five card draw - roll your own

A game we played much of last week and expect to again tonight. Most of the players that play usually choose pot limit hold'em, but last week this game was introduced. Five card draw, no joker, seven betting rounds. You could play any limits you like but here are the bet sizes we used. .50 max before the draw, .50 max after the draw. Then you arrange them into any order you want and put them face down on the table. At the same time everyone flips over the first card and there is a betting round of .50 max, then the second card .50 max, third card 1.00 max, the fourth card 1.00 and the fifth card is pot limit.


Seemed like all the players in my game bluffed their flushes almost every time. Lots of straight bluffs. The crazy thing was that the big bluffs on the end seemed to win many pots. Especially since there was often already 13.00+ units in the pot, I found that when I bet the pot on the end most would fold and many times it was a pure bluff, but they would almost never bluff and bet pot or raise on a bluff. If you have some serious gamblers in your home game and have never played this, give it a try. The action if very good and the pots are way bigger than in hold’em. Players are bluffing so much it is almost impossible to lose, especially since I bluff only 1/4 or less than they do. The implied odd with this game are so huge, that you can draw to almost ANYTHING and it would be correct. If you are not familiar with the basics of draw, you should learn as much as you can and start dealing it. After reading Caro’s advice on draw, my game improved a ton. If you play well, you already have a very good idea what the others have, you just get five extra betting rounds to punish them . . . severely. The basic hand reading that takes place in draw poker gives you a very big advantage in knowing if you can win with a bluff or you have to show down a hand.


Some players will always show you a pair in the first two cards if that is all they have and other will show you rags until the last two cards. Some will only play the ace as their last card if they made a flush, but will show it first or second if they are bluffing that they have the flush. Some fun reading that you can do in this game. If you have played it, let me know of any ways to improve.

you want fun, try this--make that game hi/low declare with straights and flushes allowed to scoop.

when's teh declare? - after the 1st postflop betting round?

Might try this one at my home game.


G

The way we used to play it is that the declare is done after the 4th card has been turned up.

so, you deal 5 to all. small bet.

draw, then order your cards and everyone turn their first one face up. small bet.

2nd card up. small bet.

3rd card up. big bet.

4th card up. big bet.

declare. big bet.

show 'em.

We started this way, however there was no real way to bluff here. By the time you get to the last card, the pot is so big that not calling one big bet at the end would be almost stupid. We made it pot limit on the last card for this reason alone, balls or BB's!

One answer that we came up with:


5-draw, get extra card for free (up to 5 cards if you kept the ace). Only roll 4 cards.


Another favorite of the "crazy game" group I'm in, a drawn-out 5 stud game (that becomes 6 stud)


5-stud. Then, first get an option to aquire a card (pay extra for it face down). Next option, replace a card (again, pay extra to exchange a down card). You end up with 6 cards, maybe 2 down.