Deuce to 7 Triple Draw tournaments are quite popular as the game has achieved a growing popularity, particularly at online poker sites. It is not uncommon to find a variety of buy-ins for both limit and pot-limit tourneys on the daily schedules of a number of online venues. Since the vast majority of players are still unfamiliar with how to play this relatively new variant, if you have a solid grasp of the most important concepts in the game, you will have a built-in advantage going in when you enter a tourney. This article gives you some important tips for how to most effectively play Deuce to 7 Triple Draw tournaments.
- Establish your table image early- Earn the respect of the other players at the table by playing a tight, aggressive style right from the start. Use position to raise with strong hands, and re-raise when you think you have the best of it. However, DON’T play junk hands, unless you are checking your option in the big blind. By establishing that you are not a player to be trifled with, you will have better opportunities later on to steal hands when necessary, or to bluff at pots after the second and third draws, causing your opponents to fold marginal hands.
- Always bet out when you have drawn fewer cards than your opponents- When you draw fewer cards than the other players, there is a good chance that they will fold when you lead bet after the draw. When you are in position, you can often deliberately choose to draw one fewer, just to see if you can take the pot from one other player right then. For example, let’s say that you have 9-4-3-2-2, and your opponent draws two. You might only take one, intending to push him off his hand. Now, you catch a 7, he checks, and you bet. If he folds, fine. If he calls and draws one, you can stand pat. If he calls and stands pat, you still have a wheel draw, and can break your hand to try and hit it. Notice how much easier it is to try this play when you have position over your opponent.
- Make players pay to try and catch up- It is almost always a mistake not to jam the pot when you are fairly certain you are ahead, unless you are sitting with the absolute best hand possible, and are just trying to keep as many players in the pot as possible. Remember that the more players there are in the hand, the greater the chance that someone will outdraw you, taking a pot that rightfully belongs to you. Avoid this situation by making it as expensive as possible for players to attempt to beat you.
- As the blinds increase, try and stay ahead of them- In Deuce to 7 Triple Draw tournaments, you never want to be in a situation where you are in danger of being blinded off. It is just too easy to go card dead for a stretch of time, and you want to have the leeway to sit out for a while if that happens. You need to find times, in position, where a raise can take the blinds, or a well-timed bluff can end a hand quickly. Of course, if you get short-stacked, you will just have to pick a strong hand and push your chips in with it to try and get back to a less-perilous situation.
- In the latter stages of a tournament, if you are not already one of the big stacks, you should do whatever you can to become one- Since a small cash in a tourney pays barely more than the buy-in, you need to be fearless and take chances to be one of the last few players standing, since that is where the vast majority of the money is. As other players tighten up, hoping to cash, you need to increase your aggression, to take advantage of the timid. At worst, you will give up your entry fee, but at best, you will be in line to collect a prize that might have real significance for your bankroll.
Combine these tournaments tips with some of the other Deuce to 7 strategies suggested here at PokerWorks, and you will have a true advantage over your competition when you enter tournaments in this exciting new game.
Introduction to Deuce to Seven Triple Draw Tips
An Introduction to How to Play Deuce to Seven Triple Draw
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