2 7 Single Draw Strategy
- 10 Game Mix At Full Tilt Poker is a popular place to play rare and somewhat unheard of variants of poker. We analyze each variant in this guide.
- You can also find 2-7 single draw occasionally, but it’s quite rare. Deuce to seven betting limits can include fixed limit, pot limit, and no limit. 2-7 Triple Draw Strategy. Deuce to seven triple draw strategies have the same major themes as Texas hold’em and Omaha, but include quite a few.
Learning how to play poker is not difficult. The basic rules of most games can be learned in just a few minutes. Don’t worry if you’ve never played a hand of poker before as we’ve put together a quick guide on the rules of poker.
The games listed below are the games you’ll see on the majority of online poker sites. Familiarity with these rules will have you ready to play online poker anywhere.
2-7 Triple Draw is an older poker game that has rebounded quite well since 2009. I expect the future to bring record levels of players to the Triple Draw tables. The recent success of 2-7 Triple Draw is largely due to the success of another poker game, 8-Game Mix.This is a mixed poker variant available exclusively at PokerStars that includes Triple Draw. The following table summarizes the relationship of typical rules that you will find in a 3-2 single-deck game and the corresponding house edge against a basic strategy player. You will be hard pressed to find a multiple-deck game with house edges as low as a single-deck, 3-2 game, with H17 and RSA (0.16%) or just H17 (0.19%).
Texas Hold’em
Texas Hold’em is the most popular form of poker in the world, primarily due to heavy TV exposure since 2003. The object of the game is to make your best five card hand with two cards in your hand, known as hole or pocket cards, and five community cards in the middle of the table.
The dealer position is marked by a white disc or button known as the dealer button. Prior to dealing cards, two players to the left of the button must place forced bets known as blinds. The first bet is the small blind and the second the big blind. The big blind is twice the size of the small blind.
After blinds are posted, each player receives two cards face down. These are known as hole cards. A round of betting follows. Afterward, the first three community cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. This is the flop. The second round of betting follows.
Next, a fourth community card is dealt face up. This is the turn, followed by more betting. Afterward, the final community card is dealt face up, known as the river. One final round of betting follows and then players showdown.
Players make their best five card hand using two cards in their hand and the five on board. Note that you can make your hand with any combination of cards. In some cases, the five cards on the board will be the best hand. This is called playing the board.
The player with the best five-card hand takes the pot. In the event that two or more players have the same hand, the pot is divided evenly between those players.
Omaha Poker
Omaha poker is the second most popular form of poker in the world and the most popular in Europe. It’s very similar to Hold’em but with two distinct differences.
First, players receive four hole cards pre-flop instead of two cards. Next, the object of Omaha poker is to make your best five-card hand using only two cards in your hand and only three cards on the board.
For example, if your hole cards are Kh-Jh-10h-8s and the board is Ah-Qh-2c-7h-3d, you have an ace-high flush and not a royal flush. You can only play the KJ and Jh, not the Kh-Jh-10h.
Otherwise, the rules of Omaha are exactly the same as Texas Hold’em in every way from posting of the blinds to the dealing of community cards. As such, many Hold’em players pick Omaha poker as the next game they learn.
A popular variant of Omaha is Omaha 8 or Better or Omaha Hi-Lo. This game is exactly the same as regular Omaha but has a split pot element. In a Hi-Lo game, the pot is often split between the high hand and a qualifying low hand.
A low hand is five unique cards eight and below. For example, 7-5-3-2-A would be a low hand. The best low hand is a wheel, or Ace-to-Five straight. When a player manages to win both the high and low hands, they scoop the pot.
Note that in Hi-Lo, you do not have to use the same two hole cards to make your hand. For example, if you hold Ac-2c-Kh-Jh and the board is 3d-4h-9h-10h-5s, you can use the A-2 for a wheel and the Kh-Jh to complete your flush.
Stud Poker
Stud poker was the most popular form of poker in casinos prior to the rise of Texas Hold’em and it has enjoyed a rebirth thanks to mixed games. The object of the game is to make your best five card hand out of seven cards in your hand. Every player receives their own hand in Stud poker and community cards are almost never used.
Prior to receiving cards, each player must place a small forced bet called an ante. After everyone antes, players receive three cards. Stud games do not use a dealer button and cards are dealt clockwise starting at Seat 1. The first two are face down and the third is face up, also known as a door card.
