Poker players love to play 5 card draw poker for its fast, unpredictable action.   If you do not have a large concentration span, then this type of poker is probably not for you as the winners are usually those who can hold a thought and develop a calculating move. There are different ideas on the best playing strategy for 5 card draw poker but most agree that the game is one based on strategy and that can be categorized in to 2 sections:  what cards to change; bluffing.

To develop a playing strategy for 5 card draw poker, players should try and calculate what their opponents have and, vis-à-vis that, how strong their own hand is.  It may look like a hand is useless, but it really does depend on what your opponent is doing.  You have to be pretty on the ball and awake to play this game, especially if you are looking to win.  There is quite a large information gap in 5 card draw poker that exists neither in Texas Hold’em Poker or Omaha poker so for those not willing to respond to being raised, stay away from 5 card draw poker.

For those up for the challenge however, the game can be amazing.  And if you are going to play it, after you have read and understood the rules, you will probably want to start trying to develop a playing strategy for 5 card draw poker.  One basic strategy is to work on what you have seen in your opponent.  Understanding what your opponent is doing is very helpful in this game.  Try to base that information (although of course there will be an information gap) on what he or she has done in the past and if he or she generally bluffs.

The only information you do have about the other player when playing this game is:  the first bet; how many cards they keep; the last bet.  But bear in mind that all of this (or none of these, or some of these) could be a bluff!  Using your imagination and insight is a definite bonus in the development of a good, successful playing strategy for  5 card draw poker.  Some 5 card draw poker players bluff by not taking any cards.  Players watching this will likely think that they have the most amazing hand (and thus don’t need to take any cards).  But if they are bluffing, then the other players have to be careful as they could be called.  So it is a pretty tough call.  One way of counteracting this in a poker playing strategy for 5 card draw is to you yourself bluff but the best and most convincing way of bluffing is to bluff on and off to trick your opponent further and keep your moves unpredictable.

It is a tricky game and there are a lot of questions players of this poker variant have to ask themselves in order to try to form the best hand.  How  many cards should be changed?  What winning combination should they aim for?  Is it worth changing the cards?  If you have a pair perhaps you will want to change a card in an attempt to improve that win.  It is not easy but the more you play 5 card draw poker, the more likely you are to develop winning skills.

So find a casino site on which you can play 5 card draw poker for fun; play against others; play against the computer and see if you can practice to make perfect…or at least to become a better bluffer than your opponent.