Draw Poker.

Starting

• Choose a public table in the lobby, or enter a private table's access code.
• Buy in within the table's displayed minimum and maximum. The buy-in moves from your shared account balance to that table.
• Type start when at least two eligible players are seated. Later hands begin automatically.
• Every seated player pays the ante, including a player who is away. Use away to sit out, or back when you are ready again.

Play sequence

1. At the start of each hand, the dealer position moves to the next available player. Five cards are dealt, and the player to the dealer's left begins the first betting round; the dealer acts last.
2. On your turn, bet, call, check, raise, or go all in. The default turn time is 60 seconds and may be changed between hands or while the table is paused. An unanswered turn folds automatically. You may fold at any point during betting or drawing; you do not need to wait for your turn.
3. During the first betting round in the installed client, press Alt+1 through Alt+5 to prepare cards for discard. The selection remains until the draw phase. Then press D or use the Discard selected cards button. Use stand to keep all five. You may normally discard up to three cards; a hand with one unpaired ace may discard four.
4. A second betting round follows. Remaining players show their hands, and the best poker hand wins the pot. Side pots and tied pots are handled automatically.

Regular draw and Jacks or Better

Regular draw has no restriction on the first bet.

Jacks or Better changes only the opening of the first betting round: the player who makes the first bet must hold a pair of jacks, queens, kings, or aces. This is not a requirement to win the hand. Once someone opens, normal calling, raising, drawing, and showdown rules apply to everyone.

The first seated player may choose mode regular or mode jacks before another player joins and before a hand starts.

Table choices

• While alone, before a hand, the first seated player can set stakes with stakes <ante> <minimum bet> <minimum raise> <minimum buy-in> <maximum buy-in>.
• pause pauses new hands after the current hand. resume starts play again when enough players are ready.
• When you leave a table, its remaining table-stack chips return to your shared account balance.

Type help in the game

Once you enter any Twilight Keep game, type help and press Enter to read the current commands and keyboard shortcuts for that game. This keeps the instructions accurate as games grow and improve.

At a Draw Poker table, say help explains table chat, and say history reads its last ten messages.

Installed-client keyboard shortcuts

Single-key shortcuts work when the command box is empty. Alt-key shortcuts work from anywhere in the table window:

• 1 through 5: read the corresponding card.
• H: read your hand strength.
• A: read your chips.
• P: read the pot.
• T: name the player whose turn it is.
• C: check or call.
• F: fold.
• D: submit the cards prepared for discard.
• M: bet the pot when no bet exists, or raise by the current pot after a bet.
• Alt+1 through Alt+5: select or unselect the corresponding card for discard.
• Alt+A: go away or return.
• Alt+P: pause or resume when table controls allow it.
• Alt+M: go all in.
• Alt+J: take an available seat while in the observation deck.

For a custom raise, type R, a space, and the amount, then press Enter.

To read the seated players and dealer position, enter /dealer. Begin other longer commands with a slash when their first letter is an immediate shortcut, such as /help, /mode regular, or /time slow.

Select Observe in the lobby to watch public game activity without taking a seat or buying in. Hidden cards remain private.

The installed Draw Poker client has optional table sounds. Use its Table sounds checkbox, volume control, and Test table sounds button to choose what works for you; no sound is required for play.

Let people play their own game

Every player chooses how to use their own chips. If Jim bets 2,500 chips, you can call or fold; there is no need to berate Jim for playing boldly with his chips.

Do not share a private-table access code unless you intend to invite someone. If you lose connection, return through the lobby. A service restart returns seated chips to your shared account balance.