To give you a little background, 2-7 Triple Draw was originally the main event of the World Series of Poker. This was back when the winner was determined by a vote! When the main event changed to No-Limit Texas Hold’em, they still kept 2-7 in the rotation of games, where it has remained to this day. Today, however, the 2-7 event in the WSOP is played single-draw, instead of triple draw, and it is a $5000 + re-buys event. Only the top players in the world play this event. Also 2-7 (in its true form, triple draw) is commonly spread in the “big game”, played by the top poker pros at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

2-7 Triple Draw is a simple game, almost always played as a limit game. The object being to end up with the absolute WORST poker hand, 2-3-4-5-7 (obviously 2-6 would make a straight and therefore NOT be a bad hand). Also through this logic, flushes are bad, so if you had 2-3-4-5-7 all of spades, that would be a terrible hand. In Triple Draw, each player gets 5 down cards. Following your first 5 cards, you bet. You then get to discard as many cards as you like and replace them from the deck. Another round of betting follows. It is called Triple Draw because you can draw up to 3 times, creating 4 betting rounds. You do not have to draw, you can also opt to “stand pat”. Standing pat is where you pat the felt with your hand out flat, signaling that you do not wish to discard, you wish you keep all of the cards in your hand.

The most important thing in 2-7 Triple Draw is position. Position is even more important in Triple Draw than it is in No-Limit Hold’em. This is because so many of your decisions will be based on how many cards your opponent is taking. Let me give you a quick example. If you are on the button and your opponent in the BB takes 4 cards, you are going to bet, no matter WHAT you hold. Not because you think you have a better hand, but because your opponent will fold 90% of the time. Obviously if he is drawing 4 cards, he has a TERRIBLE hand. And the likleyhood of him picking up 4 good cards on a single draw is remote. Therefore, even if I had K-K-K-K-A, Im still going to bet, because he will likely fold. If your opponent draws more cards than you, you should almost always bet. If your opponent draws 3 and you draw 2, bet…no matter what.

Now that you understand how the game is actually played, lets move on to what are considered “good” starting hands and what hands will win showdowns. A “seven-low”, a hand where the highest card is a 7, will win 90% of the time. An 8-low hand will also win most of the time. A 9-low hand is very playable if the other player(s) is still drawing cards. I will actually stand pat with a J-low, that would be something like 2-4-5-6-J, if the other player is drawing, but if the other player then stands pat also, I abandon ship and try to get a lower card.

Preflop, there are two kinds of hands you will be playing; one-card draws and two-card draws. You might occasionally play a three-card draw from the blinds, but never from any other position. One-card draws are where you only need one card to make a good hand. These are hands like 2-3-4-8, 2-3-5-7, even 3-5-7-8. What you want to be careful of is hands that can make a straight. Hands like 4-5-6-7-8, are not hands you want to put extra bets in with, because the only card that can help you is a 2. If you catch the 3 or the 9, you have a straight, which is bad. Two-card draws are also playable, particularly when you are in position. Hands like 2-3-4, 2-3-5 and 2-3-7 are all very playable. I would not play a 2-card draw (at least when you are first starting out) without a 2.

There is also a concept in triple draw called “snowing”. Snowing is when you get a hand like this 2-2-2-7-7. Because you have so many of the low cards, it is unlikely that your opponent has any. Therefore, you can bet, because it is likely your opponent has a weak hand. Now, many times when you stand pat from the beginning, without drawing, your opponents will smell a bluff or a snow, so I like to draw 1 in these situations, then bet and stand pat for the rest of the hand.

There is no real substitute for playing 2-7. You’ll need to develop a feel, like when to release a 10-low or when to give up a bluff. Many times opponents will call you all the down to the last draw, while still drawing. This is good for you, this is how you make your money. On the downside, your opponents will occasionally catch a good card to beat you, but you will win enough pots to more than make up for it. The key to this game is position and betting. If your opponent draws more cards than you, bet or raise. If you make a good hand, bet or raise. If you’ve seen 3 out of the 4 7s in the deck go through your hand, bet or raise. There is no point in checking a good hand, because when you stand pat your secret will be out that you hold a good hand. You need to get all the money in that you can while you hold the best hand. Hopefully this gives you a basic understanding of how the game is played. If you would like detailed information on the game, I cannot recommend strongly enough that you read Daniel Negreanu’s section in SuperSystem II. He writes very clearly and explains both novice and advanced concepts about the game. I hope I helped you to better understand a little-known poker variation that I love.