Dr. Pepper Rules

Dr. Pepper is a version of Five Card Draw poker that uses several wild cards to make the game more interesting and exciting. While you won’t find this game at any casino, it’s still a fun game to play at home with your friends. The use of so many wild cards results in bigger hands and lots of betting action.

Dr. Pepper Basics

Dr. Pepper is played with a normal deck of fifty-two cards, in which the Twos, Fours, and Tens are wild cards. This game is best played with three to six players because a lot of cards can be used in a typical hand of Dr. Pepper.

Antes

At the beginning of each hand, each player must pay a forced bet known as an “ante.” The ante is usually equal in size to 10% of the minimum bet size. In a $5/$10 game of Dr. Pepper, the antes would be $0.50.

Deal

Each player is dealt five cards face down, one at a time, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer and going clockwise around the table. In games that use a constant dealer, the dealer’s position is represented by a small disc known as the “dealer’s button.” The dealer’s button moves one seat to the left at the beginning of each hand.

First Betting Round

After all the players have had a chance to examine their cards, a round of betting begins with the player to the left of the dealer. This player may call, raise, or fold. The action then continues clockwise around the table until each player has had a chance to act. If any player makes a raise, the other players at the table must either match that amount or fold.

This betting round is played using the small betting amount. In a $5/$10 game, all bets during this round would be placed in increments of $5.

Draw

After the first betting round has been completed, the players may now discard up to three cards from their hands and draw new cards from the deck. Unlike Five Card Draw, three discards is the absolute maximum in this game. There are too many wild cards in the deck to allow players to draw more than three cards.

Second Betting Round

The second betting round is played beginning with the player sitting across from the dealer. If there is no player directly across from the dealer, the betting begins with whoever is closest to being across from the dealer.

This betting round is played using the larger betting amount. In the same $5/$10 game, all bets would now be placed in increments of $10. The betting continues clockwise around the table until all the players have either matched the other players’ bets or folded.

Showdown

Any players remaining after the previous betting round now reveal their cards. The player with the best five card poker hand wins the pot. Remember; Twos, Fours and Tens are all wild cards in this game.