2 7 Triple Draw Rules
2-7 single draw is an older card game that was played in the Wild West. The game is only available at PokerStars but has made somewhat of a comeback in recent years. It was one of the few games played when the WSOP was just in its beginning years. 2-7 single draw is a challenging game for most people because the objective is to acquire the lowest hand instead of the highest. 2-7 Triple Draw or Deuce to Seven Triple Draw is a lowball variant of Draw poker. In lowball poker, the lowest hand wins. There are numerous ways to rank hands in lowball poker, to learn the details of deuce to seven rankings click hereand find out more on poker hand rankings. For a simple overview for more experienced players, in 2-7 straights and flushes count against low hands. Aces are always high. Triple Klondike Solitaire Turn One Game is a type of Klondike Card Games. Play free card games online at webofsolitaire.com &how to play this patience card game Solitaire Decks Background Options 0:00 Score: 0 0 moves. The player with the best five-card 2-7 hand wins the pot. After the pot is awarded to the best hand, a new game of 2-7 Triple Draw is ready to be played. If two or more hands have the same value, the pot is equally split among them. There is no rank of suit for the purposes of awarding the pot.
In this lesson we will examine the basics of 2-to-7 Triple Draw, which is a form of lowball and is sometimes referred to as “Kansas City Lowball”. In this game players have the opportunity to discard and draw to try and improve their hands – although the objective of 2-to-7 Triple Draw is to make the best low hand.
In 2-to-7 Triple Draw, aces are always high and flushes, pairs and straights count against a player’s hand. Under these rules, 2-3-4-5-6 is not a winning hand (because it is a straight). Players must break up their pairs, straights and flushes and hope to draw low cards to improve their hands.
As the name suggests, the best possible hand is 2-3-4-5-7, also know as a “seven-low”:
It can be any combination of suits (without making a flush) and these are the lowest five cards that don’t contain a pair or make a straight or a flush.
The Setup
The typical setup of 2-to-7 Triple Draw is as follows:
- A full table seats a maximum of 6 players
- It is typically played using a fixed-limit betting structure
- Blinds are used like in Texas hold’em and Omaha
- Each player receives five face down cards to begin
The Drawing Rounds
After the deal there is a round of betting. At the end of the first betting round, the first active player to the left of the dealer button can choose to draw cards to improve their hand. The player can also choose to “stand pat” and keep the hand as it is. Each player is in turn afforded the same opportunity of drawing cards.
After the first drawing round, another round of betting occurs, starting with the first player to the left of the dealer button. Once the players have called all the bets, players can choose either to draw again or stand pat.
After the second drawing round in a fixed-limit game, the minimum bet doubles. The remaining players draw a third time, followed by a final betting round. The remaining players then go to a showdown, with the winner taking down the pot.
In summary, there are three drawing rounds and four betting rounds (one before the initial draw). In a fixed-limit game the opening two betting rounds are small bets, and the betting doubles for the third and fourth betting round. The game can also be played with just one drawing round, and that version of the game is called 2-to-7 single draw.
The Showdown
2-to-7 Triple Draw rules dictate that the player counts from the highest card in his hand down to the lowest. It’s also much easier to work out your hand is you count backwards from the highest card rather than up from the lowest.
Here are some examples:
This would win against the following hand:
The first hand wins because it has the lowest high card (a nine vs. a ten).
If two hands share high cards of the same value, the next-highest card breaks the tie. For example:
Is lower than:
If hands share the same two highest cards then the winner would be determined by the third, fourth and then fifth card if necessary.
2-to-7 Triple Draw Strategy
As with many lowball-type games, the drawing strategy may appear counterintuitive to players accustomed to games where high cards, straights and flushes are winning hands.
Players accustomed to Texas Hold’em and other stud games often encounter obstacles when making the transition to draw poker, primarily due to a lack of information about their opponent’s cards. Players therefore need to rely on the betting patterns and drawing habits of their foes. When a hand reaches a showdown you will get to see the hands your opponent plays. This is critical information that will help shape your strategy – provided you have been observant and studied your opponent’s betting patterns, drawing habits and other subtle clues.
With the widening popularity of poker games like Texas Hold’em and Omaha, players can easily forget about the other varieties of the game. For players looking for a break from their regular game, 2-to-7 Triple Draw can prove both an entertaining distraction and a fascinating challenge.
Related Lessons
By Gerald Hanks
Gerald Hanks is from Houston Texas, and has been playing poker since 2002. He has played cash games and no-limit hold’em tournaments at live venues all over the United States.