2-7 Triple Draw
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:
•Aces
are always high.
•Straights and flushes count against your
hand.
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.
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.
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
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, 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.
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 PlayersBad 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 PlayersThese 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 PlayersYou 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.
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!
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