2-7 triple draw

anyone play this game? anyone like it? Any good strategy for it? I'm thinking about learning it and trying to play it exclusively. it seems like a pretty soft game and a lot of money to be made there.

That game is a blast. I have only played it once but caught on real quick. I have played in a couple of the single draw freerolls on pokerstars and think I may like the single draw better.

I occasionally play the PS 8-game and I like and do well in the 2-7 round. There's some good and basic strategy in the Super System 2 chapter written by Daniel Negreanu; but depending on the limits you're playing, a 2-7 exclusive table might require you to calculate some solid common stats (nothing too difficult, but something to help your edge). Anything below $1/2 you should be fine in following basic strategy. Granted it wouldn't hurt to calculate and memorize some common stats for lower stakes games too.

I'd suggest playing it for awhile with play money. PS also has play money tourneys on these games. Yes, I know that people play differently with play money -- but that does not mean you have to.

2-7 triple draw -- any hand over an 8 high is going to lose a lot of the time. So you want to stay in a hand seldom, only drawing to a 7 or 8, and only drawing one single card (except when you are in the BB and it is unraised -- then draw however many you need.) Because you are only keeping hands with positive equity, each hand you are playing is worth a raise. Make the other guys pay for their draws. Stand pat on a 9 or ten, or even a jack, if you are in late position and everyone else is drawing. But once someone stops drawing and also stands pat, your hand is probably beat.

2-7 single draw NL -- I like this game better. But you cannot play with real money for cheap. You need a decent bankroll. There are play money tables and tourneys. In this game, a 9 or ten high often wins. If you catch a 7 or 8 high, you are unlikely to lose. Again, do not voluntarily enter a pot in which you are drawing more than one card. A 3xBB raise pre-draw is appropriate. You do not want to encourage drawing, but you don't want to discourage it altogether. Also, your pre-draw raise may be all there is to get the pot a bit bigger, as when people miss their draws, they are unlikely to call a bet after the draw. (Duh.) Some people bluff big, but most do not. In fact, there are far fewer big bets and all-ins in this game than in holdem. Mostly, these only happen when two people get huge hands. And then one is very disappointed...

Oh, on basics: Ace is high. Straights and flushes are bad. Best hand is 23457. Until these basic principles are hammered into your soul, stick to play money. Or come to my table.

I've made that mistake and lost plenty of hands in freerolls by having 23456. I think it's a lot of fun but I enjoy single draw a bit more. 2-7 is one of my favorite game in 8 game.

I know the basic gist of the game. The rules etc etc. Basically, i need to know if drawing 2 cards to a 7 is worth it playing .10/.20 limit... or should i draw 1 card to a 7 and 8 and no other hand.

It seems a lot of the time people are playing 10 lows like they are the nuts...and i know enough about the game having read SS2 once through that this is bad..... and the game is soft. I decided i'd try my hand at it for 20 minutes or so and walked away with a little more than 2.00 at the .10/.20 limit table earlier playing relatively tight and not drawing more than 2 cards at any time unless i'm in the blind in an unraised pot.

Also, where can I find some of the math related to the game? What are the odds in tripple draw my 2375 will improve to a made 7 if i am drawing each time (and i should draw each time, right?) in NL do you manipulate pot odds like in hold'em? if yes, what is the breaking point for abandoning a draw to a low 9 or 8 or a 7?


this is the kind of strategy i want, i already know the basics.

In the game of 2-7 Triple Draw the only cards you get to see are your own. So understanding your cards, their potential, and which cards to discard is a crucial part of your success at the game. First and foremost is to understand the hand ranking and what it takes to win! A common mistake is for beginners to forget that aces are always high in 2-7 triple draw. If you have an ace you want to get rid of it not hold on to it to go with your other low cards, A good beginner's rule of thumb is bet money without a two also known as a deuce. All of the top for hands in 2-7 Triple Draw, that is to say the lowest ranking hands, have a deuce in them. Those hands are, from strongest to weakest, 2-3-4-5-7, 2-3-4-6-7, 2-3-5-6-7, and 2-4-5-6-7. Remember, in 2-7 Triple Draw the strongest hand is the one with the lowest ranking in poker hands. Because straights are ranked in hands a 3-4-5-6-7 would give you a straight that is most likely to be beat.
If you do have to draw cards then it is best to be drawing just one card to have a hand with a low 7 or even an 8. If you have 9 low then drawing could get you in even more trouble and you are better off standing pat especially if there is only one round left. Although your 9 can be beaten you have a higher chance of drawing an even higher card or drawing a pair than you do of drawing something lower that will improve you hand. A lot depends on what your opponents are doing. Most hands draw two cards in 2-7 Triple Draw so if you opponents are drawing more than that you can go up against them with your 9 because it seems like they are in trouble.
A card to be wary of is 6. This card can ruin your low hands by converting them into a straight. For example, if your opening hand is 4-5-6-7-k you should get rid of the 6 because otherwise you may find yourself with a straight after the draw.
Most of the hands you play you will be drawing two cards for so if you need to draw more than that you aren't holding a reasonable hand. Even then, if you need to draw two cards you should at least be holding a deuce. Many players think that because there are three draws they have a good chance of bettering a weak hand. This is not true and doesn't work in the long run. Like all poker games 2-7 Triple Draw is a game where you want the nuts or near nuts, that is the best possible hand right from the early rounds. If you don't have a good hand then fold and save your chips for a hand that you can win with.
In short, tight play most of the time and aggression when you have a strong hand are the way to go with 2-7 Triple Draw.

