History of Five Card Draw

5 Card Draw poker is often the first poker game that people learn, the simplicity of the game play and large number of entertaining variations available making this a popular choice for home games. This form of poker played a critical part in the evolution of the game into the huge number of variations available today, in fact it has been suggested that 5 card draw was the first game to be properly given the name ‘poker’.
There is much debate about the true origins of poker games. Some claim that there is a relation to ancient Chinese and Persian games – others suggest the origins were in European games popular during the middle ages. Wherever the true origins, it is acknowledged that poker-like games made their way via sailors to New Orleans during the early 1800’s.

The predecessor of 5-card draw poker, using a partial deck of cards was certainly played on the steam-boats traveling the Mississippi river during the 1830s. This game used only 20 cards and featured a single round of betting based on the cards dealt. There was no drawing round in this game as there were not enough cards left in the deck – though betting and bluffing were an important component of the game.

Poker first spread to other parts of the US during the ‘gold rush’, at this point the full 52 card deck began to be used and the ‘drawing’ round added to add another element to the game. During the Civil War the game was widely played on both sides, undoubtedly spreading the game further still. Flushes first started to be included at this point in history. Variations were introduced at this time such as the inclusion of a joker (wild card) into the deck and lowball versions of the same game. 5-card draw poker played at this time has been widely popularized in culture by its depiction in numerous Western movies.

It was from 5-card draw poker that other versions of the game were invented. 7-card stud used the hand-ranking system first established in draw poker, later adding straights to the list of possible hands. In fact stud soon became the single most popular poker game – an accolade which lasted until very recently when Texas Holdem took the leading role.

Recently 5-card draw poker has seen a renaissance in the form of online poker games. You can now find 5 card draw at a number of leading online poker sites and play the ‘original’ poker game against opponents worldwide. Various buy-in levels, starting from just a few cents, are available as are variations in betting structure – including both pot-limit and fixed-limit betting. Poker tournaments are also available in 5-card draw format.