2-7 Triple Draw

1. 2 7 Triple Draw Poker
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3. 2-7 Triple Draw Betting

2-7 Triple Draw (henceforth called 'Triple Draw' and also known as 'Lowball') is a pretty form of poker where the goal is to make the worst possible five card hand. The game can only be played with a maximum of six players in a hand since there aren't enough cards in. 2-7 Triple Low Draw also referred to as Deuce to Seven Triple Draw is a poker game where the lowest poker hand wins the pot. 2-7 is in the same family as 5 Card Draw and Badugi Poker allowing you to choose a number of cards from your hand to discard and receive replacement cards in hopes of completing the best hand at the table. 2-7 (Deuce to Seven) Triple Draw. 2-7 (Deuce to Seven) Triple Draw Lowball is a poker game in which the low poker hand wins the pot at showdown. In other words, it is a form of ‘Lowball’. 2-7 Lowball Rules – How To Play NL Single Draw. 2-7 Lowball rules for NL Single Draw are simple; however, players not familiar with the Deuce to Seven ranking of hands often get confused. Of course, in lowball poker the goal is to make the lowest hand possible. In Deuce to Seven the best hand a player can make is 2-3-4-5-7.

2-7 Triple Draw (henceforth called 'Triple Draw' and also known as 'Lowball') is a pretty form of poker where the goal is to make the worst possible five card hand. The game can only be played with a maximum of six players in a hand since there aren't enough cards in the deck to ensure more could be accommodated. Players are dealt five cards and a round of betting occurs. After the first round of betting, players remaining in the hand select the cards they wish to discard and draw new cards. Another round of betting occurs. Players remaining in the hand repeat the discard/draw process for a second time. Another round of betting and then a third draw round (hence the name 'triple draw'). After the third draw, there is a final round of betting. If any players remain in the hand, a showdown occurs.

The stakes double after the second betting round much in the same way the stakes double after the turn in a limit hold'em game. So in a $1/$2 game, the bets in the first two rounds are $1 and in the last two rounds are $2. There is a no-limit form of this game in which players are awarded only one draw. That is a very different game from Triple Draw which uses limit betting. This article focuses exclusively on Triple Draw.

The best hand in Triple Draw is 23457. The 'low' hand you're trying to make in Triple Draw differs from the low hands you make in Razz, Stud Hi/Lo and Omaha Hi/Lo in two ways:

Both of these points should be read and re-read several times if you are new to Triple Draw. The 'nut low' in Stud and Omaha hands is A2345 which is known as the 'wheel'. In Triple Draw, this is not even close to the nut low, but it's technically not awful hand either. Since the Ace is only a high card, you have an Ace low, not a straight. In other words, 2345A is a better hand than 23446 because 'Ace low' is lower than a pair of fours. At any rate, neither of these hands are likely to be any good at a showdown.

It is also important to note that hands are ranked from the highest low card down. For example, 23569 (an 'nine low') is not as good as 34568 (an 'eight low'). In the event of a tie between two players, you just move onto the next card. So if both players have an 'eight low' (a somewhat common occurrence in Triple Draw), you just look to see whose next highest card is lower. For example, 23678 loses to 34568 because the first player has an 'eight-seven low' while the next player has an 'eight-six low'. Got it? Okay, good. Let's move on.

Winning Triple Draw Hands

Novice Triple Draw players lose money at the game mostly because they fail to understand what makes a good hand, what makes a decent hand, and what makes a bad hand. Any seven low will almost always be a winner. Just remember that 34567 isn't a seven low, it's a straight. An eight low will usually be good enough to win the pot. Nine lows are tricky, sometimes they're enough to win the pot, sometimes they'll lose to a seven low, an eight low, or even a better nine low. A ten low can sometimes be good enough to win. Higher than this (jack low or worse) and you're starting to press your luck.

Starting Hands and Position

As with any poker game, the importance of the quality of your starting hand depends on position. In early position, you should have a 'pat hand' (meaning you don't need to draw any cards because you were dealt a strong hand like a seven low or an eight low) or a hand that is just one card away from being strong. The only discard-two hands that I would raise with from early position are 234, 235, 236, 237, and 238.

In late position, the importance of your starting hand goes down considerably. In games that are folded to me on the button, I generally always raise regardless of my cards. Oftentimes, both of the blinds will fold and you'll win the pot right then and there. If one of the blinds call, you've got a couple of things you can do, but we'll get to that in a moment.

Position is critical in this game. If you have position on your opponent(s), you get to see how many cards they discard before having to make this decision yourself. This is incredibly valuable. For instance, suppose you have 9 7 5 3 2, a nine low. If your opponent discards two or more cards, you could consider just standing pat as it's somewhat unlikely they'll draw to a better hand. If they discard just one card, you probably need to ditch the Nine and hope to make a better low.

