During this time, beware of starting hands such as four cards in a row for a straight draw or a straight flush, because those are the hands that lose the most. Those of you who are lucky enough to receive two pair or three of a kind should always come into your hand when raising, whether you are in the first or last of position. As your position improves, you can add other high pairs such as queens, jacks, tens and nines, provided the latter has a good kicker (a good high card like a Ace or King). Play tight from the top positions and raise hands with aces or kings. Regardless of your position, you should almost always get into the pot with a raise because by just calling the blind, several other players are calling behind, which means you need a much stronger hand to win the pot. The closer you are to the button, the more hands you can play and make them profitable. In many cases, the saying “tight is right” applies when it comes to starting the selection of your starting hands in 5-Card Draw.Īs in all variations of poker, your position in relation to the button is also important in 5 card poker. A trap that less skilled 5 card players often fall into is playing too many hands, especially hands that draw a straight or a straight flush.
