Play begins with each player being dealt five cards, one at a time, all face down. The remaining deck is placed aside. Players pick up the cards and hold them in their hands, being cautious to keep them concealed from the other players, and then a round of betting occurs.
The first betting round begins with the player to the left of the big blind, and following rounds starts with the player to the dealer’s left. Home games typically use an ante; the first betting round starts with the player to the dealer’s left, and the second round starts with the player who opened the first round.
If more than one player remains after the first round, the “draw” phase begins. Each player specifies how many of their cards they wish to replace and discards them. The deck is retrieved, and each player is dealt in turn from the deck the same number of cards they discarded so that each player again has five cards.
A second “after the draw” betting round occurs starting with the player to the dealer’s left or else starting with the player who opened the first round (the latter is common when antes are used instead of blinds). This is followed by a showdown if more than one player remains, in which the player with the best hand wins the pot.
A common “house rule” in some places is that a player may not replace more than three cards, unless they draw four cards while keeping an ace (or wild card). This rule is only needed for low-stakes social games where many players will stay for the draw, and will help avoid depletion of the deck.
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