2-7 Triple Draw Poker, also known as Deuce to Seven Triple Draw Lowball, flips the usual poker logic on its head: at showdown, the lowest hand takes the pot. It sits in the draw family, meaning you are dealt five cards face down and can swap them out rather than share community cards with the table.
The name gives away the shape of it. Three chances to draw, and the target is the humble 7, 5, 4, 3, 2. The ace, which usually swaggers around the felt like it owns the building, is demoted here to the worst card you can hold.
Bets, Payouts & Rules
Hand rankings work differently from other lowball formats, so it is worth getting them straight before anything else.
- Straights and flushes count against your low hand rather than helping it.
- Aces are always high, never low.
- The strongest possible holding is 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, sometimes called the nuts.
- Pairs, high cards and made straights or flushes all weaken your hand.
Running from weakest towards strongest, the ranking includes hands such as J, 7, 4, 3, 2 all in one suit, then 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 as a straight, followed by A, 5, 4, 3, 2 as an ace-high hand, then T, 6, 5, 4, 2, then 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, and finally 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 at the top.
Blinds and the Deal
Draw games use forced bets called blinds. The player to the left of the dealer button posts the small blind, and the player to their left posts the big blind. Some lowball tables also use an ante, a forced contribution posted in addition to the blinds.
Each player receives five cards face down, then the first round of betting begins with the player to the left of the big blind. On each betting round you can call, raise or fold.
Showdown
If more than one player remains after the final betting round, there is a showdown and the best five-card 2-7 hand takes the pot. Identical hands split the pot equally, and suits carry no rank when the pot is awarded.
Features & Bonus Rounds
Triple Draw
The defining mechanic. After each betting round, remaining players draw in turn, clockwise, starting with the first active player to the left of the button. You may discard from zero to five cards and receive the same number of replacements. Selecting a card marks it for discard, selecting it again takes it back out of the discard set, and you confirm when it is your turn.
Stand Pat
Stand Pat means choosing to discard nothing at all, because you reckon the five cards in front of you are already scruffy enough to do the job. It is available on any or all of the three draws.
Full Sequence of Play
- Five cards dealt to each player
- Betting round one, starting with the player to the left of the big blind
- Draw one, then betting round two
- Draw two, then betting round three
- Draw three, then betting round four
- Showdown, if required
Reshuffling
Because three draws can work through a deck, it is possible for more cards to be required than remain. When that happens, the cards are reshuffled and play carries on with the new deck.
Related Draw Variants
If the draw format appeals, other variants in the same family include Single Draw 2-7 Lowball, Five Card Draw and Badugi. All three offer a different rhythm to Texas Hold'em, and they appear in the tournament selection as well.
Taste & Feel
This is a reading game rather than a spectacle. There are no community cards in the middle to stare at, so the information comes from how many cards your opponents throw away and how confidently they decline to.
Straights and flushes still turn up looking magnificent, entirely unaware they have arrived dressed for a completely different party. That inversion is what draws players who enjoy thinking their way through a hand, and free tables are available if you would like to get a feel for the format first.