draw poker

card game

Also known as: Closed Poker

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Last updated

July 23, 2026

Quick Summary

Draw poker is a variation of the card game poker where each player is dealt five cards face down. After an initial round of betting, players have the opportunity to discard unwanted cards and receive replacements from the remaining deck. Following this "draw" phase, there is a second betting interval, after which the hands are revealed (the showdown) to determine the winner.12

The objective in poker is to win the pot, which is the sum of all bets made during a hand. This can be achieved by having the highest-ranking poker hand or by making a bet that no other player calls. Standard poker uses a 52-card deck, with hands ranked from highest to lowest, including royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, and so on. Draw poker was once more popular than stud poker and community-card poker games like Texas hold'em.342

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poker
Draw poker
In straight poker each player is dealt five cards facedown, and the deal is followed by one betting interval, beginning with the player nearest the dealer’s left, and then by a showdown. After the 1850s, straight poker was eclipsed by draw poker, which…
Read More
In straight poker each player is dealt five cards facedown, and the deal is followed by one betting interval, beginning with the player nearest the dealer’s left, and then by a showdown. After the 1850s, straight poker was eclipsed by draw poker, which…
Read More