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Closely related to Razz, Triple Draw 2-7 Poker is a “lowball” poker game (where the object is to get the worst possible hand).
Unlike Razz, “deuce-to-seven” lowball rules are used; standard poker hand rankings apply, but considered in reverse order. Aces are high, and straights and flushes are counted (i.e., the best player hand to have would be 2-3-4-5-7, the reason for the “2-7″ of the title).
One top spot to ply your 2-7 Draw Poker skills or login some practice play is at Poker Stars, where you’ll find exciting 2-7 Draw Poker open poker tables that you can drop into any minute of the hour. Online poker doesn’t get any better than it does here.
The dealer will pass out five cards, all “hole cards” and therefore not visible to the other players. Triple Draw is played with blinds (mandatory bets contributed most often by the first two players clockwise in line after the dealer). The first player in line after the big blind starts the bet.
After this betting round, a player may decide to replace any or all of their cards. The betting and draw round may be repeated two more times (the reason for the “Triple Draw” of the title) before the showdown. Of course, all the other players may have folded before a showdown is necessary, which means a bluffer can steal the blinds (getting everyone to fold and taking whatever bets have been made to that point).
Another spot you need to check out to get your 2-7 Draw Poker play time in really needs to be Carbon Poker, where you’ll receive up to $600 when you sign up.
Unlike many lowball games, there is no qualifying low value (as in a Stud 8 game, where anything 9 or higher takes you out of the running), so the pot can be won by a relatively “good” (or “bad”) hand. Three of a kind, for instance, will beat a full house (though with three draw rounds, only the unluckiest player will still possess that much of a “good” hand!).
In case of a tie, the pot is split between the two lowest hands.
Generally, increasing the number of draws reduces the strategic aspect. However, having all cards “in the hole” (invisible to other players) balances this game and makes it more attractive to bluffers and strategic players. Triple Draw has been gaining popularity on the Internet (as people discover there are other games besides Texas Hold’em, maybe?), so it will not be very difficult to find and learn this fascinating twist on poker.