The most important thing, which you should remember playing five cards draw with Pot Limit (5cd), is the fact, that to win you have to play aggressively. Normally you will not use in the first phase of game (before changing your cards) the button „Call”. There are, of course, some exceptions but they apply to another type of Poker. Playing aggressively means that you pass or you raise the cards, if they are enough good for that. The success of your strategy is up to other factors like your position by the table and the number of players playing after you. The fewer they are, the better for you, because you can rise even in the situation, where your cards are not extremely good. In 5cd there is usually 5-persons table. For this reason the strategy showed here will able to this circumstances. This strategy can be used also in other types of poker (independently on the number of places by the table), but more relevant is to understand your own position against the opponents.
If you are on the position right after Big Blind, you have to have a minimum of cards of two Aces, so that you are allowed to start. Of course, it does not apply to the situation, where somebody has already raised. How to behave in the situation like this will be described in a separate chapter.
On the position two places after BB, your minimum has to be two Kings. Each higher composition allows you as well to rise. However, if you play against very careful and no risky opponents, you can start even having two Ladies.
Playing on the last position (Dealer), you are allowed to raise with the minimum of two Ladies. If the opponents do not play aggressively and they often pass, you can try to rise even with lower cards.
Playing Small Blind, SB, you have to pay only the half of the Big Blind, BB, if you want to get in to the game. If until your turn nobody has raised yet, and additionally the opponents playing BB does not play aggressively, you can raise even with two Sevens. In this strategy „stealing” of blind is essential because your cards do not have to be very strong. If you are not the only one, who gets in to the game, then you should limp (one of the two exceptional situations when you are doing that) with four cards of the same colour or with four cards following each other. However, you are allowed to do so, only when there is BB in the game and at least two other players. In the situation where the opponents limp with weak cards, you can try to limp with pairs of 66-QQ. Otherwise you play like being on the position right after BB.
Being on BB, you raise like on the second position (two places after BB). Otherwise, you click „Check” and you change the cards trying to match them respectively to one colour or strit.
Exceptions, when you can limp (join the game without rising):
The first exception has already been mentioned and it applies to position on SB. The second exception is when you are playing on the dealer position. Here you can limp if there are at least two other players in the game and you have four cards in the same colour.
At the end, some comments.
The described strategy is only the basic one. Do not play it always! Watch your opponents! If you see that, a player limps having Aces or Kings there is no sense to rise with only the pair of Ladies. However, if the opponent has a tendency to limp with weak cards, then you can try to limp him with your cards. Essentially is to rise when you suspect that your cards are better than those of your opponent are. Second important thing is to watch your budget during the game. Sometimes, no matter how good cards you have, it happens that you loose. Luck and bad luck are elementary parts of every Poker game. These elements make Poker even more beautiful and exciting, because not only the players with the best cards win. Remember that strategy described above is very efficient and in long run, it guarantees good results.
Basic strategy in Five Card Draw Limit Poker
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