Deuce to Seven Triple Draw Rules
Deuce to Seven Triple Draw Lowball is a popular poker variation that you’ll often find in home games and in live and online poker room. It was once popular only among high rollers, but the advent of the Internet has made it possible for players of all backgrounds to give it a shot.
2-7 Triple Draw is a lowball form of poker, which means the worst traditional poker hand is the best hand in this game. The rules are pretty simple but understanding the hand rankings can be confusing for beginners. Once you get the hang of what beats what, however, you’ll have an easy time with the rest of the game.
Hand Values
You want to get the worst poker hand in Triple Draw. Straights, flushes, and pairs count against you, and Aces are always considered high. The best hand is 2-3-4-5-7 unsuited.
After that, the next best hand would be 2-3-4-6-7 unsuited. The hand 2-3-4-5-6 wouldn’t be considered a good one because it contains a straight and is therefore not likely to win.
Triple Draw hands are ranked starting with the highest card in the hand and then working down. If two hands have the same high card, then the next highest card is used to determine the winner. For example:
The hand 2-3-4-5-K would lose against 6-8-T-J-Q even though it appears to have more lower cards. All we need to know is that the King is higher than the Queen so the hand with the Queen is the winner.
Here are a couple of example hands, listed from best to worst:
- 2-3-4-5-7
- 2-3-4-6-7
- 2-3-4-6-8
- 3-4-5-6-T
- 2-2-4-6-7 (the pair weakens this hand)
- 2-3-4-5-5 (the pair weakens this hand even more)
*Assume all hands in the list above are unsuited.
Blinds and Deal
Triple Draw is played with blinds just like Texas Hold'em. At the beginning of each hand, the player to the left of the dealer pays the small blind (half a bet) and the player to the left of the small blind pays the big blind (a full bet).
The dealer’s position is marked by a button that moves clockwise around the table. Individual players don’t have to deal if there is a full-time dealer, but the dealer’s button keeps the game moving so that each player has to pay the blinds at some point.
After the blinds have been paid, the dealer gives each player five cards face down. The cards are dealt one at a time, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer.
First Betting Round
The first betting round begins immediately after the cards have been dealt. The betting starts with the player to the left of the big blind and moves clockwise around the table. The first player may call the blinds to stay in, fold, or raise. If any player raises, all the other players at the table must at least match that raise or fold.
If the game is played with a fixed limit structure, the first betting round uses small bets.
First Draw
The players now discard as many cards as they wish and receive new cards from the deck. This begins with the player to the left of the dealer and continues clockwise around the table.
Second Betting Round
There is a second round of betting that begins with the first player to the left of the dealer. The action then continues clockwise around the table. This round also uses small bets.
Second Draw
This draw is identical to the previous draw. The players may discard as many cards as they wish and receive new ones from the deck.
Third Betting Round
This betting round is played in the same manner as the previous betting round, except now you use big bets. If you were at a $10/$20 table, $20 would be the betting increment.
Third Draw
There is one last draw identical to the previous draw.
Fourth Betting Round
The fourth and final betting round is played identically to the previous round.
Showdown
The remaining players now have a showdown to determine the winner. Each player reveals his hole cards and the player with the lowest hand wins the pot. If only one player remains after the last betting round, that player may collect the pot without showing his cards.
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