Intro to 2-7 Triple Draw
Deuce to Seven Triple Draw Poker is the poker game that breaks all the rules of traditional poker. In 2-7 Triple Draw, your goal is to get the worst possible poker hand. If you're one of those poker players who always seem to get the worst poker hand, this might be the game for you!
In reality, 2-7 Triple Draw poker is a highly strategic poker game that is known for big action and big pots. It's a fun game to play but it takes a good bit of study to become proficient at it.
The first step in learning Deuce to Seven Triple Draw is to get the rules down pat. The concept of the game is easy to understand but it's also easy to get confused by which hands win and which hands lose. It goes against all the basics of poker so you'll have to get used to looking for the worst poker hands.
Deuce to Seven Triple Draw Poker Rules
The best poker hand in 2-7 Triple Draw is the one that would be considered the worst by all other poker standards. If you end up with a hand that has no pairs, no straights and no flushes, you have a pretty strong hand in Deuce to Seven.
The best possible hand in 2-7 is the hand 2 3 4 5 7. This hand contains the four lowest cards that don't make a straight. 2 3 4 5 6 would be a strong hand but it contains a straight, which actually makes it a weak hand.
In Deuce to Seven Triple Draw, Aces are always considered high and straights, flushes and pairs count against you.
Blinds and Dealer Button
The set up of each hand is similar to that of Texas Holdem. There is a dealer's button which is a flat round disc that's used to represent the dealer each hand. In games that use a full time dealer (such as in a casino) the dealer's button is still used because it represents position and makes sure each person has a chance to pay the blinds.
At the beginning of each hand, the dealer's button moves on seat to the left. The two players to the left of the dealer's button pay the small blinds and big blinds. The person to the immediate left of the dealer pays the small blind and the player to the left of the small blind pays the big blind.
These blinds act as forced antes to start each pot with a little money in the middle. The small blind is equal to half the value of the big blind. The big blind is equal in size to the small bet. So in a $5/$10 2-7 Triple Draw game, the small blind is $2.50 and the big blind is $5.
Deal and First Betting Round
After the blinds have been posted, each person is dealt five cards face down, one at a time, clockwise around the table.
The first player to the left of the big blind starts the betting. He may check, bet or fold. After that player makes his action, the betting continues clockwise around the table until all the bets have been matched.
First Draw and Second Betting Round
After all the bets have been matched in the first round of betting, each player remaining in the hand may now pick to discard any number of cards from his or her hand. Then each player receives one new card for each card he discarded.
Next there is a second round of betting, beginning with the first active player to the left of the dealer. The betting continues clockwise around the table until all the bets have been matched.
Second Draw and Third Betting Round
Now there is a second round of drawing just like the first round. Each player may discard as many cards as he or she wishes and receive new cards.
The third betting round is played identically to the second betting round.
Third Draw and Fourth Betting Round
The third draw is played just the same as in the last two draws. Each player may discard as many cards as he or she wishes and receive new cards.
After that there is one final round of betting beginning with the first active player to the left of the dealer.
Showdown
After all the bets from the fourth betting round have been matched, the remaining players show their hands. The player with the best 2-7 Triple Draw hand (the worst traditional poker hand) wins the pot.
Hand Values
Hand values can be a little confusing for new Deuce to Seven Triple Draw players. Remember - aces are always high and pairs, straights and flushes count against you. Here ten 2-7 Triple Draw hands ranked in order from strongest to weakest:
You'll notice that hands some hands that start with lower cards are still ranked worse than cards that start with higher cards. That is because 2-7 Triple Draw hands are ranked in strength according to the highest card in the hand.
A hand that starts with a deuce but ends with an Ace is actually worse than a hand that starts with a 4 but ends with a K. Remember, Deuce to Seven Triple Draw hands are ranked from the top down and not from the bottom up.
Deuce to Seven Basic Strategy
You don't get to see any of your opponents' cards in 2-7 Triple Draw until the showdown so you have to rely on playing strong cards for yourself, knowing which hands to chase and which hands to throw away and be able to watch your opponents' betting patterns for clues to their hands.
This basic 2-7 Triple Draw strategy guide will be broken down into three parts: starting hands, playing your own hands and observing your opponents' hands.
2-7 Triple Draw Starting Hands
Picking the right hands to play in 2-7 triple draw is important because if you play weak hands, you'll end up paying a lot of money to chase weak draws. Strong starting hands in 2-7 triple draw are hands that contain at least 3 or 4 cards 8 or lower.
Be wary of hands that contain a 6. These aren't automatic discard hands but the 6 makes it easy for you to accidentally draw cards that give you a dreaded straight. If you have a starting hand like 4-5-6-7-K, you will probably want to discard both the king and the 6.
Why is this? Because if you just discard the K, you'll be left with 4-5-6-7, meaning that any 3 or 8 you draw will ruin your hand. The only good cards you can get here are a deuce and a 9, and the 9 is a little weak. If you discard the 6 and the K, you'll have to draw more cards but you'll be able to catch a 2, 3 or 8 to have a strong hand.
Don't be afraid to raise strong starting hands in 2-7. Your opponents will often call with weaker hands and you'll win the pot against those hands more often than you will lose it. Sometimes you'll miss your draw but you'll make money in the long run if you can get your opponents to put money in the pot early on with weak starting hands.
Playing Your Own Hands
A lot of cards get handed out in 2-7 Triple Draw so it takes a pretty strong hand to win most showdowns. As a general rule, you shouldn't go to showdown with any hand that has a high card of 9 or higher. Most pots in 2-7 Triple Draw are won by 8 high or lower.
Any hand with a 7 high will win the pot the majority of the time. If you get a hand in which the highest card is a 7 and you don't have a pair, straight or flush in your hand, you should bet it as much as you can. You'll win the pot most of the time so get in there and build that pot.
8 high hands will also win a good percentage of the time. If you have an 8 high hand, you should start betting and charging your opponents to try to draw to lower hands. Slowplaying is a bad idea in 2-7 Triple Draw because your opponents don't know what you have and they have many opportunities to try to outdraw you. Don't slowplay.
Observing Your Opponents' Hands
You don't get to see any of your opponents' cards during the course of the hand so you have to rely on a combination of betting patterns and physical tells. Betting patterns are much more reliable than physical tells, however.
The most obvious clue to a sign of strength is when your opponent stops drawing cards and instead stands pat. This means your opponent is either satisfied with his hand or he is setting up a bluff by acting like he is satisfied with his hand.
The more people that are in the pot, the more likely it is your opponent is not bluffing when he stands pat. Even new players get the idea that if there are several people in the pot, it's going to be hard to pull of a bluff in 2-7 Triple Draw.
Physical tells are much more difficult to pick up but if you find a reliable tell, it can prove to be quite profitable. Don't be too quick to act on tells, however, until you're sure it's a legitimate, reliable tell.
To pick up on tells, try watching a single opponent for a few rounds of play and note how he reacts when he sees his cards and what kinds of cards he ends up with at the showdown. You can also watch how he reacts and then see how many cards he draws. If you see a connection between his physical reaction and his betting patterns, you may be on to something.