Players and Cardsįive Card Draw is played with a standard 52-card pack, and there can be from two to six players - six probably make the best game. Because of this freedom it offers considerable scope for bluffing, especially if played for high stakes. This basic game, with no restrictions on the cards needed to open or win, is sometimes known as California Draw or Guts, though Guts is also the name of another poker-like game.

See the poker rules page for an introduction to these, and the poker betting and poker hand ranking pages for further details. This page assumes some familiarity with the general rules and terminology of poker. These can be combined in various ways - for example jacks or better and trips to win are often played with a bug or wild card. The basic game will be described first, followed by some variations with extra opening conditions, winning conditions or wild cards. Five Card Draw is one of the oldest forms of poker and was by far the best known internationally until the sudden rise in popularity of Texas Hold'em at the end of the 20th century.