HOW TO WIN AT FIVE CARD DRAW POKER ONLINE
Introduction
Straight draw poker is the oldest poker game in the world and this book will show you a strategy for playing, a strategy which, the author has used to win more than $2,000 online. Much of this book is made up of charts, ten charts in total, and all you have to do is follow the charts while playing. The strategy is best to use in low-limit draw poker games on the Internet. If you are new to playing poker, you should search online to learn how to play first, because this book assumes that you already know.
Draw poker is easy to learn and play, but once you ask the question, “what do I open with?” and then, “what hand should I raise on before the draw?” the complexity of this game emerges. However, this book will show you in charts exactly what to open with before the draw, what to call with, raise with, and how to handle virtually any situation after the draw. This book presents a simple way to play without complex mathematics. You should be able to get used to the game by following the charts while you play and perhaps win a little money in low-limit games. As you get more experienced and vary your strategy depending on how the others play, then you may be able to win at higher limits.
The tables in this book were computed especially for $1/2 draw poker using Norman Zadeh’s Winning Poker Systems, which was published in 1974. My charts are approximations only. That means they are not 100 per cent accurate. However, it is still possible to win. Although winning is not guaranteed, your chances of winning may be increased if you follow the strategy set forth. My strategy has not been tested at fixed limits of $3/6 of higher, but it may be possible to win at higher limits with my strategy.
This book is divided into three parts. The first part covers strategy for the first round, the second part covers strategy in the final round, and the third part covers things like how to play against certain kinds of opponents, as well money management and heads-up play. The best way to use this book is to learn chart by chart. Start by just practicing opening, and once you can do it within seven seconds, then move to the next chart and so on, until you have mastered the whole strategy. You may practice learning the charts at play money tables but only for the purpose of becoming fast at using the charts – once you’re good enough, you can then continue at real money draw tables either at the $0.5/1 or $1/2 limit.
In order to understand the charts, you should become familiar with the following diagram which represents a full table of six players. Notice how the first player to act is labelled `5’ or 5th position, because there are five people left to act after him. If you are in first position, also called the small blind, you will be contributing 50 cents and if you are in position 0, then you will be contributing one dollar before cards are dealt.
Strategy for the First Round
Opening Requirements
Table 1: What to Open and Raise with
| ||
POSITION
|
OPEN
|
RAISE
|
5
|
QQ
|
AA
|
4
|
JJ
|
KK
|
3
|
99
|
QQ
|
2
|
66
|
99
|
1
|
A
|
22
|
To use the table, suppose you are in 5th seat and you have a pair of Queens; you should open with that hand (that is, bet $1), and the same if you have a pair of Kings; a pair of Jacks or worse you should fold; a pair of Aces or better, then you should open-raise (that is, bet $2). If you were in the 1st seat (the `small blind),’ you could open on a high card Ace and raise on a pair of Twos. In this situation, if you open with high card Ace, do no draw four cards, but instead keep the next highest card (such as a King) and draw three cards. Do not open with a kicker; for example, do not decide in 5th seat to open with a pair of jacks and then when you draw cards, to hold on to the Jacks with say Ace kicker. You want to end up with the best hand and if you are up against a lot of players it pays to draw three to your pair because you will be increasing your chances of drawing three-of-a-kind over keeping a pair with a kicker.
Table 1 applies only when no one has opened. If someone has already opened, then you should refer to Table 2 or Table 3 for calling, or table 4 if you have a hand that you could raise with against the opener.
Calling Requirements
Table 2: Calling against One Opponent who Opens (Bets) $1
| |||
Opener’s
|
Opener’s
|
Your Position
| |
Position
|
Worst Hand
|
5 TO 2
|
1 TO 0
|
2 pair
|
JJ22
|
101022
| |
AA
|
4422
|
3322
| |
KK
|
3322
|
AA
| |
5
|
QQ
|
AA
|
AA
|
4
|
JJ
|
KK
|
QQ
|
3
|
99
|
QQ
|
JJ
|
2
|
77
|
1010
|
1010
|
1
|
44
|
99
|
77
|
Q
|
33
|
22
| |
Table 2 is to be used when someone has already opened by betting $1. For example, look at the first column, Opener’s Position, and scroll down until you get to 5, you will see under Opener’s Worst Hand, that the person in 5th position should open with at least Queens; this means if you are in 4th position you can see that your minimum calling hand is a pair of Aces (Your Position 5 to 2). You should play like this until you know something about your opponents.