The player with the lowest door card must put in a forced bet called a bring-in. It is usually twice the size of the ante. A player also has the option to complete a bet, which is the small bet amount.
For example, in a $2-$4 Stud game with .50 ante, a bring-in would be $1 and a completion $2. Note that a completion is not considered a raise.
If more than one player has the same rank of door card, then the lowest suit must bring it in. Suits are ranked alphabetically from lowest to highest – clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades.
Should the low door card choose to only post the bring-in, the next player to act can either call the bring-in or complete the bet. Once a bet is completed, raises on Third Street must occur in the completed or small bet amount. This would be $2 in our example.
After the first round of betting, players get another card face up. Fourth Street betting continues in the small bet amount with one exception. If a player catches an open pair on Fourth, they may then place a double-bet, which is the big bet amount.
When betting is completed on Fourth, players get a third upcard, known as Fifth Street. Starting on Fifth, bets double to the big bet amount. After Fifth Street betting, players receive their last upcard known Sixth Street.
Once Sixth Street betting is finished, players receive their final card face down. This is Seventh Street, but many call it the river as in Texas Hold’em.
On a rare occasion, such as five or more players continuing to the river, the dealer runs out of cards to complete river dealing. When this happens, the last card is dealt as a community card. This is a rare occurrence in live poker but happens a bit more frequently online, especially in low stakes Stud games.
After a final round of betting, the remaining players show their hands. The player with the best five-card hand wins the pot. Should more than one player have the same hand, they split the pot.
Stud poker has two variants you’ll see in online poker. The first is Stud Hi-Lo, also known as Stud 8 or Better. Like Omaha Hi-Lo, the pot is often split between the best high and low hands. Low hands are also five unique cards eight and below.
The other variant of Stud poker is Razz. Razz is a Stud played for low only. In this game, aces are low only. There are no qualifiers in Razz, so the player with the lowest five-card hand wins the pot.
Draw Poker
Draw poker was all but extinct at the start of the Poker Boom, but growing popularity in mixed games since 2006 has caused a rebirth in several variants. We’ll start by going over the simplest of variants, Five Card Draw.
Modern day Five Card Draw is played with blinds like Texas Hold’em. After posting blinds, each player is deal five cards face down.
Following a round of betting, players may then exchange cards. In online poker, players may exchange up to five cards. After cards are exchanged, a final round of betting occurs and is followed by showdown.
The player with the best five-card hand wins the pot. If more than one player has the same hand, the pot is split.
There are four Draw poker variants common to online poker and in live casino play. The most popular of the variants is Triple Draw 2-7 Lowball. In 2-7 lowball, the object is to make the lowest five-card hand.
Straights and flushes count as high only and aces are always high. This means that the lowest possible hand is an unsuited 7-5-4-3-2.
As implied in the name, Triple Draw Lowball has three draws. A round of betting occurs after each draw. Otherwise, the rules of Triple Draw are the same.
The second popular draw poker variant is NL 2-7 Single Draw. The only two differences in this variant are that there a single draw and the betting is No-Limit.
Another lowball variant is A-5 Lowball. In A-5 Lowball, straights and flushes do not count against you and aces are low, similar to Razz. Otherwise, the rules are the same as Triple Draw Lowball.
Finally, another popular Draw poker variant is Badugi. This game is a bit different than other lowball games. First, you only get four cards as opposed to five. Next, the object is to make a hand with one of each suit and without pairs.
For example, 8c-7d-6s-4h would be an eight-high Badugi. The player with the lowest Badugi hand is the winner. When a player fails to make a Badugi hand, then the player with the lowest three-card hand is the winner.
Otherwise, the rules of Badugi are the same as other forms of Lowball.
You Know How to Play – Now Get in the Game!
2-7 Single Draw Strategy
As you can see from above, the rules of poker are not difficult. Better still, online poker software will keep you on task with prompts on when to act, how much you can bet and even what your best hand is at present.
Now that you know the rules of poker, it’s time to get into the game! Ignition Poker is a great place to play and perfect for those of you new to poker. Just download and make your first deposit today and you can immediately put your newfound poker knowledge to the test.
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.
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By Gerald Hanks
2-7 Single Draw Strategy
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.