best or second-best possible hands, respectively.

Tip 3: The Person Who Draws the Fewest Cards Drives the Action

If there are draws left, any deuce player worth their salt will check to the person who drew fewer cards than everyone else. They don’t even need to look at their hand, because they know they’re a favorite to still be ahead. Basically, all game dynamics stem from this basic concept.

Tip 4: Blockers are Super Important!

Over the course of the hand, if you’ve discarded multiple of a card that might be important (like starting with a hand of 22257) then you can make assumptions about what kinds of hands your opponents have.

Any premium hand should have a deuce in it. So if you have three of the deuces and you’re up against two opponents, for example, you know for sure that one of them is starting with a pretty bad holding.

If you see enough key cards, you can make an expert maneuver called a “snow.” A snow is deciding to turn your draw into a bluff by drawing zero cards (called “standing pat”), then you take aggressive actions to represent a strong hand, hoping to force your opponent(s) to fold. This is a good way of incorporating bluffing into your draw poker game.

Check out the full article from Upswing Poker including Fricke’s tips on general draw strategy, as well as a variety of mixed-game variants here:

How to Play Draw Poker Games

The post How to Play 2-7 Single Draw appeared first on Upswing Poker.

The post Poker Hand Rankings & The Best Texas Hold’em Poker Hands appeared first on Upswing Poker.

The term “2-bet” might seem familiar if you regularly play poker. Compared to related terms like 3-bet and 4-bet, however, 2-bet isn’t used all that often in practice.

If you’re new to poker, understanding what 2-bet, 3-bet, 4-bet, and 5-bet means is critical to absorbing poker knowledge. Let’s take a look at what a 2-bet is in poker:

2-Bet Definition

Preflop 2-Bets

A 2-bet (aka a two-bet) is the second raise or bet in a round of poker. In the preflop betting round of community card games like No-Limit Texas Hold’em or Pot-Limit Omaha, a 2-bet is the first bet that increases the amount required to make a call.

For example, let’s say you’re playing in a live $2/$5 No-Limit Hold’em cash game, and are sitting in the button position. In this game, the blinds (mandatory bets that rotate from player to player after each hand) are $2 for the small blind, and $5 for the big blind.

After the cards are dealt, the first player to act has the option of calling the big blind (matching the $5 amount), raising (increasing the amount of the active bet), or folding (surrendering their cards). In the preflop betting round, the big blind functions as the first bet (or a 1-Bet).

The first raise that occurs in the preflop round is known as a 2-bet.

In our $2/$5 game example, suppose six players are in the game. The first two players to act fold, and the action moves to the player in the cutoff position.

That player calls the $5. Calling the big blind amount preflop is also known as “limping.”

The action is now on you, sitting in the button position. You choose to raise to $25.

That $25 raise constitutes a 2bet. If nobody has called the big blind before your turn to act, and you raise, that’s known as an “open raise,” as your opening the betting action with a raise.

An open raise, or any raise that increases the active bet from the amount of the blind, is known as a 2-bet.

3-Bets, 4-Bets, and 5-Bets Preflop

Let’s continue with the above example, where the cutoff limps, you put in a raise (a 2-bet) for $25 total, and the player in the small blind is next to act. That player raises to $100 total.

That $100 wager constitutes a 3-bet. The $5 big blind is the 1-bet, your raise to $25 is the 2-bet, and the small blind’s raise to $100 is the 3-bet (aka three-bet).

Note that if nobody raises the big blind amount preflop, there isn’t a 2-bet in that round.

Continuing from the small blind’s 3-bet to $100, let’s say the big blind folds, the cutoff folds, and the action is back on you. You decide to raise to $250, which in this case constitutes a 4-bet (a raise against a 3-bet).

If the small blind then raises again, that player is making a 5-bet (a raise against a 4-bet).

The terms “3-bet” and “4-bet” will come up often if you study poker. It’s important to understand that 2-bet, 3-bet, 4-bet, and 5-bet are all sequential terms from the same concept.

Postflop 2-Bets

The definition of a 2-bet stays the same in all round after the flop, but keep in mind there’s no big blind that counts as the first bet (or the “1-bet”).

In any postflop round, the first bet any player makes is a 1-bet. If a player raises that wager, that counts as a 2-bet.

If another player then reraises, that raise counts as a 3-bet. Postflop 3-bets are fairly rare in No-Limit Hold’em.

For example, let’s go back to our example from above. We’ll pick up where the small blind 3-bet you to $100. Let’s say the action folds to you, and you call.

After the flop, the small blind is first to act. Suppose they bet $125. That $125 bet constitutes a 1-bet.

If you raise the $125 bet, you’re making a 2-bet. If the small blind reraises, that counts as a three-bet.

If you’d like to go through a more advanced search on 3-betting, check out the article below:

What is a 3-Bet? Why (And How) You Need to 3-Bet More Often

The post What is a 2-Bet in Poker? appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Not only is the game quite simple to learn and play, but it is relatively slow-paced (so you won’t lose as much as faster-paced games) and also great fun.

Let’s take a look at Three Card Poker rules, strategy, and payoffs.

What is Three-Card Poker?

Invented by Derek Webb in 1994, Three-Card Poker is played with a standard deck of 52 cards and is actually two games in one:

First of all, there is the Ante/Play version where players compete against a dealer for the best hand.

Second, there is the Pair Plus aspect in which players place a side bet on whether or not they will be dealt a pair or better. In most casinos, however, in order to bet the Pair Plus portion, players must also make an Ante bet.

