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5 Card Draw And Draw Variations

By Deanna Couras Goodson

Everyone loves the classic poker sensation of 5 Card Draw but if you’ve never played a variation of it, then you don’t know what you’re missing. You may believe that 5 Card Draw is pretty simple and maybe it is until you throw in a few curves that is.

If you’ve ever played 5 Card Stud before then you should be familiar with the deal process, each player gets five cards face down right and then the betting begins, sometimes that’s true. It just depends on what variation you choose to play.

Some variations include the following:

Bet or Drop

Jack’s or Better

Progressive Jack’s or Better

Cold Hand

Let’s start with a quick run through of “Bet or Drop”. Instead of every player putting a bet before the cards are dealt, betting actually begins in the first deal and continues after each of the five cards, until the last one is dealt. That’s pretty much why it’s called “Bet or Drop” and the pot can build up to a healthy size if everyone continues to bet throughout the game.

Jack’s or Better, this is a game that requires a little bit before you bet. To open a round of betting you must have either a Jack or better in your hand to bet, if you don’t have a Jack or better, you simply don’t bet. The bet is passed around the table until a player has a Jack or better.

What’s even more fun than playing “Jack’s or Better”? “Progressive Jacks or Better”, for sure. This variation can get confusing because not only must you have a Jack or better to begin betting, the next round you should have a Queen or better and you must bet more than before. You guessed it, the next hand requires a King, than an Ace, and then you work your way down in reverse! This game can take forever and you either win big or lose big, hardly ever a mixture.

Playing Cold Hands is fun for quick games. Every player will place one bet before the “Cold Hand” is dealt. Five cards will be dealt face up in front of each player and the player with the best poker hand wins the pot. Basic poker hand rules apply.

No matter what you’re accustomed to, 5 Card Draw variations are easy to learn and pass on. The next time you have a card game, throw some new mixes on your buddies to see who the real pro in the group is, have fun and enjoy these games.

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