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5-card draw poker is unique in being the most widely-known poker game that very few people actually play anymore. Usually the first poker variant that a player learns, it is also the one most closely modeled in video poker games.
You may find plenty of casual 5-card draw poker games in the “real world”, but the bulk of casino and tournament poker rooms will rarely if ever offer this game as an option. Luckily for 5-card draw poker fans, it can be found at online poker rooms (though even ther it is much less common than Hold’em games, stud games, or even 7-card draw games).
Gameplay is quite simple; each player antes (throws in the minimum bet) and is dealt five cards. A betting round follows, at which point each player decides to bet or fold (surrender their ante and sit out the rest of the hand).
Each player will then decide how many of his cards (if any) to discard and replace with new cards dealt from the remaining cards in the deck. The dealer will usually “burn” (throw away, set aside) a card and then give the first player in line all their desired replacement cards at once, before moving on to the next player (as in most poker games, movement is always clockwise from the dealer). The second and final betting round ensures, followed by the “showdown” if more than one player remains.
A few house rules or common options are sometimes put into place to avoid the obvious complications. For instance, a limit is sometimes placed on the number of cards that can be replaced (three being the usual number, or four only if the player has an ace), and sometimes specific procedures are used if all five cards are needed (such as dealing four cards and then moving on to the other players before giving the fifth card). In a long game with many players, the dealer may run out of cards — the usual solution is for the dealer to take the previously discarded cards, re-shuffle them, and use them as the deck.
Video poker games simplify this process by removing the other players and the betting portion — you are dealt five cards, replace any or all of them, and the final hand is rewarded from a pay table based on typical poker rankings (usually “jacks or better” are needed to qualify for any sort of a win). While not even as strategically complex as basic 5-card draw poker against other players, either one is a perfect way to begin your poker education.