Introduction: Learn the 5 Card Draw Poker Variant
How do you actually play 5 card draw? Very few people deal with the actual strategy behind this fast and popular poker variant, but you can now read EvGalois's article for Silver members and find out more about it.
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| "Draw" in this poker variant stands for swapping cards. You can find out more in the beginners article. |
Who is the article for?
- Anyone who wants to learn a new poker variant
- Ideal for players who want to gradually, albeit slowly, build their bankroll without fluctuations
- For members with
Silver status and above
What can you learn in this article?
- The rules - how to play 5 card draw
- The advantages of this poker variant
- The best place to play 5 card draw online
- Information on win rates and bankroll management in 5 card draw
Coming up
- 5 Card Draw (1) - Basics (new!)
- 5 Card Draw (2) - Predraw and Draw
- 5 Card Draw (3) - Postdraw
- 5 Card Draw (4) - Types of Opponent
Who is EvGalois?
Our new author evgalois is an experienced 5 card draw player and successful at the high stakes in this poker variant.
His first contact with poker was at the age of 10, although back then he wasn't playing for real money in his 5 card draw rounds. No, he was playing for "Garbage Pail Kids" trading cards. Sure, EvGalois had heard of online poker at the end of the 90's, but he was concentrating on his maths degree, corporate finances and trading, as well as betting on sports and horses. When he finally saw the first WSOP and the hole card technique, he was inspired to start taking poker seriously and learn the game.
Find out more about our new coach by reading our interview.
PokerStrategy.com: Tell us about your poker career.
evgalois: I began to play more or less full-time in late 2003. Back then I believe the highest limit was $10-$20, but two years later they introduced $15-$30 and $20-$40. I was doing real well on the Ongame Network and making steady profits. When the UIEGA was implemented in late 2006, I got rid of many rivals in the game from the US, but the negative thing was that the traffic in general dropped. After that I was playing mostly fixed limit cashgames, but I also have a good history in pot limit cash games where I perhaps have underestimated myself and played less games than I should. I have done well in tournaments throughout the years - particularly on Ongame - although the buy-ins in 5 CD are lower.
PokerStrategy.com: Which limits do you play today?
evgalois: I am open to play any limit that is available since I am "rolled" for that. The highest limit for FL 5 CD is $30-$60, but remember this game is small. For me it is more about finding the right tables with the right opposition.
Having played this game over the years I know who is good and who is not and if someone is new to the game, it's very easy to spot. I am not shy to play weaker opposition at $1-$2 or $2-$4 instead of $5-$10 or $10-$20 where I know I will sit with 4-5 good regular players. Any limit - be it high or low - with good value is poker to me. Poker is after all about making money and my approach has always been careful table selection.
PokerStrategy.com: What's important in your opinion to become a good or better poker player?
evgalois: Let me point out two things. I think many players are extremely passionate with feelings of "highs" (i.e. when they win) but especially with "lows" (when they lose). A more important issue is: how do you handle your worse moments or days? There are many good theoretical players I know that never seem to make a profit at the end of the year. They blame variance at one point and then later on they blame the entire network for being "rigged" and we end up talking conspiracy theories..
One key difference between a good and a bad poker player or trader is in my opinion; a good player masters downswings and is not affected emotionally the next minute, hour or day. He is in the same way not overexcited about a win. I don't get too excited after a win but of course I feel happier. I could sometimes feel angry when I lose - it certainly feels worse than being on the winning side. What I am angry with is more the time in working hours it takes to get back to from where I started.
Secondly if you are playing a lot of poker and aiming to play full-time then try to mix up your life with other things. Sitting by your computer 10 hours per day is not fun and you will be missing the sea, the nature and real social interaction. Even if you are a winning player you have to have a good social life. It will help and boost your performance in poker in the long run. It is important to experience and understand that.
PokerStrategy.com: What kind of content can we expect from you?
evgalois: My aim with my introductory articles is to both promote and shed some light on the game of 5 Card Draw. This is a game many of us grew up with but it is sad that it never got much attention as far as the poker online arena goes. The game has always been small and there is not much out on the internet when it comes to articles, videos or software.
Some people disagree that it would be good for the game to educate more players in 5CD since the player base is small. I don't see it that way. We need to think broader and try to get some discussions going in forums and communities and buzz more around the game and discuss strategies and concepts. It would also help if WSOP could reintroduce 5CD into their schedule. This is not going to be easy, but it is for sure worth a try. Holdem has always been the in the centre of attention since the "poker boom" started and there are legite reasons for that, but in my opinion 5 Card Draw is fun thanks to its very nature of only 2 betting rounds.
If PokerStrategy.com - the biggest poker community in the world – likes what I present then I am willing to contribute with more material; not only from myself but from the very best players and strategists on 5CD online.
PokerStrategy.com: Care to share something with us about your first article?
evgalois: Let me once again point out that this is an introductory article and it is impossible to cover everything at once. I have tried to broaden my material to cover most aspects. More could be written "in depth"; especially when it comes to advanced strategies. My approach in these articles is more intuitive than mathematical.
I hope to get some feedback on these publications and then I will take it from there. I will be happy to be of service in the forums to discuss hands and scenarios of play. But first of all I hope that this turns out to be interesting and of value to all members of PokerStrategy.com; if it does then we can carry on with more material on more topics and other formats of the game.