Opponents

Since you don't get to see any of your opponents' cards in this poker variant, it's important to learn as much as you can about their play by paying close attention to their showdown hands. Most players play very straight-forward in Triple Draw. This is especially the case in smaller stakes games where players are concerned only with their cards and not with their opponents. Try to figure out if your opponents are aggressive or passive and whether or not they always play straight-forward or are capable of running bluffs. Also take note of what hands they're taking to the showdown. Are they betting or calling bets with a jack low? Are they 'just' check-calling with an eight low? If so, they probably don't have a very good understanding of hand values which is something you can exploit.

Bad Players

Bad players are clueless and will probably keep calling bets and drawing even when it's obvious to everyone that they've got a slim chance of winning the pot. The name of the game is simple against these players: make a good hand and then punish them with value bets while they try to chase a better hand. Don't even bother trying to bluff them as they'll never fold.

Straight-Forward Players

These players are plentiful and easy to profit from. All these players are concerned with is making a good low that they can take to a showdown. This is highly exploitable. For example, say an aggressive but straight-forward player raises in the cut-off when you are in the button. Sometimes (not always) it can be smart to re-raise these players. The plan is to stand pat and keep betting trying to represent a made hand. This is called 'snowing'. If they discard two cards on the first draw, this plan has a pretty good chance of working by forcing them to fold at some point in the hand. If they discard just one card, they are pretty likely to make a strong hand at some point. You can counter this by discarding one yourself and seeing what they do on the second draw. If they stand pat, you're toast. The jig is up. Discard however many you need to in hopes of fluking your way into a strong hand and be prepared to fold when they lead out during the next betting round. However, if they discard one card again, you can stand pat representing that you got the card you wanted on the last draw. When they check, bet. They'll either fold or call. If they call, it's the same routine again on the third draw. You just have to hope they don't draw a card good enough to make them want to look you up on the showdown, but chances are they won't.

Note that 'snowing' works a lot better with hands like 55668 where you hold a lot of their outs.

Advanced Players

You won't run into too many of these types unless you're playing for higher stakes. These players realize what not many do: that Triple Draw is less about the cards than everyone thinks. You have to be careful against these players because they are capable of running bluffs and representing strong hands. Advanced players also commonly check-raise for value on the last betting round when they draw to a strong hand. This is why I strongly recommend checking behind on most rivers unless you've got a monster (a seven low or an eight low). When you hold something like a ten low, your opponent either made a better hand on the third draw or he didn't. If he did, he might very well check hoping to check-raise. If he didn't, he's not going to call your bet anyway. In other words, there's really no value in betting on the last betting round with a beatable hand like a ten low because rarely is someone going to call you with a hand that cannot beat yours.

Bluffing and Value-Betting

You can win a lot of pots by bluffing in Triple Draw, especially in pots being contested between just you and one other player. For example, let's say you're out of position on the final betting round. You draw one card and your opponent draws one card. You pair an Eight so your hand is worthless. Bet! Chances are your opponent didn't catch a very good card either so they might just fold. Anytime you're out of position when the draw is one-card, one-card on the third draw, I would bet with strong hands and total garbage and check-call with mediocre hands like King-low. Unless your opponent is super passive and never going to bet unless they filled up a monster on the end. In this case, you should bluff with a wider range and check-call with a smaller range.

A common situation in Triple Draw is when a player stands pat on the second draw and checks to you after you also stood pat. I think you should almost always bet in this situation. One of two things will be the case: you'll have a really strong hand that you should bet anyway or you'll have something that you're not sure whether or not is good (a bad eight low, a nine low or maybe a ten low). By betting with these hands, you're representing a strong hand. There are two benefits to this: a.) you might actually be able to get your opponent to fold or call and then discard one and b.) you set up an easy check-behind on the river. Some players will stand pat after the second draw with something like a ten low. When they see their opponent stand pat and bet, they might think, 'damn, this guy must have a better hand than me, I better [fold or call and ditch the ten]'. Either one of those things is great for you especially if you're holding something like a worse ten low!

Lowball or low poker is a variant of poker in which the normal ranking of hands is inverted. Several variations of lowball poker exist, differing in whether aces are treated as high cards or low cards, and whether straights and flushes are used.

Low-poker ranking[edit]

Lowball inverts the normal ranking of poker hands. There are three methods of ranking low hands, called ace-to-five low, deuce-to-seven low, and ace-to-six low. The 'ace-to-five' method is most common. A sub-variant within this category is 'high-low poker', in which the highest and lowest hands split the pot, with the highest hand taking any odd chips if the pot does not divide equally. Sometimes straights and/or flushes count in determining which hand is highest but not in determining which hand is lowest, being reckoned as a no-pair hand in the latter instance, so that a player with such a holding can win both ways and thus take the entire pot.

