Poker Rules 2-7 Triple Draw
There are many different versions of poker, but Deuce to Seven Triple Draw or 2-7 Triple Draw is unlike most of the other common forms you might well have seen before.
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.
What makes 2-7 Triple Draw poker so unique is the fact that you are chasing the exact opposite to most other poker games. You are trying to make the lowest or worst five-card hand possible. Each player is dealt five cards which nobody else can see and there will be an option to discard and replace unwanted cards in the course of the hand. It’s an exciting game, for sure.
In this handy guide we’ll tell you the rules of Deuce to Seven Triple Draw and tell you what kind of strategy to adopt when playing it, so you can start enjoying this game straight away.
The Rules of 2-7 Triple Draw
The minimum number of player in a Deuce to Seven Triple Draw game is six. A dealer button is used in the game which indicates which player posts a small blind (the player immediately to the button’s left) and which posts the big blind (the player two places to the left of the button). Every player is then dealt five cards face down and betting begins. The player to the left of the one who played the big blind bets first and every play calls, raises or folds until each player still in the game has contributed the same amount to the pot.
2-7 Triple Draw betting As we already mentioned, all betting in 2-7 Triple Draw is done according to limit poker rules. Limit 2-7 Triple Draw allows players to make up to four bets on every street, while the value of the bet is preset. In cash games, this value does not change, while in tournaments it goes up over time. 2-7 Triple Draw – long an under-appreciated gem among poker variations – is finally seeing its moment in the sun. A lot of poker’s nosebleed action has found itself at the 2-7 Triple Draw tables lately and poker’s stars are diving in full force — be it Gus Hansen, Phil Galfond, Phil Ivey, Viktor Blom, Niklas Heinecker or Sebastian Ruthenberg. If you'd like to learn the remaining rules of 2-7 Triple Draw, keep reading. 2-7 Triple Draw Rules. Since 2-7 Triple Draw starts out exactly the same as 2-7 Single Draw, we decided to condense this article so it wouldn't be a mile long. If you've already read all of the above steps, keep reading to find out the remaining rules of 2-7 Triple.
Following this round of betting players can decide to discard any cards they don’t want and receive new ones. 0 – 5 cards can be swapped. New cards are dealt in the order which betting will continue. Discarded cards are placed by the dealer into what is known as the muck or discarded pile. New bets are made once every player has received their new cards, if they required any.
There are two further opportunities to discard and replace unwanted cards which are performed in exactly the same way as in the opening round and there is another round of betting following each of them.
If there aren’t enough cards left in the deck to complete any draw, the dealer will shuffle the cards in the muck and deal from those.
Betting in 2-7 Triple Draw
If you are familiar with Texas Hold’em then you’ll be pleased to learn that betting in Deuce to Seven Triple Draw is performed in exactly the same way. If you’re not familiar with the betting then you can learn it very quickly.
There is a small limit and a large limit. For example, a game could be $10/$20. $10 is the low limit and $20 the high limit. The high limit is general double the low limit in every single game. The first two rounds of betting will observe the low limit and the final two see the limit increased to the high limit. Every player must contribute the same amount to the pot in order to conclude a round of betting.
Hand Rankings in Deuce to Seven Triple Draw
The hand rankings of any poker game apply in 2-7 Triple Draw, it’s just that you’re looking for the worst or lowest one possible. A Royal Flush would be the absolute best hand in most other poker games, but it’s considered the worst here. Aces are high and 2s are low and it’s a 2 you will want to have, just one of them though – you don’t want two, three or four of a kind in this game.
Any straight is a terrible hand too, so 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 is one to avoid. The best possible hand is 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and is known as a Wheel. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 is known as Number Two as it’s the second best possible hand you can have. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 is known as Number Three as it’s the third best hand and the hands continue to be named in this fashion.
Other notable hands are Nut 8 which is 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, Nut 9 – 2, 3, 4, 5, 9 – and any other Nut hand which is formed in the same way.
Having a pair isn’t necessarily damaging as another player might also have one. The best pair hand you can have in 2-7 Triple Draw is 2, 2, 3, 4, 5.
It goes without saying that all the good hands mentioned above need to be off suit.
As you move up the poker hand rankings of traditional poker, the worse they become in Deuce to Seven Triple Draw. It might sound easy to end up with a hand of absolute junk, but it’s actually quite difficult as you’ll discover once you start playing.
2-7 Triple Draw Poker Strategy
There are a few things you need to remember when playing Deuce to Seven Triple Draw. The most important is that the hand ranking is the polar opposite of that which you’re used to. Instinct might well kick in and you’ll feel excited at the sight of a pair of aces but remember that they are a terrible couple of cards to be holding in this game.
You should take care when discarding and replacing cards. If you’re in a situation where you feel like you want to change 5 cards, you’re probably better off folding. As a rule, two cards is the maximum you want to change and at a push you can do it with three, although this is definitely not recommended in the final round.
As well as wanting to break up any pairs, threes of a kind or hands which are traditionally better you should also discard a lone 6. A 6 is needed in order to form any low straight and it can be quite a damaging card.
Bet in the same way as you would in other poker games, except you want people to believe that you’ve got bad or low cards rather than good or high ones. It can take a little while, but once you master Deuce to Seven Triple Draw you’ll find that it’s a lot of fun.
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
Poker Rules 2-7 Triple Drawing
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).
Poker Rules 2-7 Triple Draws
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.
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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.