Official Poker Rules BoardDocument OPR-313 · Updated 28 September 2026

Game rules · Draw

Seven Card Draw Poker Rules

In Seven Card Draw, each player is dealt seven cards face down, bets, and may then exchange up to four of them once. After a second betting round, each remaining player keeps their best five cards, and the best five-card poker hand wins. The game is a minor variant played mainly in the Netherlands.

Also known as 7 Card Draw Poker, Seven Card Draw

Players: 2 to 4 is best
Cards per player: 7 (best 5 play)
Draw: 0 to 4 cards, once
Betting rounds: 2
Forced bets: Small and big blind

Article 1Players, deck and objective

1.1

The object of the game is to win the pot, either by holding the best five-card hand at showdown or by making a bet that no other player calls.

1.2

The game is played with a standard 52-card deck with no wild cards. Hands rank according to the standard poker hand rankings.

1.3

Because each player receives seven cards and may draw up to four more, the game works best with no more than four players. With four players, a full draw uses at most 44 cards.

1.4

With seven cards to choose from, strong hands are more common than in Five Card Draw, and players should expect higher-ranking hands at showdown.

Article 2Blinds and the deal

2.1

Before the deal, the player to the dealer's left posts the small blind and the next player to the left posts the big blind. The size of the blinds is agreed in advance; the small blind shall be half the big blind.

2.2

Many groups also require an ante from every player in addition to the blinds. The dealer shall announce any ante before the deal.

2.3

The dealer deals each player seven cards face down, one at a time, clockwise.

Article 3Betting rounds and the draw

Stage	What happens	First to act
First betting round	After seven cards are dealt	Player to the left of the big blind
Draw	Exchange 0 to 4 cards, once	Player to the left of the big blind
Second betting round	Minimum bet doubled	Player to the dealer's left
Showdown	Discard two, best five play	Last player to bet or raise

3.1

The first betting round begins with the player to the left of the big blind. Each player may fold, call or raise. The blinds are live and may raise when the action returns to them.

3.2

After the first betting round, each remaining player in turn, beginning with the first active player to the left of the big blind, has one opportunity to discard from none to four cards and receive the same number of replacements.

3.3

If the deck runs out during the draw, the cards already discarded are shuffled to form a new stock, from which the remaining players' replacements are dealt.

3.4

After the draw there is a second betting round, begun by the first active player to the dealer's left. A player may check. A player who bets must bet at least twice the final bet of the first round, or twice the big blind if no one raised in the first round.

Article 4Showdown

4.1

If more than one player remains after the second betting round, each player discards two cards and keeps five. The best five-card poker hand wins the pot.

4.2

A player's discards at showdown do not count. Only the five cards kept are compared.

4.3

Hands of equal rank are compared card by card on the five cards kept. If the five-card hands are identical, the pot is split.

Example

The minimum bet after the draw

The blinds are 5 and 10. In the first round one player raises to 20 and two others call.

After the draw, the minimum bet is twice the final bet of the first round: 40. Had no one raised, the minimum would have been twice the big blind: 20.

Example

Choosing five from seven

Player A ends with 9♠9♦9♣5♥5♠K♣2♦. A discards the king and the two and keeps a full house, nines full of fives.

Player B ends with 8♦7♦6♦5♦4♣K♦2♠. B could keep a straight (8-7-6-5-4) or a flush (K-8-7-6-5 of diamonds), and keeps the flush.

A full house beats a flush, so Player A wins.

Article 5How it differs from Five Card Draw

Seven cards are dealt instead of five, and the best five play.
Up to four cards may be exchanged, compared with the usual three in Five Card Draw.
Blinds are standard, and the draw begins to the left of the big blind.
The minimum bet after the draw is tied to the size of the last bet before it.
Fewer players can take part, because each hand uses more cards.

Article 6Strategy notes

Because every player sees seven cards and can exchange four, hands such as two pairs win far less often than in Five Card Draw.
With two spare cards at showdown, a player can keep draws to two different hands through the exchange.
Players who draw few cards are more likely to hold a made hand, as in any draw game.

Article 7Frequently asked questions

How many cards can you draw in Seven Card Draw?

From none to four, once, after the first betting round.

How many cards do you use in Seven Card Draw?

Five. At showdown each player discards two of their seven cards and plays the best five-card poker hand.

Who bets first after the draw in Seven Card Draw?

The first active player to the dealer's left. Before the draw, the player to the left of the big blind acts first.

How many players can play Seven Card Draw?

It works best with up to four. With more, the deck may run out during the draw, and the discards must be reshuffled.

Final authority

Where any doubt remains in the application of this document, Rob is right.

Hand rankings, high to low: royal flush · straight flush · four of a kind · full house · flush · straight · three of a kind · two pair · one pair · high card. Suits never break ties.

Seven Card Draw Poker Rules · OPR-313 · officialpokerrules.com/seven-card-draw-poker/

OPR-313Uncontrolled when printed