The betting before the draw being settled, those still in the pool draw to improve their hands, beginning with the player on the dealer's left. A player may "stand pat" or take any number from one to five, discarding an equal number face down on the table before he is helped. Any card faced in dealing for the draw cannot be replaced until all the others are helped. The cards dealt, the player to the left of the age (or in jack pots the opener) makes the first bet or passes out. Each player to the left must then either call, raise or drop out. This continues until no one will call the last bet, or until two or more have bet an equal amount. If no one antes against the age, the next deal is a jack pot. If no one opens a jack pot, all put up another ante and the deal passes.
If the last raise is not called, the player takes the pool without showing his hand, unless he has opened a jack pot, when he must show his opening qualification. False openers forfeit all they have put into the pool. If drawn to, they must ante for all the others for the next deal; but if any have come in against the false openers, they stay and play for the pool. When two or more hands are shown for the pool, they decide it by the rank of the hands shown, a straight flush being the best possible hand, and no-pair the lowest. The following table shows the number of each class of hand that it is possible to hold, and the odds against any individual player's holding it before the draw, in his five cards: A straight flush is any sequence of five cards in the same suit. A royal flush is ace, king, queen, jack and ten. Four-of-a-kind is any four of the same denomination and an odd card. A full hand is three of one kind and a pair. A flush is any five cards of the same suit. A straight is five cards in sequence of different suits. Two pairs are two each of different denominations, the rank of the hand being decided by the higher pair. One pair outranks a lower pair. If the pairs are equal, the next higher card decides the tie. In flushes, the rank of the various cards decides. If the hands are still tied in any case, they divide the pool. Any hand of more or less than five cards is foul.
In addition to the standard hands, there are four that are fre quently played in the South in the United States, but which have been ranked by guess-work instead of the calculated odds against them, and therefore incorrectly. These are
skip straight, such as 2, 4, 6, 8, io, played to beat two pairs; but should rank between a straight and a flush, as the odds are to I against it. A tiger, seven high and deuce low, without a pair, sequence or flush; sometimes called big or little dog, and played to beat a straight or lose to a flush, but should beat a flush and lose to a full hand; 636 to I against it. Round-the-corner straight, the ace connecting the deuce and king; played to beat the smallest possible straight, which would be 5 high, as A, 2, 3, 4, 5, is not ace high, but ace low. This should rank between a full hand and four-of-a-kind, as the odds are 848 to I against it. A blaze, any five picture cards, such as two kings, two queens and a jack; played to beat two pairs and lose to triplets, but should rank just below four-of-a-kind; 3,008 to I against it.
The chances of improving any of the regulation hands by drawing to them are as follows: Drawing to one pair, the odds against getting four-of-a-kind are 359 to I ; against a full hand, 97 to 1; against triplets, 8 to 1; against two pairs, 5 to I; against any improvement, 21 to I. Holding up a "kicker" such as an ace, drawing two cards only, it is 4 to I against any improvement.
Drawing to two pairs, it is II to I against filling the hand by getting the third to either pair. Discarding the smaller pair, the chances are practically the same as drawing to one pair. Drawing to straights: If open at both ends, it is 5 to I against filling; if an interior, I I to I against filling. Drawing to triplets: Drawing two cards, it is 221 to I against getting four-of-a-kind; 141 to against getting a pair; and 81 to I against either improvement. If you draw one card only, to mask the hand, it is 46 to I against your getting four-of-a-kind; 15 to I against matching the odd card; and II to I against either improvement, as compared to 81 to I if you draw two cards. Drawing to flushes: Drawing to four cards, it is 41 to I against filling ; drawing to three cards, 23 to I against ; drawing to two cards, 96 to I against. Players often take these chances with two or three high cards of the same unit.
While a flush is easier to fill than a straight, it is harder to get the four-card flush to draw to in the first place. There are about Soo ways to get a four-card straight ; only '12 ways to get a f our card flush.