The Three Card Poker game is not to be confused with traditional poker, which pits players against other players. Three Card Poker is a casino game that puts the player against the house.

You won’t find Three Card Poker in the poker room of a casino in most cases. You will see the game in the casino pit, however, next to games like blackjack, roulette, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Let It Ride, Pai Gow Poker, and other table games.

How to Play Three-Card Poker

On a standard Three-Card Poker table, there are three betting circles in front of each player. The top circle is labeled Pair Plus and beneath this circle are two others labeled “Ante” and “Play.”

Play begins with the player making an Ante wager, along with an optional Pair Plus wager, both of which must be equivalent to the table minimum. The dealer then distributes three cards face down to each player.

If a player has a bet in the Ante circle, s/he must choose to play or fold. Should the player decide to fold, then his/her ante is forfeited. If, however, the player wishes to continue, then s/he must place an additional bet in the Play circle that is equal to his/her Ante.

Once betting is finished, the dealer displays his/her three-card hand. The dealer must have a “qualifying” hand of queen-high or better, otherwise all of the players will be paid for their Ante and their Play bets will be returned to them.

If, however, the dealer’s hand does qualify, it is compared to the player’s hands to determine a winner. Obviously, if the player’s hand is better, then s/he will be paid for both his/her Ante and Play bets. If the dealer’s hand is better, the player will lose both bets. Any ties go to the player.

Three-Card Poker Hand Rankings

Since each hand consists of only three cards, the rankings differ from standard poker rankings. Three-Card Poker hand rankings are—from high to low—as follows:

• Straight flush – three consecutive cards of the same suit
• Three-of-a-kind – three cards of the same rank
• Straight – three consecutive cards of mixed suits
• Flush – three cards of the same suit
• Pair – two cards of the same rank
• High card

Bonuses in Three-Card Poker

If a player has a straight, three-of-a-kind, or straight flush, then s/he will be paid an Ante bonus based on the player’s ante and the table’s posted pay table. Generally, a straight bonus is 1:1, a three-of-a-kind bonus is 4:1, and a straight flush bonus is 5:1. Even if a player has a losing hand compared to the dealer, s/he will still receive his/her Ante bonus, if applicable. The house edge for this bonus is generally around 3.37%.

Ante Bonus Payouts

• Straight Flush – 5:1
• Three of a kind – 4:1
• Straight – 1:1

Players can also earn Pair Plus bonuses as follows (again, the actual pay depends on the casino, but generally)

Pair Plus Bonus Payouts

• Straight flush – 40:1
• Three of a kind – 30:1
• Straight – 6:1
• Flush – 4:1
• Pair – 1:1

Some casinos have a mini Royal hand—A, K, Q of the same suit—and the Pair Plus bet bonus for this hand is typically 80:1. For the Pair Plus bonus, the house’s edge is around 2.32% unless the casino lowers its flush bonus to 3:1. This increases the house’s edge to 7.28%.

The biggest possible payouts in Three Card Poker come from the 6-Card Bonus paytable. These payouts come from combining your hand with the dealer’s hand.

The highest payout, the Royal Flush, happens when the two combined hands form a Royal Flush.

Some casinos pay the Royal Flush bonus if any five of the six cards form a royal flush (ten through ace of all the same suit). Other casinos require that all six cards play, and the cards must combine for nine through ace of all the same suit.

Six-Card Bonus Payouts

• Royal Flush – 1000:1
• Straight flush – 200:1
• Four of a kind – 50:1
• Full House – 25:1
• Flush – 20:1
• Straight – 10:1
• Three of a kind – 5:1

Three-Card Poker Strategy

Because there are only three cards, strategy for Three-Card Poker is quite simple.

If a player has a hand lower than Q, 6, 4, he should fold based on the mathematical probability of being able to beat any other random three-card hands. Anything higher than this queen-high hand with a 6-4 kicker should always result in a play wager.

Three-Card Poker is both easy and fun. Have you played this casino favorite poker game? Please share your thoughts below.

Until next time.

Read more from Upswing Poker:

• The 10 Best Poker Players of All-Time (Earnings-Wise)
• Antonio Esfandiari: Ten Best Hands

The post How to Play Three-Card Poker (Rules & Basic Strategy) appeared first on Upswing Poker.

This article will shed light on what poker straddles are, and if you should ever straddle yourself.

What is a Straddle in Poker?

A poker straddle is a voluntary blind bet made by a player before cards are dealt. A player who straddles is effectively buying the big blind and doubling the stakes.

A standard straddle is two times the amount of the big blind, but can be bigger if the poker room rules permit.

For example, let’s say you’re sitting in a live $2/$3 No Limit Hold’em game. Before the deal begins, the under-the-gun player slides $6 in chips in front of them and the dealer announces “straddle” or “live six.” That is a $6 straddle, which in this case is two times the big blind.

As you may have guessed, the goal of a straddle is to increase the stakes of the poker game. Instead of having to call $3 to see a flop, you have to call $6, which can cause the pot to grow exponentially.

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When the under-the-gun player straddles, the preflop betting round plays out as if the under-the-gun player was in the big blind.

So in this case, the player to the direct left of the straddler is first to act preflop. That player can either call the $6 bet, raise, or fold. Action then proceeds around the table, with the under-the-gun player last to act. In all postflop betting rounds, action resumes as normal.

Most poker rooms only allow a straddle from the under-the-gun position, but some allow straddles from the button and other positions. 

There are even poker rooms that allow for double and triple straddles, or more. For example, if the under-the-gun players straddles for $6, the player on the direct left can double straddle for $12, and this can escalate even further before the cards are even dealt.

