help, quickly

[trentose 0]

I'm playing in a big 5 card draw tournament tonightAny tips?

[Suited_Up 2]

You said quickly... so I rushed in here... and this is what I get. Tonight? That's like hours from now... and 5 card draw.. nobody knows how to play that game. My advice is don't mess up.

[JimmyWellington 1]

The number of cards you have in your hand should be the same as the number of fingers on the hand holding it.

[trentose 0]

Gee spanks :cry:

[akishore 0]

yeah, actually.unlike hold'em, kickers aren't too big of a deal. if you have JJ88A, go ahead draw that A for the four outs to fill up. in the worst case, you get JJ882, but it's extremely unlike someone has Jacks and Eights, and if you weren't beat already, the kicker won't change that. in the best case, you'll fill up and can get some more bets in.btw, is the game limit or NL or PL? i personally think this game is played best spread-limit. e.g. deal, $5-$10 limit betting round (anywhere between $5 to $10 you can bet and raise--but remember that a raise has to be at least double the bet and at most $10), then the draw, then $10-$20 betting round. you can also add some variation and play triple-draw (so two low betting rounds and two high betting rounds). this works better in lowball, though.as for starting hands, usually pass any hand that's not a high pair or better (TT or better... the reason TT is a good pair is because to make a straight, you need a five or a ten, and you're limiting other people's outs to make a straight this way). if your hand is unpaired, only play it if it's four-to-a-straight (open-ended, maybe gutshot if it's triple-draw and maybe three-to-a-high-straight if it's triple draw, as long as they're connected like QJT) or four-to-a-flush (again, exceptions if it's triple-draw).if you're not having caps on the game (limit on raises in any given round), be careful to not lose a ton of money on a medium-strong hand like a flush. feel free to be very aggressive with boats and higher.as for tells, just watch the way people organize their cards. usually, if they move just one card over that usually means a pair. if they're organizing their whole hand that might mean a straight draw or such. be careful, however, some people always organize their whole hand to get the cards in order.also study what people draw. some people keep kickers, some don't. drawing two might mean trips or two pair strong kicker, and you want to be able to confidently guess which one it is. other than that, watch for some strength tells like immediately putting the hand down after they get their draw (usually means they made their straight, etc.).people complain that there's too much luck in five-card draw and too much of an element of surprise, and while this may be true early on, if you play enough, physical tells are what give you the real edge in this game.aseem

[Socrates 0]

Hold pairs instead of breaking them up to draw at a 2 card flush or a straight if the players are really bad. Otherwise, you'll have to take some chances at drawing to big hands.

[trentose 0]

Thanks akishore.... it's limit btw, but it's starting in 40 minutes, so i'm heading out now.... should be good for a laugh

[wrto4556 0]

ummm....read ss1 with mike caro's approach. Or google for Mike Caro + 5 card draw.

[Socrates 0]

Wow, Akishore took this serious. Disregard anything anyone else said.

[Suited_Up 2]

Wow, Akishore took this serious. Disregard anything anyone else said.

Except me... Don't disregard me. Thanks

[TheIceman05 0]

Wow, Akishore took this serious. Disregard anything anyone else said.

He was kinda wrong, though.It's probably too late, but don't be paying to draw at straights and flushes. Unlike Hold'em, you rarely have the odds. In 5 draw, those who draw lose. And, yes, I went through a draw poker phase a little while ago. I'm a nerd. Sue me.Ice

[akishore 0]

He was kinda wrong, though.It's probably too late, but don't be paying to draw at straights and flushes. Unlike Hold'em, you rarely have the odds. In 5 draw, those who draw lose. And, yes, I went through a draw poker phase a little while ago. I'm a nerd. Sue me.Ice

really? if you have four hearts and you draw one to a heart, you will get it 1 in 5 times about, so if you have four opponents or more, it's a good draw, right? as for straights, only open-ended. am i wrong?aseem

[jayistheman 0]

Wow, Akishore took this serious. Disregard anything anyone else said.

He was kinda wrong, though.It's probably too late, but don't be paying to draw at straights and flushes. Unlike Hold'em, you rarely have the odds. In 5 draw, those who draw lose. And, yes, I went through a draw poker phase a little while ago. I'm a nerd. Sue me.Ice

my lawyer should be contacting you shortly, nerd.

