Triple Draw Lowball
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[edit] Overview
Triple draw lowball is a draw poker variant played with the standard 52-card deck and five-card hands. There are four rounds of betting, with three draws between them. At showdown the lowest hand wins, using either 2-7 or A-5 ranking.
[edit] Play of a hand
Triple draw is typically played with up to six players, with a betting structure similar to that of Hold'em. It is typically played with limit betting, although pot-limit is spread as well.
The two players to the left of the button post a small blind and a big blind; both blinds are live. Starting with the small blind, each player receives five cards face-down. There is a round of betting starting with the player to the left of the big blind. After betting has concluded, each player, starting with the one to the left of the button and acting in order, may discard zero to five cards and request replacements. The dealer should wait until each player has discarded before dealing replacement cards and collecting the discards.
After the first draw, a second round of betting continues with stakes equal to those in the first round. A second draw follows. The third round of betting, in limit games, uses a doubled bet size and is followed by the third and final draw. After the fourth round of betting, the lowest hand held by a remaining player wins the pot.
If there are no more cards left to provide replacements, the discards are collected and reshuffled to provide a new "stub". Local practice may differ as to which cards are collected. At UltimateBet, the rules specify that the discards of players who have already received all their replacements are collected. In live games, the discards may be left in front of a player through the next round as an indication of how many cards they took. Burn cards are usually collected as well.
[edit] Terminology
"break": Discard a card from a pat hand, or a card that would ordinarily be kept.
"rough": A low-ranking hand or a hand that is worse than most others of the same class. An 87653 is a "rough 8" and a player who does not draw to a T9632 is "standing pat rough".
"pat" or "standing pat": Drawing zero cards.
"smooth": A high-ranking hand or a hand that is better than most others of the same class. A draw to 7432 is "smooth" and a T6432 is a "smooth ten".
"snow": To stand pat with a hand that is unlikely to win at showdown. A bluff is a betting decision, while a snow is a drawing decision. Usually a player who snows must bluff to win, although a "semisnow" is possible as well.
"stub": The cards left to be dealt as replacements for discards.
"wheel": 75432 or A2345, the best possible hands. A "wheel draw" is a draw containing only wheel cards.
[edit] Where to Play
Triple draw is spread online at PokerStars (2-7 only, limit, PL, and NL), UltimateBet (A-5 and 2-7 limit), Poker.com (A-5 and 2-7 limit and PL), and GamesGrid (2-7 limit). Non-U.S. players can play 2-7 limit at the B2B network (24h Poker, etc.)
Triple draw is often played live as part of a higher-stakes mixed game; it is unusual to see a pure triple draw table spread.
[edit] Introductory Articles
Beginner's Guide to 2-7 Triple Draw by Tim Cooper.
Daniel Negreanu's chapter on triple draw in Super System 2 is a good starting point. You can read it online courtesy of Doyle's Room. (review)
Introduction to 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball by DeathDonkey provides a basic introduction and some beginning strategy.
Triple Draw by Michael Weisenberg also provides information useful to a beginner.
Chris Fargis talks triple draw is a short interview.
Triple Draw Lowball by Russ Gorgiev explains the basics of A-5 triple draw.
[edit] Theory and Strategy Articles
2-7 Triple Draw Strategic Play by Death Donkey provides some thoughts about exploiting typical play.
Counting Outs In Lowball by Mark Gritter talks about counting outs properly when deciding whether to draw or fold.
Standing Pat When You're Not the Favorite by Mark Gritter discusses snowing and standing pat with rough hands.
A Simple Deuce to Seven Hand by Howard Lederer lays out an unusual line of thinking about breaking to an opponent who may be very rough. (review)