Lowball variants[edit]

The most popular forms of lowball are ace-to-five lowball (also known as California lowball), and deuce-to-seven lowball (also known as Kansas City lowball). Ace-to-five lowball gets its name because the best hand at that form is 5-4-3-2-A. In ace-to-five lowball straights and flushes do not prevent a hand from being low. You win by simply having the five lowest cards. Deuce-to seven lowball gets its name because the best hand at that form is 7-5-4-3-2 (not of the same suit).^[1]

Ace-to-five[edit]

Ace-to-five low is the most common method for evaluating low hands in poker, nearly universal in U.S. casinos, especially in high-low split games.

As in all low hand games, pairs count against the player. That is, any hand with no pair defeats any hand with a pair; one pair hands defeat two pair or three of a kind, etc. No-pair hands are compared starting with the highest-ranking card, just as in high poker, except that the high hand loses. In ace-to-five low, straights and flushes are ignored, and aces play as the lowest card.

For example, the hand 8-5-4-3-2 defeats 9-7-6-4-3, because eight-high is lower than nine-high. The hand 7-6-5-4-3 defeats both, because seven-high is lower still, even though it would be a straight if played for high. Aces are low, so 8-5-4-3-A defeats 8-5-4-3-2. Also, A-A-9-5-3 (a pair of aces) defeats 2-2-5-4-3 (a pair of deuces), but both of those would lose to any no-pair hand such as K-J-8-6-4. In the rare event that hands with pairs tie, kickers are used just as in high poker (but reversed): 3-3-6-4-2 defeats 3-3-6-5-A.

This is called ace-to-five low because the lowest (and therefore best) possible hand is 5-4-3-2-A, called a 'wheel'. The next best possible hand is 6-4-3-2-A, followed by 6-5-3-2-A, 6-5-4-2-A, 6-5-4-3-A, 6-5-4-3-2, 7-4-3-2-A, 7-5-3-2-A, etc.

When speaking, low hands are referred to by their highest-ranking card or cards. Any nine-high hand can be called 'a nine', and is defeated by any 'eight'. Two cards are frequently used: the hand 8-6-5-4-2 can be called 'an eight-six' and will defeat 'an eight-seven' such as 8-7-5-4-A.

Another common notation is calling a particular low hand 'smooth' or 'rough.' A smooth low hand is one where the remaining cards after the highest card are themselves very low; a rough low hand is one where the remaining cards are high. For instance, 8-7-6-3-A would be referred to as a 'rough eight,' but 8-4-3-2-A would be referred to as a 'smooth eight.' Some players refer to a hand containing a 4-3-2-A (in ace-to-five low or ace-to-six low) or a 5-4-3-2 (in deuce-to-seven low) as a 'nut' (thus, in ace-to-five or ace-to-six, a 7-4-3-2-A would be called a 'seven nut').

High-low split games with ace-to-five low are usually played cards speak, that is, without a declaration. Frequently a qualifier is required for low (typically 8-high or 9-high). Some hands (particularly small straights and flushes) may be both the low hand and the high hand, and are particularly powerful (or particularly dangerous if they are mediocre both ways). Winning both halves of the pot in a split-pot game is called 'scooping' or 'hogging' the pot. The perfect hand in such a game is called a 'steel wheel', 5-4-3-2-A of one suit, which plays both as perfect low and a straight flush high. Note that it is possible—though unlikely—to have this hand and still lose money. If the pot has three players, and one other player has a mixed-suit wheel, and a third has better straight flush, the higher straight flush wins the high half of the pot, and the two wheels split the low half, hence the steel wheel wins only a quarter of a three-way pot.

Ace-to-five lowball, a five-card draw variant, is often played with a joker added to the deck. The joker plays as the lowest card not already present in the hand (in other words, it is a wild card): 7-5-4-Joker-A, for example, the joker plays as a 2. This can cause some interesting effects for high-low split games. Let's say that Alice has 6-5-4-3-2 (called a 'straight six')--a reasonably good hand for both high and low. Burt has Joker-6-5-4-3. By applying the rule for wild cards in straights, Burt's joker plays as a 7 for high, giving him a seven-high straight to defeat Alice's six-high straight. For low, the joker plays as an ace—the lowest card not in Burt's hand—and his hand also defeats Alice for low, because his low hand is 6-5-4-3-A, lower than her straight six by one notch. Jokers are very powerful in high-low split games.

Wheel[edit]

A wheel or bicycle is the poker hand 5-4-3-2-A, regardless of suit, which is a five-high straight, the lowest-ranking of the straights.

In ace-to-five low poker, where aces are allowed to play as low and straights and flushes do not count against a hand's 'low' status, this is the best possible hand. In high/low split games, it is both the best possible low hand and a competitive high hand. The best deuce-to-seven low hand, 7-5-4-3-2, is also sometimes called 'the wheel'.

