Ten Play Draw Poker is a modern twist on Five Play Draw Poker. Five Play faded out of popularity when the punters realized that sticking with their current hand was more helpful than twisting and risking it all, but when 5 more cards are added to the play, the tension is able to build up again, and drama is brought back to the table.
What is Draw Poker?
Draw Poker is a variation on the classic game of poker, but you can discard or remove cards from your hand and draw new ones in an attempt to create a stronger one.
Rules of Ten Play Draw Poker
There are 6 steps to Draw Poker, but they all center around the traditional game.
Step 1 – Betting the Blind
Before the cards have been dealt, the punter to the dealer’s left bets the small blind. The small blind is the lowest bet they are allowed to make. The next player bets the big blind, which is double the small blind.
Step 2 – Dealing the Cards
Each player gets dealt 10 cards.
Step 3 – Starting Bets
The player to the left of the big blind now has to bet or fold. They look at their cards to make their decision. If they want to bet, they can put in their big blind, matching the previous player, or they can raise the stakes and add in more.
The other players then match, raise or fold until everyone on the table has decided to fold or match the highest bettor.
Step 4 – Re-Dealing Cards
Now the betts are even, the dealer asks the players if they want to switch with their cards or replace any. They don’t have to replace their whole deck but can replace as many or as few as they like.
The dealer asks each player individually until the table is completed.
Step 5 – Second Bets
The small blind starts first and can either raise the bet, fold or “check,” which means keeping the value the same. This continues around the table until everyone has either matched the bets or folded and left the table.
Step 6 – Winners
Any players still left standing must now show their hands. The player with the best collection of cards wins the game.
Winning Hands
The best combinations are the same as traditional poker, but if one player has a straight, and another has three of a kind and a straight, then the second player’s lower combination can be used to boost their hand, making them the overall winner.
Here are the card combination and their order of value, starting from worst to best:
- Two Pair
- Three of a Kind
- Straight (this is when there are 5 cards in a row, for example, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
- Flush (5 cards of any number but all from the same suit)
- Full House (Two Pair and a separate Three of a Kind)
- Four of a Kind
- Straight Flush (A straight which is all from the same suit)
- Royal Flush (10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, all from the same suit)
Playing Online
To play poker online, you don’t necessarily need to understand these rules off the top of your head, as the computer will tell you when you have a good hand. However, it will not tell you how to play your hand or what the other players have. This means you still have to judge your hand and its likeliness to win before betting or folding.
You also have to be aware that playing Ten Play Draw Poker means betting for each hand you play. To maximize the value, you should bet 5 coins per hand, that way you can push up the value on the table to take more from the win.
Depending on which online service you use, the bets may have a limit on a maximum or minimum value, so be aware of this before you sit in on the game.