Poker Triple Draw 2 7 Lowball
Lowball is a version of draw poker in which the lowest or “worst” hand wins. According to poker historians, the game first came into vogue in the United States after the turn of the 20th century. Since then, lowball has spread to card rooms around the world, gaining even more popularity in the new millennium as it became a championship event at the annual World Series of Poker (WSOP).
2-7 Triple Draw is a draw variant of poker and uses a lowball hand ranking system. In draw variants, players may discard cards from their hand and replace them with cards from the deck. The draw typically occurs before each betting round and occurs three times in 2-7 Triple Draw hence the name “Triple Draw”. How to Play 2-7 Triple Draw Online and Win. When you play 2-7 Triple Draw, the best hand is 7-5-4-3-2, and it must not be of the same suit. This hand is referred to as “the wheel” or “the nuts”. Furthermore, flushes, straights, and pairs will count against your hand. In Triple Draw Lowball, the ACE is a high card, always. No Simple Recipe for 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball. 2-7 Triple Draw is a fascinating game characterized by a lot of swings. Be aware of this before you begin. There is no simple recipe for 2-7 Triple Draw as there is none for any poker game. As a rule of thumb, we advise you to start as a solid player. Play tight-aggressive and select your hands. The WSOP offers several tournaments of 2-7 Triple Draw, also referred to as 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw. The buy-ins range from $1,500 to $10,000. In 2018, the $10,000 2-7 Triple Draw event at the WSOP in Las Vegas attracted 109 entries for a total prize pool of $1,024,600. 2-7 Triple Draw is a form of ‘lowball’ draw poker. Until recently, the game wasn’t particularly popular but thanks to it’s introduction at various online poker sites and it presence in some mixed game rotations, the player base for this variant has grown in recent years.
Most notable among the many variants of lowball poker is the one known as Deuce to Seven Lowball (Single Draw) or Kansas City Lowball. On the WSOP schedule, it is most often listed as “2-7 Draw Lowball.” It differs quite greatly from other low-hand games such as Seven Card Razz or Omaha 8 in that flushes and straights count against low hand values and Aces are always high. That means the very best hand possible is an unsuited 7-5-4-3-2, hence the name “2-7” or “Deuce to Seven.” Additionally, this game features a drawing round, unlike its stud poker relatives.
Like all other professional tournament level games, 2-7 Draw Lowball is played with a standard 52-card deck. Each hand begins with forced bets called “blinds.” The player seated to the left of the dealer button must post the “small blind,” a nominal amount related to the betting minimum at the table. The player seated to the left of the small blind must post the “big blind,” which is twice as much as the small blind.
Some versions of 2-7 Draw Lowball are also played with an “ante.” This is another form of forced wagering, with each player required to place a small initial bet in the pot in addition to the blinds prior to the deal.
Once the blinds and/or antes have been made, every active player receives five cards dealt face down. No cards are revealed. Players evaluate the relative merits of their hands and a round of betting ensues, beginning with the player seated to the left of the big blind, a position referred to as “under the gun.” In turn going clockwise around the table, each player has the opportunity to call, raise or fold.
Poker Triple Draw 2 7 Lowball
All of the players remaining in the hand after the first betting interval now have the opportunity to “draw” cards. In other words, they may attempt to improve their hands by discarding from one to all five of the cards they were originally dealt and receive new cards as replacements. Any player who is satisfied with the original five cards dealt may choose not to participate in the draw by “standing pat.”
As soon as the draw has been completed, a second round of betting occurs, starting with the last player to have raised in the first round. If no player raised, then the betting begins with the first active player seated to the left of the dealer button, who has the option to check, bet or fold. If no bet is made, the following players also have the option to check, bet or fold. If a bet is made, subsequent players may raise, call or fold. Betting continues in this fashion until there are no more raises.
If more than one player remains in the hand at the end of the second betting round, a “Showdown” takes place. The last player to have raised shows his or her hand first, followed by the other remaining players in clockwise rotation. The player holding the best low hand takes the entire pot. In case of identical winning hands, the pot is split equally amongst them.
One special rule for 2-7 Draw Lowball regards occasions when more cards are needed for the draw than the number remaining in the deck. In such cases, the cards in the original stub plus all of the cards discarded by inactive players are shuffled together to make a new stub and play continues from that point using the new stub. The discards of active players are not used in the reshuffle, so that no one will receive back a card previously discarded.
This week, we will begin a series on 8-game play. The 8-game mix is increasingly becoming the true test of poker over even HORSE. It has officially become the game of choice for the $50,000 Event at the World Series of Poker. Over the next few weeks, we will give you some basic tips for each game in the 8-game mix. This week, we will begin with Triple Draw 2-7 lowball.
Two or One Card Draws
While you will see many players taking part in nearly every hand before the first draw, you are going to want to stick with hands that require just one or two cards to complete the hand.
Three and four card sevens and eights are what you are going to be looking for and in the case of a four-card seven or eight, you will likely want to throw in a raise. When drawing, you want to be careful drawing to an open-ended hand like 7-6-5-4 as you lose eight outs immediately due to straights.
Poker Triple Draw 2 7 Lowball Rules
Push Made Hands
When you make your hands in this game prior to the third draw, you need to bet them. If you are dealt a pat hand, you need to become aggressive immediately. This way, you’ll often push out weaker draws of three cards or more.
The only exception would be if you draw to the wheel (7-5-4-3-2) at which case you want them to catch up or bluff into you. Of course, if you have an opponent that’s prone to call you regardless, you can still bet a wheel.
One huge mistake that some players make is that they choose not to push a somewhat weaker made hand like a made nine or ten because they are afraid of losing bets when someone draws out on them. Playing this timidly will allow players to suck out a higher percentage of the time than normal.
Snowing
There are times where you will want to bluff, especially after the final draw. This is referred to as snowing in Triple Draw. For example, if you drew one card the entire way and missed your draw, you may decide to snow into someone that drew two cards. You’re likely on a big draw and unless they have pot odds, they may get out of your way.
Adversely, you may want to call down with weaker hands when you think that the player could be snowing. If a player is prone to bet their hands regardless of holdings, then you’ll want to consider calling a potential snow.
Call Bets At the End with Made Hands
Quite often you will see a player drawing one card lead out after that draw trying to represent a made hand. Since the final draw is a great bluffing opportunity, do not be afraid to look up another player with a weaker hand like a made nine or even a made ten.
An aggressive player or one in position may also bet a weaker hand like jack or even a king. You will find that a solid percentage of the time the player that led out after drawing one did so with a jack or worse in his hand, or on a pure bluff.
A Solid Approach Works Well
2-7 Triple Draw is one game of the 8-Game mix where you can do well playing tight the majority of the time. That’s because there will be many players coming in with weaker hands and continuing when they shouldn’t. Playing snugly will give you a good shot at picking up some chips during a lowball round.
Next week, we will take a brief look at the next game in the Eight Game rotation, Limit Hold’em.