In order to gain more by Table 2, you should keep notes on your opponents and adjust your play accordingly. For instance, suppose that position 5 is a poor player and you have spotted her opening on a pair of Sevens – it would now be correct to call her with a pair of Tens. Essentially, this means the lower the hand the person opens with, the lower your calling hand can be. Unless you take notes on your opponents, you will be playing less than optimally.
Table 3: Calling against One Opponent who Opens (Raises) $2
| |||
Opener’s
|
Opener’s
|
Your Position
| |
Position
|
Worst Hand
|
5 TO 2
|
1 TO 0
|
2 pair
|
KK55
|
JJ33
| |
5
|
AA
|
8877
|
3322
|
4
|
KK
|
3322
|
3322
|
3
|
QQ
|
AA
|
AA
|
JJ
|
AA
|
KK
| |
2
|
99
|
QQ
|
QQ
|
77
|
JJ
|
1010
| |
1
|
44
|
99
|
88
|
Q
|
22
|
22
| |
Table 2 is for when the opener bets $1, but when the opener raises to $2 before the draw, use Table 3 instead. The entries are generally slightly higher than Table 2, for instance, if you are in 1st position and you figure the opener to have 2 pair, you would call with at least JJ33. The opener raised instead of betting and therefore it will cost you more to call, so you should have a slightly better hand to do so.
Special: Charts 2 and 3 should be followed as described above with one exception – if it turns out that there are two people ahead of you, you should increase calling requirements up one notch. Example: position 5 opens ($1) and position 4 calls and you have no notes on your opponents – you are in position 3 and it is your turn; in this case figure position 5 with Queens, ordinarily you would call with Aces but because a second person is in the pot ahead of you, minimum calling should now be 3322.
Raising Requirements
Table 4: Raising
| ||
Opener’s
|
Opener’s
|
Min. Raising
|
Position
|
Worst Hand
|
Hand
|
AA
|
KK22
| |
KK
|
101022
| |
5
|
QQ
|
101022
|
4
|
JJ
|
AA
|
3
|
99
|
KK
|
2
|
77
|
KK
|
1
|
44
|
JJ
|
J
|
44
| |
Table 4 shows what to hands to raise with before the draw. Suppose the opener is in position 5 and you know nothing about how he plays; he should open on QQ or better, so you should raise on 101022 or better. If he raises instead, and your notes tell you that he only ever raises on AA or less, then you should re-raise him with KK22 or better. If you are up against two or more opponents, increase the requirements by one notch, for example KK becomes AA.
Table 5: Calling against a Re-raiser
| ||
Your
|
Re-raisers Worst
|
Call On
|
position
|
Minimum Hand
| |
5
|
KK22
|
222
|
4
|
101022
|
JJ33
|
3
|
101022
|
JJ33
|
2
|
KK
|
AA
|
It sometimes happens before the draw that you raise and another player re-raises you. Suppose you are in 4th position and you raise with KK, but the girl in position 3 re-raises you – should you call? Table 5 is designed to answer this question: you should call her with at least JJ33.
Generally speaking, whatever the re-raiser’s hand is, call if you have one notch better – for example, she re-raises you on KK, then call with AA. This is because there will always be a lot of money in the pot and it will only cost you $1 to call, so you can call with weaker hands than if the pot had less money.
Strategy for the Final Round
Betting
Table 6: What Hands to Bet after the Draw
| |
No. Of Players
|
Minimum Betting Hand
|
3
|
AA22, KK22, or QQ22
|
2
|
Any 2 Pair
|
Table 6 applies to when two or three players are in the pot and they have each drawn three cards. When there are three players (including you), check unless you have made at least Queens up, in which case you should bet; if someone has already bet ahead of you, then please refer to Table 7. If there is just you and one player (two players), then you can generally bet if you make at least two pairs. However, there are times when it may be wiser to check your good hand especially if you have made three-of-a-kind or better and other times if the player you are up against tends to bet a lot or bluffs too much.