@ Spiderman -- I'd strongly suggest not drawing 2 cards -- on either game. You can usually tell the better players at a table because they raise pre-draw, and they almost never draw more than one card.

In triple draw, it is sometimes clever (if you get lucky) to hide that you are drawing 2 cards, by drawing one at a time. For instance, on the 4567K example, discard the K on the first draw. If your draw is low and not pairing, you will likely have either a monster or a str8. If a str8, discard the 6. I don't advocate this if any opponents are pat. You want to think about folding if your hand is not there by the 2nd draw if another person is pat. Too many people chase in these games. Bad idea. BTW, I wouldn't be playing 4567... no deuce in it.

The statistics work out as usual. With a 2457x, you have 8 cards total that will make you a 7 ( 4 3s, 4 6s), 12 outs to an 8 (add four 8s). If there are other (good) players, assume that some or most of those outs are gone. This is why you want to play only near-nut hands, and do not want to be drawing more than one card -- you will have a hard enough time catching the desirable cards, because they are desirable for everyone. Only the bottom half of the deck plays at all in this game, so a lot of drawing involves getting cards that pair or are high -- there are 32 cards(8 cards in 4 suits) (up to 9s) in total that all the players are trying to get, without pairing or straights or flushes. You already have four of them (28 desirable cards left, and 16 of those are not going to help you), and so you watch to see how many cards others are drawing to find out how many of these desirable cards they have. You may, in actuality, be drawing dead and unaware of this. Keep that in mind.

No, I don't have precise stats. But you can get a sense. Play tight, because you have rather poor odds to catch your specific draw.

Think of your draws as the equivalent of filling out a gutshot or an openend straight on a Broadway hand. Same principle -- most people in the hand are likely to be holding cards in this range and wanting cards in this range. In triple draw, it seems like someone often gets a 7 or 8. In single draw, often a 9 high will be a winner. Actually, in single draw, any non-paired hand has a good chance if everyone is drawing.

You mostly want to be playing against the guy who draws too much, if you do not have the optimal hand.

i've been playing a bit and kinda made some observations.

first: I try not to draw more than 2 to a 7 or 1 to an 8... if i get a low 9, i don't draw unless i'm convinced the person has made a better hand than I have..

Second: If i draw two and get no good cards from the draw and i'm being bet into by someone who drew equal to or less than I did, i'll STRONGLY consider folding

third: I raise with anything i am playing 1 to a low 8 and 2 to a 7.

Am i off base here?

Agree on the single draw, must disagree on the triple. If you have 3 cards to a 7, and especially if one of them is a 2, by all means, draw 2 cards. Keep in mind that in drawing 2 cards you have double the chance of hitting on in the 1st draw (i.e. 237, you have 4 4s, 4 5s, 4 6s - 12 outs x 2). If you are waiting for 2457 or even 8 to be in a hand, you will be there a long time. Besides, it's limit, the first draw is relatively cheap. No one else is waiting, why should you? It's conceivable for a cash game but not a tourney, IMHO.

This sounds like dangerous advice, whether your opponent(s) is standing pat or not. You need to improve your hand as quickly as possible, and make the move to best ensure that likelihood. Your scenario, you're looking at a 2, period. Discard the 6 and K, you're looking at a 2 or 3 or 8 - and if you're really lucky, 2 of the 3. But you've increased your odds 3x, and that's a critical point, IMO. You'll save money by knowing where you stand after the 1st draw.

You have the same chance as anyone to catch your desirable cards. But excellent point. Note not only how many cards people are drawing, but how many are in the hand. 3 opponents drawing 1 card does not bode well. On the other hand, they may be drawing just as dead as you are.

This all sounds very good to me.

Well, yes. Good points. I play triple draw less often than single. I do not advocate drawing more than one card period and would not like to be drawing 2 cards against a pat hand. I do not like to be seen drawing 2 cards at all. But, then, I play tight. Otherwise those chases are killers. The temptation is great to keep drawing because you feel so close to getting a great hand. But you are drawing always and only to the equivalent of a gutshot or an open end straight. Nothing but a low will do, no other hand will miraculously save you.

In single draw, seriously, it is the hallmark of the poor player that he is drawing 2 cards. Yes, he may get there on a hand or two, but in the long haul, he will lose. At a ring table, he will be the ATM.