there should be no artificial constraints, such as the arbitrary “Jacks-or-better” rule : any and all hands should be allowed to be played and/or to open the betting. * and a 52-card, well-shuffled, and properly-cut deck [preferably Bicycle-brand 'Autobike No.1' ( 1902 remake : ) or, better yet … classic “Bee” cards (especially the blue-colored pack).Īdditionally. * nothing “wild” (since it's arbitrary and pointless – and it significantly alters the normal value of standard poker-hands) * a maximum 3-card draw allowed – even for a lone Ace (so as not to have to “declare” any sort of hand, nor to risk running out of cards) * at home (not at a casino with rakes – and colluding strangers ! Nor within the modern craze of online/video/virtual depersonalization) * a medium ante in a low-limit game (such as a $1 ante and $5/$10 betting-rounds)
* 6 friends/relatives on the table (5 makes for a sufficiently fun game, too – as long as you’re not drawing to 4-Straights or 4-Flushes while 5-handed) Ideally, 5CD poker should be played with …