Calling
Table 7: What Hands to Call with after the Draw
| |
No. Of Players
|
Minimum Calling Hand
|
3
|
AA22
|
2
|
AA
|
Once again, Table 7 applies in situations when all the people have drawn three cards. If there are three players and one of them bets and it is your turn, you should only call if you have Aces up, otherwise you should fold. The entry for two players is a special case: if you want to keep things simple and minimise the amount of tables you use while playing, then simply use the entry above and only call a player who drew three cards with a pair of Aces or better after the draw. This is a very conservative strategy – a better system is detailed below on Tables 8 and 9.
Table 8: Calling Against One Opponent who drew Three Cards – 2 Bets in Pot
| |
Opponent’s Likely Hand
|
Call With
|
KK
|
3322
|
QQ
|
AA
|
JJ
|
AA
|
99
|
QQ
|
66
|
1010
|
22
|
77
|
Table 8 is superior to the entry for two players on Table 7 and should be used in contests where your single opponent draws three cards and you know from your notes the likely hand that he started with. Suppose you are in the Big Blind (position 0) and everyone folds, except the Small Blind (position 1) who calls. There is now $2 in the pot, you each draw three cards and he bets making $4 – or two big bets in the pot – should you call? Your notes indicate that he only ever calls from the small blind with at least 22; therefore you should call if you make at least a pair of Sevens. This strategy is good for protecting you from bluffers when you know very little about your opponent. However, if you know a lot about your opponent and have caught him bluffing many times in this situation, then you may be able to call him on less than a pair of sevens.
Another way to use Table 8 is if you know nothing about your opponent’s bluffing habits. Suppose she raises in 3rd position and bets after the draw, you know she should have raised with at least Queens, so to protect from bluffing you must call with at least Aces. Later, if you spot her opening or raising in that position with less than Queens, you can adjust accordingly.
Table 9: Calling Against One Opponent who drew Three Cards – 3 Bets in Pot
| |
Opponent’s Likely Hand
|
Call With
|
KK
|
3322
|
QQ
|
AA
|
JJ
|
KK
|
99
|
JJ
|
66
|
99
|
22
|
66
|
Note that the entries on Table 9 are generally less than Table 8 and that is because there is more money in the pot here (3 big bets of $6). When there is more money to win and your cost of calling is the same ($2), then you can call with slightly weaker hands.
Playing Against Four Flushes
Weak players often open with four cards of matching suits, like four diamonds and then they draw one card hoping to make the flush after the draw, and they will do the same with straights too. This is a bad play and you should never draw to open-ended four straights and four flushes unless you are in the big blind. You may, however also draw to a four flush in the follow condition: you are in the small blind and two players have opened for $1 each. Only draw to an open-ended straight, such as 4567 but not 4578 when in the big blind. Whenever you spot a player opening, betting, or raising in the wrong situation with a four straight or four flush, make a note of it, such “goes for four flush.” This is very important so that if you spot them drawing one card when you are up against them one-on-one, you will know that there’s a chance they could be drawing to a flush or straight, and you can adjust your strategy accordingly.
How to Play Against Hyper-aggressive Players
Against players who bet a lot, you simply should do more checking. For example, if you make two pair and he drew three cards just check and call.
How to Play Against Heavy Bluffers
Against `heavy’ bluffers – players who bluff way too much, you should simply make a note of the worst hands they bluff on after the draw and call with anything that can beat their bluff. Pay attention also to how much they are raising before the draw; if they raise every second round trying to steal the blinds you can be sure they are playing weak hands too much, so please note-take their worst opening hands and adjust your play accordingly. For example, a player raises every second round at a full table and at showdown against one other player you witness her final hand is 44; now you know that she likely opened with 44 so you can call against her with weaker hands post-draw.
How to Play Against Tight Players
Against players who fold too much and do not open enough before the draw, you should bluff more than usual. This is because the player is more likely to fold against your hopeless hand and you will make more money. The usual amount of time to bluff will be given below.
How to Play Against Tricky Opponents and How to Maximise your Chance of Winning
It is advised not to play against tricky opponents. Some players are more intent on showing how clever they are instead of winning. At the $1/2 tables and lower limits, there will be plenty of players who play so badly that you have a a better chance of beating them just by following the charts in this book and by taking notes than trying to play ‘tricky’ people.