Check out this hand from Poker Night in America that sees Upswing Poker’s Ryan Fee put out a quadruple straddle in a live cash game (note that the video is easier to follow with commentary on):

Why Straddling in Poker is Generally a Bad Idea

When a player straddles, their overall expected value (EV) in that particular hand goes down.

This happens because you’re putting in a blind bet with an unknown hand, which goes completely against the principles of a winning poker strategy. Hand selection is crucial in poker, especially from the early positions like under the gun.

At many casinos, the straddle is only permitted from under the gun, the position which normally requires the tightest hand selection for a winning strategy. You generally don’t want to put out an under-the-gun straddle and look down at hands like 7 2 or J 3.

Because most hands in No Limit Hold’em should be folded preflop, blind raises are massively losing in the long run.

Straddling and getting aces is great, but most of the time you’ll get a hand like this instead.

Straddled hands also cut stacks in half, in terms of number of big blinds. For example, $300 in a $1/$3 game is 100 big blinds, but goes down to 50 big blinds when a $6 straddle is put out. The $6 straddle effectively acts as the big blind, turning the game into a $1/$3/$6 game.

Playing with a 50 big blind stack brings in an entirely new strategy for starting hands and postflop play, and can lead to difficult spots at the poker table.

When Can Straddling Be a Good Idea?

The straddle is not a play to be recklessly applied, and it’s perfectly fine to never initiate a straddle. In the following cases, however, straddling could have benefits.

1. If you’re playing at a loose passive table. Straddling could be a profitable move if you have several opponents that are prone to calling loose preflop, then folding to aggression postflop. With this table dynamic, you could use the straddle to build big preflop pot, then take advantage of passive opponents with aggressive postflop bets.

The downside to multiway straddled pots, however, is that you’ll have to put in big bets postflop, as the preflop pot is already massive. This strategy is not for the weak at heart.

2. If everyone is straddling. If you sit down at a table and everyone is straddling, in turn around the table, it might be best to go ahead and straddle when it’s your turn.

The upside is that this means you’re playing at a juicy, action-filled table, with plenty of opportunities to win money. The downside is that a game like this might put you out of your element if you’re not used to it.

3. If everyone is a nit. At a very tight table, your straddle might be the catalyst that gets the action going. If anything, perhaps you can gain an edge by pushing nitty players out of their element. That said, this can sometimes backfire as straddles have been known to make some players play even tighter.

Be warned though: never straddling is much better than doing it too often.

How Does a Poker Straddle Affect the Game Dynamic?

Many players straddle in poker in an effort to get more action at the table. In reality, however, frequent straddling makes for a tighter overall table dynamic.

The straddle, by nature, pushes players out of their comfort zones, particularly those not used to the play. Even players with extensive online experience can be rattled by a straddle in poker, as the move is almost exclusive to live cash games.

With a straddle in play, many players will fold marginal to decent hands like lower pocket pairs and suited connectors. Playing behind a straddle takes these hands out of a raise first in (RFI) range and into a calling or three-betting range. 

Button Straddles & Mississippi Straddles

Some poker rooms allow players to straddle from the button, and others allow players to straddle from any position. The latter is known as a Mississippi Straddle.

These types of straddles change the way preflop action works.

For example, let’s say the button put out a $6 straddle in this $1/$3 game. Depending on the house rules, preflop action will either start with the under-the-gun player or the small blind (on the button’s direct left). That first player would have the option of calling for $6, raising, or folding. The action would proceed around the table, but skip the button player if no raise was made. 

Continuing the example, suppose that the under-the-gun player calls the $6 after the cards are dealt. The action folds to the player in the cutoff, who calls as well. In this scenario, the action would skip the button, moving from the cutoff to the small blind. If neither of the blinds raised, the button would then act last, with the option of checking or raising the $6 bet.

If a player in front of the button straddler raises, then the button player resumes his/her normal position in the betting round, with the option of calling the raise, re-raising, or folding.

Final Thoughts

The straddle can be a daunting concept in which to develop a strategy against, but it’s a big part of the live poker experience. In general it’s best to never initiate a straddle, but know how it works when other players do it.

To learn about how to adjust your strategy when there’s a straddle in play, read one (or both) of these articles:

• How to Win When Your Opponent Straddles (3 Crucial Tips)
• The Professional Approach to Straddled and Three-Blind Pots

And if you want to learn all about a less common type of straddle you may have come across before, check out What is a Button Straddle & Should You Ever Do It?

The post What is a Poker Straddle? And Should You Ever Straddle? appeared first on Upswing Poker.

The straight flush marks the second-best possible hand according to the standard poker hand rankings. Only a royal flush outranks the straight flush in terms of 5-card poker hands.

Whether you’re playing Texas Hold’em, Omaha, or another poker variant, a straight flush is hard to make. Let’s dive into some poker probabilities and take a look at just how rare of an occurrence a straight flush is in a poker game.

What is a Straight Flush?

A straight flush is a five-card poker hand that includes both a straight and a flush. The only way to make a straight flush is to put together five cards of the same suit, with those five cards also ranking in sequential order (such as they do when you make a straight).

Examples of a straight flush include the following:

• K Q J T 9
• 7 6 5 4 3
• T 9 8 7 6
• 5 4 3 2 A

The highest possible straight flush is the ace-high version (A K Q J T), and that specific hand is called a royal flush.

While the royal flush beats any other hand in the poker hand rankings, the straight flush beats four-of-a-kind, a full house, three-of-a-kind, and any other made hand.

In the case of two straight flushes going head-to-head, the high straight flush (the hand with the strongest high card) wins. For example, K Q J T 9 would beat J T 9 8 7.