Ace-to-six[edit]

Ace-to-six low is not as commonly used as the ace-to-five low method, but it is common among home games in the eastern region of the United States, some parts of the mid-west, and also common in the United Kingdom (it is the traditional ranking of London lowball, a stud poker variant).

2 7 Triple Draw Poker

As in all lowball games, pairs and trips are bad: that is, any hand with no pair defeats any hand with a pair; one pair hands defeat two pair or trips, etc. No-pair hands are compared starting with the highest-ranking card, just as in high poker, except that the high hand loses. In ace-to-six low, straights and flushes are accounted for (as compared to Ace-to-five) and count as high (and are therefore bad), and aces play as the lowest card.

For example, the hand 8-5-4-3-2 defeats 9-7-6-4-3, because eight-high is lower than nine-high. The hand 7-6-5-4-2 defeats both, because seven-high is lower still. The hand 7-6-5-4-3 would lose, because it is a straight. Aces are low, so 8-5-4-3-A defeats 8-5-4-3-2. Also, A-A-9-5-3 (a pair of aces) defeats 2-2-5-4-3 (a pair of deuces), but both of those would lose to any no-pair hand such as K-J-8-6-4. In the rare event that hands with pairs tie, kickers are used just as in high poker (but reversed): 3-3-6-4-2 defeats 3-3-6-5-A.

It is called ace-to-six low because the best possible hand is 6-4-3-2-A (also known as a Chicago Wheel or a 64), followed by 6-5-3-2-A, 6-5-4-2-A, 6-5-4-3-A, 7-4-3-2-A, 7-5-3-2-A, etc.

When speaking, low hands are referred to by their highest-ranking card or cards. Any nine-high hand can be called 'a nine', and is defeated by any 'eight'. Two cards are frequently used: the hand 8-6-5-4-2 can be called 'an eight-six' and will defeat 'an eight-seven' such as 8-7-5-4-A.

A wild card plays as whatever rank would make the lowest hand. Thus, in 6-5-Joker-2-A, the joker plays as a 3, while in Joker-5-4-3-2 it would play as a 7 (an ace or six would make a straight).

High-low split games with ace-to-six low are usually played with a declaration.

Deuce-to-seven[edit]

2-7 Triple Draw Wiki

Deuce-to-seven low is often called Kansas City lowball (the no-limit single-draw variation) or just 'low poker'. It is almost the direct opposite of standard poker: high hand loses. It is not as commonly used as the ace-to-five low method.

As in all lowball games, pairs and trips are bad: that is, any hand with no pair defeats any hand with a pair; one pair hands defeat two pair or trips, etc. No-pair hands are compared starting with the highest-ranking card, just as in high poker, except that the high hand loses. In deuce-to-seven low, straights and flushes count as high (and are therefore bad). Aces are always high (and therefore bad).

For example, the hand 8-5-4-3-2 defeats 9-7-6-4-3, because eight-high is lower than nine-high. The hand 7-6-5-4-2 defeats both, because seven-high is lower still. The hand 7-6-5-4-3 would lose, because it is a straight. Aces are high, so Q-8-5-4-3 defeats A-8-5-4-3. In the rare event that hands with pairs tie, kickers are used just as in high poker (but reversed): 3-3-6-4-2 defeats 3-3-6-5-2.

Since the ace always plays high, A-5-4-3-2 (also called the Nut Ace) is not considered a straight; is simply ace-high no pair (it would therefore lose to any king-high, but would defeat A-6-4-3-2).

The best possible hand is 7-5-4-3-2 (hence the name deuce-to-seven low), followed by 7-6-4-3-2, 7-6-5-3-2, 7-6-5-4-2, 8-5-4-3-2, 8-6-4-3-2, etc. Hands are sometimes referred to by their absolute rank, e.g. 7-5-4-3-2 (#1, said 'number one', see table).

When speaking, low hands are referred to by their highest-ranking card or cards. Any nine-high hand can be called 'a nine', and is defeated by any 'eight'. Two cards are frequently used: the hand 8-6-5-4-2 can be called 'an eight-six' and will defeat 'an eight-seven' such as 8-7-5-4-2.

Another common notation is calling a particular low hand 'smooth' or 'rough.' A smooth low hand is one where the remaining cards after the highest card are themselves very low; a rough low hand is one where the remaining cards are high. For instance, 8-7-6-4-2 would be referred to as a 'rough eight,' but 8-5-4-3-2 would be referred to as a 'smooth eight.'

Wild cards are rarely used in deuce-to-seven games, but if used they play as whatever rank would make the lowest hand. Thus, in 7-6-Joker-3-2, the joker plays as a 4, while in Joker-5-4-3-2 it would play as a 7 (a six would make a straight).

High-low split games with deuce-to-seven low are usually played with a declaration.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'Low Ball Poker Variants'. WorldSeriesOfPoker.com. Retrieved 2009-09-27.

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