Learning how to play Deuce to 7 Triple Draw is a relatively easy proposition, as long as you remember what the best hands are, and avoid a few traps that you might fall into. The game is played either online or live with between two and six players. The object of the game is to create as low a five-card poker hand as possible. Unlike razz or ace-to-five lowball, aces are high in Deuce to Seven Triple Draw, and straights and flushes count as high hands, even if they are made up of low cards. Therefore, the best possible hand is 7-5-4-3-2, with at least two of the cards being of different suits.
Like most games that are played with a blind structure, (two players post a small blind and big blind to start the action without seeing their cards beforehand), Deuce to 7 Triple Draw is very position-dependent, meaning that the later in a betting round you get to act, the more of an advantage you have on the other players. To begin the hand, each player is dealt five cards, one at a time. The player to the left of the big blind begins the action by either folding his cards, calling the amount of the big blind’s bet, or raising that amount. The other players then get to act in a similar manner, ending with the small blind and the big blind. It is important to note that this is the last time in the hand that the two ‘blind’ players get to act last. In all subsequent betting rounds, the first player to the left of the dealer button starts the action, and the dealer always has the privilege of being the last to act.
After the first round of betting, players can discard anywhere from 1-5 cards and draw replacements to try and make a better hand. There are three draws, with betting rounds after each draw. After the second draw, the betting limits double, and stay there until the end of the hand. After the third draw action is complete, the hands of the remaining players are examined, and the player with the lowest five-card hand wins the pot.
The hands are defined by the highest card; Example: A 9-8-7-6-4 being better than a 10-5-4-3-2. If two or more players have the same rank for the lowest high card, their next cards are compared, and then on to the other cards if necessary. A split pot can occur if two or more players have the same rank for all five cards.
Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw is a high-action game with lots of bluffing and counter-bluffing. In order to learn how to play it properly you will need to be aware of when to draw, when to stand pat and when to bluff to take down more than your share of pots.
As is true in any game of poker, learning which hands to play before the first draw is probably the most important step you can take in becoming a profitable player. A hand that is a made five-card 7 or 8 can be raised and re-raised and will rarely be folded at any time during the hand. One-card draws to a 7 or 8 are also very powerful, as are “smooth” two card draws (draws that can make the best 7s and 8s if they hit). So, for example, 2-3-4 and 2-3-7 are the best two-card draws, because they can make the best possible hand. On the other hand, 7-6-5 or 6-5-4 are very dangerous hands, because not only can’t they make the “nuts,” but also they can very easily turn into a straight, which would torpedo any chance of winning the hand.
As the hand progresses, you need to be aware of three things:
1) How your hand is shaping up,
2) How aggressively your opponents are betting and how many cards they have been drawing, and
3) Your position at the table.
These will determine whether you should stay in the hand at all, and whether you should be raising or simply checking and calling if you do continue. Generally you want to be aggressive when:
a) You hit a great hand that is likely the winner,
b) You are drawing fewer cards than your opponents, and/or
c) You are in good position at the table, and your opponents are being very passive, thereby allowing you to possibly take down the pot very cheaply.
Following these guidelines, and also reading the other articles at PokerWorks that go into more detail about the game, will give you a firm foundation in how to play Deuce to 7 Triple Draw. The more frequently you play the game, the more you will get a feel for some of the subtle plays that make the game as exciting as it can be. You will find yourself pushing people off pots with aggressive raise and re-raises, check-raising great hands when you just “feel” that your opponents will bet if you don’t and getting a better and better sense of when it is appropriate to bluff.
Like any game of draw, all of the cards are hidden, and good players will develop a number of styles that they will move in and out of, in order to keep their opponents off-balance. The more that you can do this in your own game, the more dangerous you will become to the other players. They will know that you are someone to avoid getting too aggressive with, and it will slow them down in their own attempts to take over the table. Then you can have free rein to dominate any game of Deuce to 7 Triple Draw you take a seat in.
*An Introduction to How to Play Deuce to Seven Triple Draw*
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