Sometimes you may encounter a kind of tricky player who seems to play very erratically. He bluffs a lot, sometimes opens with a four-flush or a pair of sixes or a pair of queens, and he sometimes even raises on a pair of eights, he bets nothing after the draw and sometimes he shows three tens. This player is either very silly or very dangerous (or both!)– if you are a novice you should assume the worst: assume he is dangerous and move on. At higher limits, ($5/10), you may have no choice but to play against these kinds of players and beating them is beyond the scope of this book and the charts contained herein, but if you play according to the charts, adapt to your competition and take notes on them, and you improve your game further over many thousands of hands, you may become formidable at the $5/10 draw poker tables.
The easiest way to quickly maximise your chance of winning at any stakes is to play in loose games. Loose games are games where the players make lots of mistakes and call too much. In these games, you only have to follow the charts to win. If you take notes on them then you will win more often. Monitor the `looseness’ of any game by looking at the flop percentage in the main lobby; the higher percentage, the looser the game. It is most profitable to play in games that have a flop percentage of between 30 per cent to 50 per cent; generally, the lower the limit the worse the players and therefore the higher the flop percentage. It is possible to dramatically increase your chance of winning simply by playing in soft games only.
How to Bluff
Bluffing in lower limit games ($1/2), which is the limit I suggest you start with, is not recommended unless you are playing against a tight table. At low limits a lot of people do not pay attention and some will not even see your bluff! Bluffing is only good if you win money, either my driving out the opponent(s) or by having been caught and then being called with your good hands later on. Bluff in low-limits at tight tables but bluff only when your hand is terrible and do not bluff too much. For instance, let us suppose you draw three cards and some of the time you improve your hand and sometimes you do not, regardless of what happens you should bluff 1-in-every-6 times in this situation. Remember, bluffing is rather useless at low-limits unless the table is very tight and it pays mostly when the players are observant but that happens mostly at higher limits.
Playing Heads-up
Sometimes you will be playing against a single opponent if there are no tables open and you decide to sit down and wait for an opponent or when you join a game with just one player. Playing heads-up however is not advised until you have mastered play at a full-table. One-on-one play is very different and you must be able to make decisions a lot faster.
Table 10: How to Play Heads-up
| |||
Opponent’s
|
Call With
| ||
Starting Hand
|
Fraction
|
Small blind
|
Big Blind
|
1010 or better
|
1 in 4
|
KK
|
QQ
|
77 or better
|
1 in 3
|
JJ
|
1010
|
22 or better
|
1 in 2
|
88
|
66
|
A or better
|
2 in 3
|
44
|
22
|
J or better
|
1 in 1
|
22
|
A
|
One way to increase your chances of winning at heads-up play when you know nothing about your opponent, is to monitor how often he raises from both the small blind and big blind. If he raises a lot, he is playing a weaker hand than if he hardly ever raises. For example, look at `Fraction’ in Table 10 which shows the frequency of your opponent raising; if he raises once every two rounds on average, then he probably has at least a pair of twos, this means according to the table, you can call with a pair of eights from the small blind and a pair of sixes from the big blind.
In the small blind you should call with an Ace high or better and raise with at least a pair of twos. If you are in the big blind and the small blind just calls, raise him with a pair of twos or better.
Money Management
You should start with 200 times the big bet; in a $1/2 game, the big bet is $2 so you should start with at least a $400 bankroll. This will allow you to handle swings in your capital in the short and long term. If you are still winning in the `long run’ after about 50,000 hands, then you can rest assured that you are playing better than your opponents. At about 120 hands per hour, it would take you 417 hours to reach the long run. You can accomplish this in just nine and half months if you play for 10 hours a week.
Tracking your Wins and Losses
It is useful to know how much money you are winning or losing per hour on the average. Microsoft Excel is a perfect program for this purpose. In the first column you can enter the amount won or lost in dollars and in the second column to the right, you can enter the number of hours played; if you have played for less than an hour such as 45 minutes then enter it as 0.75. At any time you can total the amount won or lost and total the hours played and then divide money won/lost by the hours to get your hourly profit/loss.
