Players
The game is played by 2 to 5 players.
Deck
This is a strip-deck game, this means that cards 2,3,4,5 and 6
have been removed. The deck contains cards from 7 to Ace. If there
are five active players at the start of the hand the 6's should
also be in the deck.
Button and Blinds
The game is played with a dealer button, a small blind and a big
blind just like Texas Hold'em. The player to the left of the dealer
posts a small blind and the player to the left of the small blind
posts a big blind before the cards are dealt.
The Deal
Five cards are dealt face down to each player.
Play
After the deal, the first betting round starts. At the end of
the first betting round, each player may discard and draw up to
five cards. If there are not enough cards left in the deck, the
discarded cards are shuffled and used again. A second round of
betting ensues, followed by the showdown.
Showdown
The winner of the hand is the player who holds the highest hand
according to standard strip-deck poker hand rankings. Ace can also
be used as the lowest (wild) card in a straight, i.e. A-7-8-9-10
(A-6-7-8-9 in case of the 6's being used). If the 10 high straight
is suited with an ace as the lowest card, it qualifies as a
straight flush. This also applies to the 9 high suited straight in
case of the 6's being used.
Dealing the Games of Five Card Draw 7-A
The Dealer Button
The dealer button is a representation of which player is the
"dealer." Although our dealer will be dealing the game, the player
who has the button placed in front of his seat gets to play his
cards as if he were the actual dealer. When the cards are dealt to
players, they are dealt in a manner as if the player was actually
dealing in a live environment.
Blinds
Because we have a player "on the button" we now ask two players
to post the large and small blinds. The purpose of the blinds is to
put forced money into the pot that gives players an incentive to
enter the hand. However, only two players will post the blinds. The
first blind is called the "small blind". This bet is usually half
the minimum bet of the game, although in some games, the fraction
is slightly different. So, in a $2-4 game the small blind will be
$1. The second blind is called the "big blind" and is always the
same size as the game's small bet, e.g., in a $2-4 game, the big
blind is $2. The player directly to the left of the button will
have the "small blind." The player directly to the left of the
small blind will have the "large blind" of the full amount or the
lowest game limit.
Opening Deal
Now that we have a Button and small and big blinds, we are ready
to deal. The dealer always deals from the player closest to the
dealer's left. Moving clockwise around the table, the game will
"deal-in" each player. The players will be dealt five cards face
down. A round of betting will occur starting with the player seated
to the left of the big blind.
Betting on Opening Deal
The player seated to the left of the big blind will always have
the action on the opening deal. This player may not check, but
rather can only fold, call, or raise. The game will now advance to
each player seated asking to fold, call, or raise until we reach
the big blind for an action decision. If no one has raised by the
time the play comes back around to the big blind, the big blind has
the option to "check" his own BLIND wager or raise.
Once all players have completed the first round of wagering,
they will proceed to discarding cards and drawing new cards.
Discarding Cards
After the first betting round each player is asked to discard
and draw from zero to five cards. This is done by clicking the
cards that the player wants to discard. These cards will be shaded
and slightly raised to indicate that they have been selected. Once
the player is satisfied with the selections made, cards are
discarded and drawn by clicking the DISCARD button. A player may
chose not to discard any cards. This is done by clicking the STAND
PAT button. Standing pat means no cards will be discarded and
drawn. When all players have discarded and drawn cards, the second
betting round starts.
Second Round Betting
The second betting round starts with the first player seated to
the left of the dealer button. The options available to this player
is to fold, check or bet. Should the player fold or check, the next
player in turn will have the same options as the first player. If
the first player bets, the next player to act will have the option
of folding, calling or raising. Before a player acts, the number of
discarded cards for that player is displayed to everyone. The rules
state that this information should be available until there has
been action after the draw. In fixed limit games there is a maximum
of four bets allowed in each betting round. A bet, a raise, a
re-raise and a cap. A cap is the third raise in a betting round,
after which no more betting is allowed. Pot limit and No limit
games allow for an unlimited number of bets and raises. After the
second betting round is finished, the showdown follows.
Who shows first?
The determination of which players' cards will and must be shown
first will lie with the player who had initiated the action or with
the person who had initiated the last bet, raise or re-raise. This
simply means that whoever had the last action must show his/her
cards first.
Suppose a Player wins by default?
A player who has a winning hand does not have to show his/her
cards if his/her bet was not called. Do Players have to show their
Cards if they call a bet on the Last Betting Round? Players are not
required to show their cards if, and only if, they are not the
player who had the last action. If a player calls a bet and sees
that he/she cannot win, he/she may fold his/her cards.
Who wins?
In our poker room, as with all, "cards speak." The winner will
be decided based on the standard strip-deck poker hand rankings
shown below:-
- Royal flush
- Straight flush
- Four of a kind
- Flush
- Full house
- Straight
- Three of a kind
- Two pair
- One Pair
Five Card Draw 7-A Blind Rules
All players must pay for their blinds in full before they are
allowed to get the button. Therefore, the player who had posted the
small blind in the prior hand will receive the button on the next
deal of any game.
- If in the event we have a new player to the game, then three
(3) actions will occur.
- If the new player is seated to the left of the blind, then
he/she may choose to "post" the big blind or "wait." If the player
does post, then his/her wager is active.
- If the new player is seated in the big blind, then he/she is
treated as such.
- If the player is seated between the button and any blind, then
he/she must wait for the button to pass.
Missed Blind - Rules and Procedures
Missed big blind: If a player misses the big blind
for any reason, then that player may not play in any hands until
the sum of all blinds are made up. The game will place an "ML"
button in that seat to declare the missed big blind. The game will
ask the next active player to the left to post the big blind for
the hand. If the missed player returns to the game before the big
blind comes back to his/her seat, the player is required to make up
the sum of all blinds, "Post all." The small blind portion is dead
and must be put into the pot before the hand is dealt. However, a
player may avoid posting dead by waiting for the big blind to
arrive at his/her seat naturally.
Missed small blind: If a player misses the small
blind for any reason, then that player may not play in any hands
until the small blind is made up. The game will place an "MS"
button in that seat to declare the missed small blind. The game
will ask the next active player to the left of the big blind to
post a big blind for the hand as well. The original big blind
player will "catch a break" and get the button on the next hand.
The player who had missed the small blind cannot return until after
the button has passed. If the missed player returns to the game
before the big blind comes back to his/her seat, the player is
required make up the small blind. The small blind is dead and must
be put into the pot before the hand is dealt. However, a player may
avoid posting dead by waiting for the big blind to arrive at
his/her seat naturally.