The player with J T 9 8 7 would meet a case of almost unfathomable bad luck in that scenario. That’s because making any variety of straight flush is a monumental task in a game of poker.

Straight Flush Odds

The poker probability of drawing a straight flush varies depending on the poker variant you’re playing.

Before we dive into that, let’s first take a look at the odds of randomly making a straight flush when drawing five cards out of a 52-card deck.

From the regulation 52-card deck, there are nine distinct ways to make a straight flush (not counting the royal flush). For example, 5 4 3 2 A and 5 4 3 2 A are the same distinct hand, but with different suits (hearts and spades).

Each distinct straight flush comes in four suits, so the total number of ways to draw a straight flush is 36.

The total number of distinct hands you can draw from a 52-card deck is 2,598,960. We can calculate the poker probability of making a straight flush as (36/2,598,960).

That calculation equates to an 0.00139% chance of making a straight flush from five random cards, or 72,192-to-1 odds against. Let’s compare that to the odds of making other hands in the poker hand rankings:

• Royal Flush – 0.000154% (649,739-to-1 odds against)
• Straight Flush – 0.00139% (72,192-to-1)
• Four of a Kind – 0.02401% (4,164-to-1)
• Full House – 0.1441% (693-to-1)
• Flush – 0.1965% (509-to-1)
• Straight – 0.3925% (254-to-1)
• Three of a Kind – 2.1128% (46-to-1)
• Two Pair – 4.7539% (20-to-1)
• One Pair Hand – 42.2569% (1.37-to-1)
• High Card/No Pair – 50.1177% (roughly 1-to-1)

Straight Flush Odds in Texas Hold’em

In Texas Hold’em, the poker player is tasked with making the best possible 5-card poker hand out of seven total cards. You can use all possible card combinations from two hole cards and five community cards.

Texas Hold’em rules make it slightly more probable that you’ll make a straight flush.

Using any combination of your starting hand and the community cards, you have an 0.0279% chance of making a straight flush in Texas Hold’em. This translates as 3,590-to-1 odds against.

Playing a solid preflop strategy with suited connectors gives you the best chance of making a straight flush.

Any flop that gives you a straight flush possibility also yields straight draws and flush draws. While a straight flush is one of the strongest hands in poker, making a flush hand or a straight often gives you the best hand as well.

Here’s a look at how straight flush poker probabilities stack up against other hands in Texas Hold’em:

• Royal Flush – 0.0032% (30,939-to-1 odds against)
• Straight Flush – 0.0279% (3,590-to-1)
• Four of a Kind – 0.168% (594-to-1)
• Full House – 2.6% (37.5-to-1)
• Flush – 3.03% (32-to-1)
• Straight – 4.62% (21-to-1)
• Three of a Kind – 4.83% (20-to-1)
• Two Pair – 23.5% (3.25-to-1)
• One Pair Hand – 43.8% (1.3-to-1)
• High Card/No Pair – 17.4% (4.75-to-1)

Note that with the exception of high card/no pair hands, all made hands in the poker hand rankings happen more often in Texas Hold’em, or any poker variant that involves making the best five-card poker hand out of seven total cards.

If you play online poker, you’ll see straight flushes occur much more frequently than the slower-paced live version of poker. Whether it’s live or online poker, however, a straight flush is a significantly rare occurrence.

The post What Are The Odds of a Straight Flush? appeared first on Upswing Poker.

Let’s take a look at how to play some of the most popular forms of poker.

Texas Hold’em

The most popular poker game in the world, Texas Hold’em is played at virtually every casino poker room on the planet. Prestigious tournaments like the World Series of Poker Main Event feature Texas Hold’em.

Texas Hold’em is a card game played with community cards, and a betting structure with blinds and a button. A game of Texas Hold’em poker involves four betting rounds, known as preflop, flop, turn, and river.

Preflop

Each round of Texas Hold’em begins with players in the small blind and big blind positions posting mandatory bets. These positions rotate clockwise around the table, moving one player to the left after each hand.

Every player receives two hole cards from the dealer, administered one at a time and beginning with the player in the small blind. Once all players have two hole cards, the preflop betting round begins.

Hole cards are private to each player and remain hidden until the end of the hand. 

The preflop round begins with the player to the immediate left of the big blind, and that player has the option to either call (match the big blind amount), raise (increase the amount of the active bet), or fold (discard their hand without putting any money in the pot).

The position that begins the preflop action is known as the “under the gun” position. Once this player acts, the next player to the immediate left then has the option to call, raise, or fold.

This progression moves clockwise around the table until every player has the option to act. If a player raises, any player that calls after that must match the amount of the active raise.

Once all players have either folded or called the last active raise, all remaining players move on to the flop betting round.

Flop

Once all preflop betting is complete, the dealer puts the first three of five community cards on the board. These three cards are known as the “flop” and can be used by all active players.

The flop betting round begins with the small blind if they’re still in the hand. If the small blind player folded preflop, the flop round starts with the next active player to the left of the small blind.

The first-to-act player gets the option to either check (put no money in the pot and pass the action to the next player), or bet. After that, the action proceeds to the next player to the left.

That player can either call or raise the bet from the first-to-act player. If the first-to-act player checks, the next player to act can also check.

The flop betting round proceeds until all players have the chance to either bet, raise, or call the last active raise. All players can also check if nobody bets.

Texas Hold’em allows players to use any combination of hole cards and community cards to make the best hand.

Turn

When the flop betting round is complete, the dealer puts out a fourth community card, known as the “turn,” or “fourth street.”

