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One of the most popular casino poker games, five-card draw poker is by far the easiest one for a beginner. It usually begins with two players standing on the left-hand side of the dealer and betting a predetermined amount of money, which is called “posting the blinds”. The dealer shuffles the cards and gives two cards, one face up and the other face down, to each player.

The person who has lowest up poker card places the bet first. The other player either calls, raises or folds the game. A third card is given out, face up, and all players have to bet, at the end of which the dealer discards the topmost card of the deck to avoid cheating. This continues until the time the players have revealed their cards and made a ‘call’ (called a ‘showdown’). The player with the best hand wins. At times, players have equal hands, in which case they share the winnings.

Strategies

The strategy in five-card casino poker revolves around bidding with high cards and pairs. Here are some points to keep in mind:

1. In no case should you play straights and flushes unless you have three cards for a straight flush.
2. Carefully observe how others play (you pick up winning strategies this way).
3. Do not start betting without having at least one live card that beats the board.
4. Avoid losing the bet by folding right at the beginning, if you do not have a minimum of one pair in the first three cards.
5. Always fold when you are beaten on the board and have no good draw to the best hand. 
6. Keep a tab on the folded cards so you know which cards are alive.  This requires some concentration!
7. Watch out for the paired door card, which often indicates trips.
8. Get caught occasionally while bluffing, so that your moves don’t become predictable.