Just Poker Talk

2-7 Triple Draw is a very unique and fun (in my opinion) variation on a draw game in the poker world. The two main differences between it and Texas Hold’em are that each player receives five initial cards and ends with five cards from which they can make a hand instead of two hole cards and seven total cards in Hold’em, and that each player is allowed to exchange the cards they are initially delt for other cards (inplace of having any community cards or cards which would make the hand larger than five (as in Stud).

Learning the rules can be easily done just by reading this entry, but it takes much longer to learn how to win, and a lifetime (if you are lucky) to master.

Before I start with the rules, it is important to first grasp what hand will be the “winner”.

The winner:

First off, in order to make a winning hand, you must use all five of your five cards (a given, as you cannot NOT use them as they are all in your hand! lol) to make your 5-card hand.

The hand ranking is low wins, but the ranking is a bit different than games like Razz. In 2-7 Triple Draw, Aces are high instead of low, and flushes and straights count against the lowness of a hand. This may sound like it complicates the gameplay, but once you catch on, (which will happen fast) all is good!

Now, it is already in the name of the game, but I will state it anyway =). The game is triple draw, in that you get to draw three times. A draw is when you choose any number from zero to all five of your hole cards to throw back and exchange for different, new cards. In 5 Card Draw only one draw occurs. Because there are so many cards flying around the table to each player, the winning hand is normally quite low, so if you get stuck with a face card (if you stay in late enough with them to get stuck, lol) then the odds are extremely against you.

The best hand at the conclusion of the final round of betting takes the pot.

The start:

Before any cards are dealt, the blinds are posted by the players after the button. The button is just that… a round button which moves one space to the left each hand. The person directly to the left of the button is the small blind, and the next person is the big blind. So in a “5/10″ game, the blinds are 5chips and 10chips. Blinds exist to induce action.

Note: I am putting in the size of the big blind out of position because of an online poker rule that states if it is your first hand at the table you must post the big blind no matter where you are in relation to the button.

Here is an example:

The Deal:

Next, each player is delt five cards face-down which only they can see. This is also shown in the above image. Based on how good your cards are, you may wish to either fold, check, call or raise. The following image shows my five hole cards, and that someone raised the blind to 180. Raises and reraises can occur at any time, and is the most important part of the game. Knowing when to bet, raise and fold is eveything in poker. My hand is not the greatest hand to call with (Remember, ace is high, and I can’t use both 4’s), but since this is playmoney, I wanted to try and win to show off. =)

Here is the raise:

Draw #1:

“The Draw” is what gives this game its name. After the first round of betting, each player has the option of drawing, or throwing back cards in exchange for new cards, anywhere from 0 to all 5 of their hole cards. In the following image you can see that three of my cards are different than the previous image which was of my initial hole cards, this is because I chose to draw three cards in the first draw. You can also see that I didn’t get much help out of the draw. =) After the first draw, a round of betting takes place before Draw #2.

Here is my new hand:

Draw #2:

After the first draw, and the second round of betting, each player has the option of drawing, or throwing back cards in exchange for new cards, anywhere from 0 to all 5 of their hole cards. In the following image you can see that three of my cards are different than the previous image which was of my cards after the first draw, this is because I chose to draw three cards in the second draw. Notice that my hand is starting to look a little better (this is where the bit about a very low hand almost always winning comes in). After the second draw, a round of betting takes place before Draw #3 (the final draw).

Here is my new hand:

Draw #3:

After the second draw, and the third round of betting, each player has the option of drawing, or throwing back cards in exchange for new cards, anywhere from 0 to all 5 of their hole cards. In the following image you can see that two of my cards are different than the previous image which was of my cards after the second draw, this is because I chose to draw two cards in the second draw. Notice that my hand is almost the nuts, just one card off (those pesky kings stayed with me the whole game! Also note that one card off means your hand is aweful in poker. =) ). After the third draw, a round of betting takes (the fourth and final round).

Here is my new (and final) hand:

When the betting is complete, if there is more than one person left in the hand (as was the case this time), their hole cards are turned over and the winner is given the pot. If only one person remains due to a fold, then they only need to show their cards if they feel like it (most commonly done when showing off a bluff on a large pot to try and get your opponent on tilt), or otherwise they can Muck their cards which means they keep them face down while tossing them to the dealer.

In this example, only the winning hand is shown because of my lack of timing in snapping a screen shot, BUT there were other people in the hand, three others to be exact (including myself). Although most of my cards beat the winners lowest cards, it was that pesky king that sunk me. It is often that one highest card that you get stuck with at the end that does you in, but there are always times you lose with a great a hand to the nuts as well.

Here is the image of the winner and his hand:

Conclusion:

I hope this helps in your understanding of the rules of 2-7 Triple Draw. It is a rather straight-forward game that can be picked up after only watching a few hands. As with all forms of poker, the best way to learn is to play.

I will cover the strategy of the game in a later post, but since everyone has their own way of thinking, it is best to get out there now and find your own. Get the family or friends in a friendly game, or hop online and learn with playmoney chips (which I do not recommend aside from learning the rules, as learning strategy is near impossible with the reckless play exhibited by people who play with playmoney).

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