The turn betting round proceeds the same way as the previous round. The first-to-act player (again the small blind or nearest remaining player on the left) starts with the option of betting or checking.

All other players can then call or raise if the first-to-act player bets. If the first-to-act player checks, other players also have the option to check, until someone bets.

River

After the turn, the dealer puts out the fifth and final community card. Known as the “river,” or “fifth street,” this card proceeds the final round of betting.

The river betting round plays out with the same rules as the flop and the turn. When all players complete their turn (either calling the last active raise, or checking if that’s an option), the players remaining in the hand turn their hole cards face up. 

This action is known as the showdown. The player with the best five-card poker hand, using any combination of hole cards and community cards, wins. 

As with most of the games on this list, the best poker hand is determined by the standard poker hand rankings. 

Betting Structure

Texas Hold’em can be played with a no-limit, pot-limit, or fixed-limit betting structure. For more on how the rules differ for each structure, check out Upswing Poker’s guide to betting rules. 

Omaha

Like Texas Hold’em, Omaha involves hole cards, community cards, and blinds. 

Unlike a Texas Hold’em poker game, however, each player in a game of Omaha receives four hole cards. Players must make the best five-card poker hand using exactly three hole cards and two community cards.

The requirement to use exactly two hole cards to make the best poker hand differs from Texas Hold’em, which allows poker players to use any combination of hole cards and community cards.

Pot-Limit Omaha (Omaha played with pot-limit betting rules) is the world’s second-most-popular way to play poker. Omaha can also be played with a fixed-limit betting structure, or as a split-pot game.

Omaha requires players to use exactly two hole cards and three community cards to make the best possible five-card hand.

The split-pot version of Omaha is known as Omaha Hi-Lo, Omaha Eight or Better, or Omaha 8. Split-pot games award half of the pot to the best high hand, and half to the best low hand. Omaha poker games that play with just the highest hands winning are known as Omaha High or Omaha Hi.

All formats of Omaha use the same order of operations as Texas Hold’em. Each hand starts with a preflop betting round, followed by the flop, turn, and river.

Pot-Limit Omaha (aka PLO) is one of the world’s most popular poker games, particularly in cash game format.

Stud

Stud poker games differ significantly from community card games like Texas Hold’em and Omaha. 

All players in a Stud game receive their own set of cards, with some cards face down and some face up. The gameplay doesn’t involve blinds, as each betting round begins with a particular player obligated to post a “bring-in” based on their face-up card.

Seven Card Stud is the world’s most popular Stud game. All players receive a starting hand with two down cards, and one face-up card. The face-up card is known as the door card in a Stud poker game.

The player with the lowest-ranking door card must post the bring-in, a small bet that’s generally less than the size of a full bet. The first-to-act player can also open the action with a full bet if they wish.

Players begin with one upcard and two downcards in Stud games.

Stud Betting Rules

Stud is virtually always played as a limit game. For example, in a $5/$10 Stud game, the bring-in might be $2. 

After the bring-in, the next player on the immediate left has the option to complete, raising to $5. The action moves around the table clockwise, with each player getting the chance to either call the $5 or raise.

In limit poker games, a raise can only be made in the same increment as the limit in play. For instance, if you want to raise against a $5 bet, you must raise to $10.

The maximum number of bets in any betting round is four. In a $5/$10 game, the maximum possible bet is $20 in the first two betting rounds. 

Beginning with the third betting round, the bet increment would increase to $10 in a $5/$10 game. The $10 stands as the “big bet” at those limits, and the maximum possible bet is $40 in the final three betting rounds.

Seven Card Stud Gameplay

When all players have received the opportunity to raise, call, or fold in the opening betting round, the dealer gives each live player another face-up card. Known as “fourth street,”, this card begins another betting round.

The action proceeds the same way as the previous round, with the player that has the best hand showing (upcards) being first to act. 

In a $5/$10 game, the first-to-act player would have the option to either check, or bet $5. If any player has a pair showing, the maximum bet option goes up to the big bet size ($10).

After fourth street, another face-up card is dealt to all remaining players. That round is known as “fifth street,”, and is followed by another upcard betting round known as “sixth street.”

The final betting round, “seventh street,” sees each remaining player dealt a face-down card. After that round, the player with the best five-card hand wins.

Stud can also be played as a split-pot game, with the lowest hand splitting the pot with the highest hand.

Five Card Stud, another format of the game, begins with each player getting one downcard and one door card. A full hand of Five Card Stud involves two more face-up cards, followed by another downcard in the final betting round.

Razz

Razz is a version of Seven Card Stud played with lowball rules. In other words, the object in a game of Razz is to make the lowest hand possible.

The ace represents the lowest card possible in Razz and does not function as a high card as it does in other poker games. Straights and flushes don’t count in Razz.

The object of Razz is to make the best possible five-card low hand.

The wheel (A-2-3-4-5) marks the lowest possible five-card poker hand in Razz. The bring-in is determined by the highest card showing on the board.

Other than the lowball rules, Razz plays the same way as Seven Card Stud. At the end of each hand, the player with the lowest hand wins the pot. 

Five Card Draw

Draw poker games allow players to discard any number of cards in their hand, and take new cards in an effort to make the best hand.

Five Card Draw is one of the oldest known poker variants and is still played in many home games around the world. Each hand begins with all players dealt five cards.

A betting round commences after the deal, after which each player gets the opportunity to discard certain cards and replace them with new cards from the deck. Players can discard up to five cards, or “stand pat,” keeping all of their cards.

Each player gets five private cards in Five Card Draw.