[TheIceman05 0]

He was kinda wrong, though.It's probably too late, but don't be paying to draw at straights and flushes. Unlike Hold'em, you rarely have the odds. In 5 draw, those who draw lose. And, yes, I went through a draw poker phase a little while ago. I'm a nerd. Sue me.Ice

really? if you have four hearts and you draw one to a heart, you will get it 1 in 5 times about, so if you have four opponents or more, it's a good draw, right? as for straights, only open-ended. am i wrong?aseem

In five card draw, there are only two betting rounds. So there are few situations in which you know you're getting the correct odds to draw, especially since there are only 8 players. If HALF the players see the flop w/o a raise, you're STILL not getting correct odds to call. Ice

[JistTheFist 0]

He was kinda wrong, though.It's probably too late, but don't be paying to draw at straights and flushes. Unlike Hold'em, you rarely have the odds. In 5 draw, those who draw lose. And, yes, I went through a draw poker phase a little while ago. I'm a nerd. Sue me.Ice

really? if you have four hearts and you draw one to a heart, you will get it 1 in 5 times about, so if you have four opponents or more, it's a good draw, right? as for straights, only open-ended. am i wrong?aseem

In five card draw, there are only two betting rounds. So there are few situations in which you know you're getting the correct odds to draw, especially since there are only 8 players. If HALF the players see the flop w/o a raise, you're STILL not getting correct odds to call. Ice

holy cow... I must have been playing 5 card draw for years now and I've never even been playing right? when are the players supposed to see a flop in 5 card draw?

[TheIceman05 0]

He was kinda wrong, though.It's probably too late, but don't be paying to draw at straights and flushes. Unlike Hold'em, you rarely have the odds. In 5 draw, those who draw lose. And, yes, I went through a draw poker phase a little while ago. I'm a nerd. Sue me.Ice

really? if you have four hearts and you draw one to a heart, you will get it 1 in 5 times about, so if you have four opponents or more, it's a good draw, right? as for straights, only open-ended. am i wrong?aseem

In five card draw, there are only two betting rounds. So there are few situations in which you know you're getting the correct odds to draw, especially since there are only 8 players. If HALF the players see the flop w/o a raise, you're STILL not getting correct odds to call. Ice

holy cow... I must have been playing 5 card draw for years now and I've never even been playing right? when are the players supposed to see a flop in 5 card draw?

Dear JistTheFist-If I ever see you on the street, I'm going to jam a white-hot poker into your eye.That is all. T.Iceman

[Hextall27 0]

A limit five-card draw tournament? My advice is RUN!

[Nacho 0]

sounds like an 1800s saloon game, with ace's up the sleeves and real men drinking hard liquor in teh wild west...the best bet would be to Pray

[KDawgCometh 2]

damn, I just saw ths thread. We forgot to ask him if checkraising is allowed in it, if they are for some reason playing with blinds, and if sandbagging is proper.I'm a better Lowball player the high draw and I know that in A-5 that checkraising isn't normally allowed.

[JimmyWellington 1]

My point was that it's a bit late to learn theory for a game the night of a tournament. Just hope for the best.

[trentose 0]

Just wanted to say thaks to akishore, i cruised to a second place finish for 220 bucks.... missed the royal flush jackpot by one freakin suit.... stood on Q J 10 got an ace and a K coming in :evil: Royal flush was worth over 400 bucks, oh well...Was a good time anyways

[MrConceit 0]

He was kinda wrong, though.It's probably too late, but don't be paying to draw at straights and flushes. Unlike Hold'em, you rarely have the odds. In 5 draw, those who draw lose. And, yes, I went through a draw poker phase a little while ago. I'm a nerd. Sue me.Ice

really? if you have four hearts and you draw one to a heart, you will get it 1 in 5 times about, so if you have four opponents or more, it's a good draw, right? as for straights, only open-ended. am i wrong?aseem

Yeah Ice already answered you, but everything I've read backs this up. If you're not playing against utter newbies you rarely should draw to a flush, unless it's a rare hand where you're last to act and most of the table limps and doesn't raise.If you're not really late in acting, you'll never know if you have proper odds to draw. And supposedly without utterly clueless people few hands will have enough limpers.