Draw Poker Hand Odds
Mike Caro is the world’s best draw poker player. You can find his very useful poker hand odds at his web site, the number one resource online for getting the most accurate odds on improving your hand, such as the odds of improving a pair to two pair or threes, or the odds of making a flush, can be found here- http://www.mikecaro.com/mcu/mculib_odds.asp.
Be sure to refer only to Tables 12 to 17, `Five card-draw (standard 52-card deck)’ because the earlier entries refer to a different kind of draw poker that is not played online.
Viewing the Charts
On the final three pages of this book you will find all of the charts presented earlier. You should print off the pages and put each one into a plastic sheet so that you can refer to them easily while playing poker online.
Contact
If you have any feedback on this book feel free to email me at david6779@yahoo.com.
Charts
Table 1: What to Open and Raise with
| ||
POSITION
|
OPEN
|
RAISE
|
5
|
QQ
|
AA
|
4
|
JJ
|
KK
|
3
|
99
|
QQ
|
2
|
66
|
99
|
1
|
A
|
22
|
Table 2: Calling against One Opponent who Opens (Bets) $1
| |||
Opener’s
|
Opener’s
|
Your Position
| |
Position
|
Worst Hand
|
5 TO 2
|
1 TO 0
|
2 pair
|
JJ22
|
101022
| |
AA
|
4422
|
3322
| |
KK
|
3322
|
AA
| |
5
|
QQ
|
AA
|
AA
|
4
|
JJ
|
KK
|
QQ
|
3
|
99
|
QQ
|
JJ
|
2
|
77
|
1010
|
1010
|
1
|
44
|
99
|
77
|
Q
|
33
|
22
| |
Table 3: Calling against One Opponent who Opens (Raises) $2
| |||
Opener’s
|
Opener’s
|
Your Position
| |
Position
|
Worst Hand
|
5 TO 2
|
1 TO 0
|
2 pair
|
KK55
|
JJ33
| |
AA
|
8877
|
3322
| |
KK
|
3322
|
3322
| |
5
|
QQ
|
AA
|
AA
|
4
|
JJ
|
AA
|
KK
|
3
|
99
|
QQ
|
QQ
|
2
|
77
|
JJ
|
1010
|
1
|
44
|
99
|
88
|
Q
|
33
|
22
| |
Table 4: Raising
| ||
Opener’s
|
Opener’s
|
Min. Raising
|
Position
|
Worst Hand
|
Hand
|
AA
|
KK22
| |
KK
|
101022
| |
5
|
QQ
|
101022
|
4
|
JJ
|
AA
|
3
|
99
|
KK
|
2
|
77
|
KK
|
1
|
44
|
JJ
|
J
|
44
| |
Table 5: Calling against a Re-raiser
| ||
Your
|
Re-raisers Worst
|
Call On
|
position
|
Minimum Hand
| |
5
|
KK22
|
222
|
4
|
101022
|
JJ33
|
3
|
101022
|
JJ33
|
2
|
KK
|
AA
|
Table 6: What Hands to Bet after the Draw
| |
No. Of Players
|
Minimum Betting Hand
|
3
|
AA22, KK22, or QQ22
|
2
|
Any 2 Pair
|
Table 8: Calling Against One Opponent who drew Three Cards – 2 Bets in Pot
| |
Opponent’s Likely Hand
|
Call With
|
KK
|
3322
|
QQ
|
AA
|
JJ
|
AA
|
99
|
QQ
|
66
|
1010
|
22
|
77
|
Table 9: Calling Against One Opponent who drew Three Cards – 3 Bets in Pot
| |
Opponent’s Likely Hand
|
Call With
|
KK
|
3322
|
QQ
|
AA
|
JJ
|
KK
|
99
|
JJ
|
66
|
99
|
22
|
66
|
Table 10: How to Play Heads-up
| |||
Opponent’s
|
Call With
| ||
Starting Hand
|
Fraction
|
Small blind
|
Big Blind
|
1010 or better
|
1 in 4
|
KK
|
QQ
|
77 or better
|
1 in 3
|
JJ
|
1010
|
22 or better
|
1 in 2
|
88
|
66
|
A or better
|
2 in 3
|
44
|
22
|
J or better
|
1 in 1
|
22
|
A
|