After the draw round, all remaining players engage in another betting round. At the end of that round, the player with the strongest five-card hand wins.

Five Card Draw can be played using a small blind/big blind structure, or with just antes from each player at the start of each hand. The game can be played with a no-limit, pot-limit, or fixed-limit betting structure.

Triple Draw

Triple Draw is essentially Five Card Draw, but played with three drawing rounds instead of one. Lowball versions of Triple Draw appear on the schedule at the World Series of Poker each year, inducing 2-7 Triple Draw.

A game of 2-7 Triple Draw requires players to make the best possible five-card low hand, under deuce-to-seven rules. 

Deuce-to-seven lowball games count the deuce as the lowest possible card, with the ace only counting as a high card. Straights count as high hands under deuce-to-seven rules, so the best possible hand in 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball is 7-5-4-3-2.

Triple Draw games begin with each player dealt five cards. The action proceeds with an opening betting round, followed by a draw round.

Triple Draw 2-7 Lowball tasks players with making the lowest hand possible under deuce-to-seven rules.

Unlike Five Card Draw, the action doesn’t end after the second betting round. Two more rounds of drawing and betting follow after that.

At the end of the final round of betting, the player with the best low hand wins. Triple Draw can also be played under high-hand rules.

Online poker sites that offer types of poker outside of No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha (such as PokerStars) often include Triple Draw as part of their mixed-game tables.

Badugi

Badugi is another form of lowball Triple Draw poker, but with a unique set of rules. Each player begins with four cards.

The object of the game is to make a lowball “Badugi,” which is four cards of all different suits. The ace plays as the low card in Badugi, and the best possible hand is 4-3-2-A with four different suits.

A-2-3-4 of four different suits is the best possible hand in Badugi.

Paired cards, or cards of the same suit in a hand, don’t count toward a Badugi. For example, 432A would only qualify as a three-card Badugi, with only the 3h-2s-Ac counting toward a qualifying Badugi.

Any four-card Badugi beats a three-card Badugi, and all three-card Badugis defeat a two-card Badugi. Badugi is played with the same betting progression as Triple Draw, with an opening betting round, followed by three more alternating drawing rounds and betting round.

At the end of the final betting round, the player with the lowest hand under Badugi rules wins the pot.

The post How to Play Various Poker Games appeared first on Upswing Poker.

This article will give you an overview of the most popular draw poker games, as well as some variations that you’ve probably never even heard of. To help you come out on top, strategic tips for certain game types are included as well.

Click to jump to a section:

• How to Play Draw Poker Step-by-Step
• Specific Draw Poker Games
  • Five Card Draw
  • Lowball Draw Poker
  • Deuce to Seven Lowball
  • Deuce to Seven Strategy
  • Badugi
  • Badeucey & Badacey
  • Archie
  • Drawmaha
• A Brief History of Draw Poker

What is Draw Poker?

Draw Poker refers to several common poker variants in which players can discard (remove cards from their hand) and draw new cards to try to make a stronger hand. Draw poker variants include Five-Card Draw, Triple Draw Lowball, and Badugi, among others.

How to Play Draw Poker Step-by-Step

There are many different types of draw poker games which each have unique rules. However, each of them begins like this:

Step 1: Post the Blinds
The player to the direct left of the dealer button posts the small blind and the next player to the left posts the big blind (which is 2x the size of the small blind).

Step 2: Deal Cards to Each Player
Each player at the table gets the same number of cards. In most, but not all draw poker games, you will start with five cards (see the game sections below for variations).

Step 3: Betting Round
The player to the direct left of the big blind acts first — he can fold, call the size of the big blind, or raise. Action continues clockwise until the final player folds or calls.

Step 4: Draw Cards
Starting with the small blind, each player selects which cards (if any) they would like to discard. Then, each player gets replacement card(s) for each card they discarded.

Step 5: Second Betting Round
The small blind now acts first — he can check or bet. Action continues clockwise until the final player folds or calls.

Some draw poker games feature three draws, in which case step 4 and 5 are repeated two times. Regardless of the game type, the final step is…

Final Step: Showdown
Each player who has not folded shows their hand. The pot is then rewarded to the player with the best hand according to the hand rankings of that game type — most games use the traditional rankings of poker hands.

Draw poker games can be played as limit (with fixed bet sizings), pot-limit (where you can bet up to the size of the current pot) or no-limit (where you can bet any amount up to your current stack). For more information on each of these betting formats, as well as a more detailed look at how betting rounds work, take a look at this article on betting rules.

Now, let’s get more specific.

Note: Want to Challenge (and Improve) Your Poker Skills for Free? Take a Poker Quiz >

Specific Draw Poker Games

Before Rounders, any movie with a poker scene had the stereotypical five card draw setup:

A bunch of old dudes sitting around a card table, chain smoking cigars and telling the dealer “I’ll take two.” Then, statistically unlikely things happen, like a straight flush beating four-of-a-kind.  Also Mel Gibson might be there. 

The point is, pretty much everyone kind of knows the rules to five card draw because it’s a very simple game. Let me quickly refresh your memory, then we’ll move into other draw poker game types.

Five Card Draw

Everyone gets five cards with two players posting the small blind and the big blind.

There’s a round of betting after the initial deal, then everyone discards however many cards they want (starting with the small blind and moving clockwise).

Each player gets replacement cards. Then there’s another round of betting.

Finally, each player who hasn’t folded goes to showdown and the best five card poker hand wins (using traditional poker hand rankings).

That’s it. It’s super simple, which is why it’s great in movies.

