Draw Lowball Poker Rules
Examples of Lowball Poker There are five examples of Lowball poker that are the most popular and are the ones being played the most at present. Each of these differs in a certain way, either on how it is played or in its rules. The first game is called California Lowball, which is played with an Ace to 5 ranking, limit betting, and they use one. A Single Draw from 2 to 7 (Kansas-City Lowball) is a variation of draw-poker with an exchange. In this game, the players must collect the weakest combination in order to win. Poker combinations in this game are different from ones that are used in Hold'em or Omaha. In live poker, you won’t see Razz much outside of the World Series of Poker or in mixed games. California Lowball. California Lowball is another name for A-5 Lowball. It is a lightly spread draw poker variant based on Razz rules. The best hand is a wheel and aces play low. It is rare that you will see A-5 lowball spread in online poker games. In lowball, the same rules that govern a misdeal in Texas Hold'em apply. If any of the following circumstances apply, and are noticed before two players take action on their hands, a misdeal is declared. The first or second card of the hand is dealt face up or exposed due to dealer error. At least two cards have been exposed by the dealer.
OBJECTIVE OF 2-7 TRIPLE DRAW: Win the pot!
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2+ players
NUMBER OF CARDS: standard 52-card
RANK OF CARDS: A (high), K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
TYPE OF GAME: Casino
AUDIENCE: Adult
INTRODUCTION TO 2-7 TRIPLE DRAW
2-7 Triple Draw or Deuce to Seven Triple Draw is a lowball variant of Draw poker. In lowball poker, the lowest hand wins. There are numerous ways to rank hands in lowball poker, to learn the details of deuce to seven rankings click here and find out more on poker hand rankings.
For a simple overview for more experienced players, in 2-7 straights and flushes count against low hands. Aces are always high. So, the best hand in 2-7 is 2, 3, 4, 5, 7.
THE BLINDS
Draw poker games have forced bets called blinds. The player to the left of the dealer is the small blind, they pay the smaller of the forced bets. The player to the left of the small blind is the big blind. The big blind pays are larger forced bet. The small blind is typically half the size of the big blind. However, both bets are smaller than a minimum bet. The game may also be played with an ante, which is a small forced bet each player who wishes to be active must place.
THE DEAL
Players are dealt five cards, face-down, one a time. After, there is a round of betting. As usual, players can bet, call, and raise. Players still in the game after the first betting round get to draw. Players discard any number of cards in hand and the dealer replaces an equal number of cards. Each hand must retain the total of 5 cards. Drawing is optional, if you have a strong hand you can choose to “stand pat,” and not draw or discard any cards.
Discard starts with the player to the left of the dealer and moves clockwise.
After the first draw is completed, there is another betting round. The betting begins with the first active player to the left of the dealer.
This is repeated two more times, for a total of three drawing rounds, hence the name Triple Draw. After the fourth betting round, active players move into the showdown.
SHOWDOWN
Active players compare their hands. The hand with the best low hand in 2-7 hand rankings wins the pot. If the hands are equal, the pot is split evenly. Reminder, ace is always the highest value card.
REFERENCES:
Draw Lowball Poker Rules Poker
https://www.pokerstars.com/poker/games/draw/2-7/
https://www.pokernews.com/poker-rules/deuce7triple-draw.htm
https://www.gamblingsites.org/poker/deuce-to-seven-triple-draw/
The purpose of Play Lowball Poker is multi-part. Ultimately, our aim is to be the definitive guide to lowball poker games, with rules and strategy for each lowball poker variant. Our goals include introducing and promoting lowball poker to serious poker players and educating poker enthusiasts about the rich history of lowball poker. It is our hope that as you navigate and read the pages of this website, the content is received with the same level of enthusiasm we put into creating it.
What is Lowball Poker
If you’re not familiar with what Lowball Poker is, it is a form of poker where the lowest hand, not the highest hand, wins at showdown. There are many different forms of lowball with the 7 card-stud version called Razz being the most popular. Razz uses Ace to Five lowball hand rankings and is available at PokerStars.com and Full Tilt Poker.
The second most popular version of Lowball is 2-7 Draw. This game is available at PokerStars.com both in the Single Draw and Triple Draw formats. 2-7 Lowball uses Deuce to Seven hand rankings. Last, but certainly not least, the third most popular form of lowball poker played online is Badugi Poker. This is a rather odd game as it uses four cards instead of three and has its own unique method of ranking hands. You can learn more about this game on our How to Play Badugi Page.
Lowball Poker History
Draw Lowball Poker Rules Against
Lowball Poker has a rich history dating back to the origins of poker. It wasn’t long from the time five-card draw was invented that someone came up with the idea, “Hey, let’s play where the worst hand wins”. Who that man was we have no idea, and we can’t even verify this story is even true, however it certainly makes sense. The rich history we’re talking about is not some drunk donkey wanting to change the rules, but that lowball poker was the game preferred by many of the legends who paved the way for the poker environment we enjoy today.
2-7 NL Single Draw is considered by many old timers, as well as early new generation stars, to be a pinnacle event on the World Series of Poker schedule. While it certainly doesn’t have the same prestige as the WSOP Main Event, many of the “who is who” of high stakes poker gather together each year to play this event at high stakes, generally $10,000 buy-in or $5,000 with $5,000 re-buys. Every year, with very few exceptions, a big name pro has won this event.
The first WSOP NL 2-7 Single Draw event (1973) was won by one destined to be 1982 Main Event Champion Jack Straus. The following year, the event was won by soon to become 1975 WSOP Main Event Champion Sailor Roberts. Other WSOP Main Event winners to also have captured 2-7 Single Draw bracelets include 3 time WSOP Main Event Champion Stu Ungar, two time WSOP Main Event winners Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson, and 1978 WSOP Main Event winner Bobby Baldwin. In 2008 the event was won by Mike Matusow, and in 2009 Phil Ivey picked up a bracelet in NL 2-7 Single Draw.
To view more big names that have won WSOP bracelets in NL 2-7 Single Draw, as well as other lowball poker variants, view our WSOP lowball page.
Draw Lowball Poker Rules Card Game
Play Lowball Poker Online
PokerStars.com is the world’s largest online poker site, and as a result they are by far the best online poker room for players looking to play lowball poker games. Their lowball line-up: Razz, Triple Draw, Badugi and 2-7 Single Draw. If you’re a Razz player who doesn’t play any of the Draw poker games, then you have a few more choices in addition to PokerStars, with the most popular additional option being Full Tilt Poker.
Note: Pokerstars have recently started offering a sports betting service to their customers alongside the poker product. It’s not great and we don’t recommend it. Try this page for a look at the best betting sites available.
If you’re a tournament player, be sure to check our page lowball tournaments, where we include a schedule of all regularly scheduled online Razz, Triple Draw, Badugi and 2-7 Single Draw tournaments.
If you don’t think you’re ready to play lowball poker online yet then why not check out our how to play lowball poker guide which will give you a brief run down of all the most popular lowball poker games as well as link you to articles where you can learn to play all of the games mentioned. Learning to play one or more lowball poker game well can give you a real advantage as a player giving you more choice when it comes to game selection and opening up more tournament opportunities.