Why I’m Not Going to Write About Five Card Draw Strategy

I’m going to explain the basic strategy you should use for some of the game types that follow, but not five card draw because…

Basically no one plays this game anymore. Why?

Modern day poker players like lots of action. They like lots of swings. Betting and raising and check-raising. Snowing (we’ll get to that). It’s hard to do any of that in five card draw.

If you’ve played five card draw, you already know this: it’s really hard to improve your hand, so generally whatever you get dealt is what you’re going to have.

That’s boring. You’re probably bored with this explanation.

The more popular forms of draw poker in 2020 are “lowball” games.

Lowball Draw Poker

Lowball is just inverting the normal poker rankings so that the “worst” hand wins.

There are two major versions of lowball hand rankings:

• Ace to five (aka California Lowball)
  Aces are low under these hand rankings, and straights and flushes don’t count against you. The best possible hand in ace to five lowball is A-2-3-4-5.
• Deuce to seven (aka Kansas City Lowball). 
  Aces are high and straights and flushes do count against you. In other words, deuce to seven rankings are the exact inversion of traditional hand rankings. The best possible hand in deuce to seven lowball is 2-3-4-5-7.

From here, the world is your oyster. The number of variants of lowball will blow your mind. Here are the most popular draw games currently played in casinos and mix games around the world.

Deuce to Seven Lowball

Commonly referred to as just “deuce.”

This is the preeminent draw game. It’s almost impossible to find a limit mix game that doesn’t include this game in some fashion. It’s super straightforward, action-heavy and very complex while also being the most accessible game in most mixes.

There are two general ways to play:

• Limit Deuce to Seven Triple Draw: Three draws with a limit betting structure.
• No Limit Deuce to Seven Single Draw: One draw with a No Limit betting structure.

The No Limit version has the reputation of being one of the most skill intensive games in the history of poker. There’s very little to it, but massive amounts of money tend to exchange hands over games of deuce.

Deuce to Seven Lowball Strategy

To get you started, here are a few basic strategy tips on deuce.

Tip 1: Deuces are Powerful

If it’s in the name of the game, it’s usually pretty good. Having a deuce in your opening hand is incredibly important, since the best hand you can make without having a deuce is 86543, which is the 9th best possible hand. So if you want to be able to make some real money, make sure you don’t start without a deuce.

Tip 2: Straight Draws Suck

Starting with four low cards in a row like 2-3-4-5 may look really strong, but since catching a 6 will give you a straight, you are actually going to brick a lot of draws with this hand. 2-3-4-5 is still very playable, but don’t make the mistake of thinking this hand is the best draw possible.

Side note: 2-3-4-7 is actually the best draw you can have, because catching a 5 or a 6 will give you the best or second best possible hands, respectively.

Tip 3: The Person Who Draws the Fewest Cards Drives the Action

If there are draws left, any deuce player worth their salt will check to the person who drew fewer cards than everyone else. They don’t even need to look at their hand, because they know they’re a favorite to still be ahead. Basically all game dynamics stem from this basic concept.

Tip 4: Blockers are Super Important!

Over the course of the hand, if you’ve discarded multiple of a card that might be important (like starting with a hand of 22257) then you can make assumptions about what kinds of hands your opponents have.

Any premium hand should have a deuce in it. So if you have three of the deuces and you’re up against two opponents, for example, you know for sure that one of them is starting with a pretty bad holding.

If you see enough key cards, you can make an expert maneuver called a “snow.” A snow is deciding to turn your draw into a bluff by drawing zero cards (called “standing pat”), then you take aggressive actions to represent a strong hand, hoping to force your opponent(s) to fold. This is a good way of incorporating bluffs into your draw poker game.

Badugi

Badugi only appeared since poker became big, but it has taken the mixed game community by storm. It’s the basis for several split pot draw games, so you’ll have to know the basic rules in order to keep up.

The first difference you’ll notice about this low-hand-wins game: you only get four cards.

Also, suits matter. Your goal is not just to avoid a flush — if you have even two cards of the same suit in your hand, the highest of those two cards doesn’t count.

The best hand is A-2-3-4 with each card being different suits.

But, for example, if you have A-2-3-4 (notice that the ace and deuce are the same suits), you only have a three card hand of A-3-4. This is still a decent hand, since it’s pretty difficult to make a hand with four different suits (called a badugi). Just know that even terrible badugis, like K-Q-J-9, will beat you.

The game is typically played with a limit betting structure and three draws, but there have been rare places that will try playing it pot-limit with three draws.

Now that you know the basic rules of badugi, you’ve unlocked two of the hottest games in draw poker these days.

Badeucey & Badacey

(Some may spell these game type names differently. They’re wrong. Don’t @ me.)

These are triple draw split pot draw games (say that five times fast) where half the pot goes to the best badugi hand and half the pot goes to the best five card hand.

The difference between Badeucey and Badacey lies in the five card hand part of the rules:

• Badeucey uses deuce to seven lowball hand rankings.
• Badacey uses ace to five lowball hand rankings.

These games became very popular in the last decade and most mixed games contain one or both of them. Mix players like these games because, though they seem as simple as the straight deuce or ace-5 games they come from, they’re much more complex after adding badugi as a factor. The unique rules make it so you cannot simply play the same hands in the same way and expect to do well.

Badeucey & Badacey Strategy

By far the most important factor in these games is having the best badugi. It’s much harder to make a strong badugi than it is a strong five card hand, though having the extra card helps a great deal.

If you were to have a hand like 2-3-4-7 in a regular deuce game, you’re very happy. In this game, the three spades mean you have a garbage hand.

There are rare instances where this isn’t the case, but unless you get dealt a monster, like a strong pat hand with only two suits, it behooves you to bite the bullet and try to make the badugi first. Otherwise it’ll be very hard to win more than half of the pot.

Archie

Find Jughead, because we’re about to play some Archie.

Archie only came about in the last few years. It’s only really popular in Phoenix and Vegas, but it’s a high action game that plays great with a full table.

The big draw to Archie is that it’s played hi/lo, meaning the best high hand splits the pot with the best low hand. The crazy part is that both hands have to “qualify” in order to have a chance to win.

For the high hand, Vegas usually plays with a pair of sixes qualifier and Phoenix requires nines or better to win. So if your high hand is a pair of fives, you have no chance of winning half of the pot (even if that pair of fives is the best high hand at showdown).

For the low hand, the qualifier is an eight-low or better. So if your low hand is 9-7-5-3-2, you have no chance of winning half of the pot (even if you have the lowest hand at showdown).

Archie is played limit with three draws.

Archie Strategy

Low straights are what you’re looking to make, since it’s nearly impossible to get scooped by only one opponent if you make a low straight.

Also, make sure you know which rules you’re playing, because the difference between Vegas and Pheonix rules are significant.

Drawmaha

Lastly, the newest game on this list.

Drawmaha came about only in the last few years and originated in crazy party games. Nowadays it is played in mid and high stakes games online and live.

The game has a few variants but the base game is played with one draw and is a split pot game. It’s like a mixture of Omaha (with flop-turn-river community cards) and five card draw (with one draw).

Half the pot goes to the best five card draw hand and half the pot goes to the best five card Omaha hand. The one draw takes place after flop action is complete.

So the step-by-step way to play this game is:

Step 1: Preflop/pre-draw betting round.

Step 2: The flop is dealt and there is another round of betting.

Step 3: Each player draws as many cards as they want.

Step 4: The turn is dealt and there is another round of betting.

Step 5: The river is dealt and there is a final round of betting.

Step 6: Each player who hasn’t folded shows their hand.

At showdown, the person with the best five card draw hand gets half of the pot. The other half of the pot goes to the person with the best Omaha hand using two of their hole cards and three of the community cards.

Dramaha Strategy

Drawmaha is slightly more intricate than it looks, but for the most part you’re looking to start (or make) the best five card draw hand.

Because you only get one draw, it’s very hard to improve your hand. A strong two pair or dealt trips is going to be a big winner most of the time.

A typical hand might be AAJ82 with the AJ of diamonds. On a flop of QT3 with two diamonds, you can draw the 8 and 2, which lets you keep your flush draw and still have a good chance of making two pair or trips in your five card hand while mostly maximizing your chances of making a strong Omaha hand.

A Brief History of Draw Poker

Draw poker’s history is quite fascinating. The game dates back to the Middle Ages, but its popularity spiked when it was brought to the American West, where Five Card Draw became a staple of the era and was synonymous with tough outlaws who prided themselves on their poker-playing prowess.

Initially, Five Card Draw was played with 20 cards—tens to aces in each suit—with no draw, despite its name. Obviously, this limited the hands players could make. Then, during the 1820s, players began playing Five Card Draw with a full deck of cards. Not only did this increase the types of potential hands to include straights and flushes, it also allowed for more players in a hand. And, of course, the “draw” aspect of the game was born.

Draw poker’s essential feature lies in the fact that each player receives what could be a complete hand before any betting begins. The game then progresses as players discard and replace (“draw”) cards and additional betting ensues. The betting structure—whether there are antes and/or blinds—as well as betting limits vary depending on the game’s location, players, and host.

With increased popularity, Five Card Draw migrated to American gambling staples such as New Orleans and onto Mississippi riverboats. During the Civil War, Five Card Draw was popular with soldiers in both the North and South.

However, with the advent of other poker games such as Seven Card Stud, Five Card Draw began to wane in popularity. While it hasn’t regained its former limelight, Five Card Draw continues to be played on video poker machines, some online sites, and at some home games.

What is your favorite draw poker game?

Let us know in the comments below!

Until next time.

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• Mixed Games & 8-Game Poker Guide–HORSE and 8-Game Rules
• The 49 Most Valuable Poker Strategy Articles for 2018

The post How to Play Draw Poker Games appeared first on Upswing Poker.

The positions in a heads-up poker game might be different than they are in a game with three or more players. Other than that, however, the rules for a poker game are the same, whether there are two players or more.

Can You Play Poker With Two Players?

Texas Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, and every other poker variant can be played with two players. In Texas Hold’em, the dealer button is always with the player in the small blind. 

The dealer/small blind player acts first preflop, but the big blind player goes first in all post-flop betting rounds. Heads-up play marks the only form of Texas Hold’em where the small blind is “in position” against the big blind.

How Many Players Can You Play Poker With?

Most Texas Hold’em games in a casino involve up to nine players seated at a table. Some poker rooms accommodate ten players at a table, especially during major multi-table tournaments.

The more cards dealt to each player, the lower the number of maximum players allowed in a game. A game like Seven Card Stud, for example, generally can’t seat more than eight players, with only 52 cards in the deck.

Can You Play Poker Alone?

You need at least two players to play poker in its traditional form. Casino games like video poker, Casino Hold’em, and other poker offshoots are designed for one player, but these games technically don’t fall under the banner of true poker.

Poker, at its core, is meant for two or more players to compete against each other. This makes poker different from any other casino game, all of which pit players against the house.

The post Can You Play Poker with Just Two Players? appeared first on Upswing Poker.