2-7 Single and Triple Draw

61.1 Two games, one ranking

2-7 Single Draw and 2-7 Triple Draw use the same deck (52 cards, no joker), the same deal and the same hand ranking. They differ only in the number of draws and the usual betting structure: single draw has one draw and is usually played no-limit; triple draw has three and is usually played fixed-limit.

Source: BARGE rulebook, Deuce-to-Seven Lowball, "Notes"; BARGE rulebook, Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw, "Notes"; pagat.com, Kansas City Lowball.

61.2 Triple draw tables are usually seven players or fewer

With three draws, a full table uses far more than 52 cards, so the discards are reshuffled more often (61.12). New Jersey's and Maryland's triple-draw regulations cap the table at seven players; pagat.com notes some sources say six, and a PokerListings guide to running mixed-game tournaments recommends six-handed tables for draw games.

Source: N.J.A.C. 13:69F-14.12B(b), Triple draw low ball; COMAR 36.05.06.21 B (Maryland, 2015 draft); pagat.com, Triple Draw; PokerListings, How to set up a mixed games poker tournament.

61.3 A button and two blinds, sometimes an ante

Both games are dealt with a button and blinds left of it, as in Hold'em (Blinds, antes and bring-ins). The big blind is usually twice the small blind. Robert's Rules notes that lowball has also been played with one or several blinds and sometimes an ante added.

Source: Robert's Rules of Poker v11, Section 11, "Lowball", introduction; pagat.com, Triple Draw; BARGE rulebook, Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw, "Forced Money".

61.4 Five cards each, face down

Each player is dealt five cards face down, one at a time, starting left of the button. Misdeals follow The deal and misdeals. Robert's Rules applies its Hold'em misdeal rules to lowball, and the TDA leaves misdeals in draw games to house rules.

Source: N.J.A.C. 13:69F-14.12B(d); Robert's Rules of Poker v11, Section 11, "Lowball" rule 1; TDA 2026 Rules (Version 1.1), Rule 37-A.

61.5 Single draw: one draw, two betting rounds, usually no-limit

2-7 Single Draw has a betting round, one draw, and a second betting round, then the showdown. It is most often played no-limit, with the no-limit betting rules of Betting structures and Betting action. Robert's Rules notes that some lowball structures let a player simply call the big blind, while others require the first player in to raise to at least twice the big blind; the house says which.

Source: BARGE rulebook, Deuce-to-Seven Lowball; PokerNews, 2-7 Single Draw rules; Robert's Rules of Poker v11, Section 11, "Lowball", introduction, and "No-limit and Pot-limit Lowball" rule 1.

61.6 Triple draw: three draws, four betting rounds

2-7 Triple Draw goes bet, draw, bet, draw, bet, draw, bet, then the showdown. If a betting round leaves one player, that player wins and the remaining draws are not dealt.

Source: pagat.com, Triple Draw; N.J.A.C. 13:69F-14.12B(e)–(k).

61.7 In fixed-limit triple draw, the bet doubles after the second draw

The first two betting rounds (before the first draw and after it) use the small bet; the last two (after the second and third draws) use the big bet, which is twice the small bet. At $2/$4 with $1/$2 blinds: bets and raises are $2 before the first draw and after it, then $4 after the second and third draws.

Source: pagat.com, Triple Draw; BARGE rulebook, Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw, "Dealing Procedure"; PokerNews, 2-7 Triple Draw rules.

61.8 How many raises a fixed-limit round allows

The cap on raises is a house rule, and draw games have their own history here. Robert's Rules allows a bet and four raises in multiway limit lowball, and notes the older California custom of a bet and six. BARGE says rooms vary, commonly a bet and three raises, sometimes four, often uncapped heads-up in cash games. The TDA leaves the number to the house in tournaments, with the cap kept even heads-up until two players remain in the event.

Source: Robert's Rules of Poker v11, Section 11, "Lowball" rule 2, and Section 16, "Explanations" discussion 6; BARGE rulebook, Limit; TDA 2026 Rules (Version 1.1), Rule 50.

61.9 Who acts first

Before the first draw, the player to the left of the big blind acts first and the blinds act last. After every draw, the first player still in to the left of the button acts first and the button acts last. Drawing or standing pat doesn't change the order.

Source: N.J.A.C. 13:69F-14.12B(e), (k); COMAR 36.05.06.21 G and H(4) (Maryland, 2015 draft); Robert's Rules of Poker v11, Section 4, "Button and Blind Use", introduction.

61.10 Each draw goes round the table one player at a time

Each draw starts with the first player still in to the left of the button and ends with the button. New Jersey's regulation has the dealer burn a card and then serve each player in turn before the next one draws. BARGE describes a variation: every player announces and throws their discards in turn, and the dealer then deals everyone's replacements. Either way, nobody draws before the player on their right has decided. The procedure for stating and changing your number is the same as in 5-Card Draw (60.9).

Source: N.J.A.C. 13:69F-14.12B(f), (h), (j); BARGE rulebook, Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw, "Dealing Procedure".

61.11 Draw any number of cards, or stand pat

At each draw you may throw away any number of cards, from none to all five, and are dealt the same number. Keeping all five is standing pat, and a hand that stands pat is a pat hand. New Jersey, Maryland and BARGE set no limit. Robert's Rules, written for single-draw lowball, deals a five-card draw as four cards now and the fifth after everyone else (60.7).

Source: N.J.A.C. 13:69F-14.12B(f); COMAR 36.05.06.21 H(2) (Maryland, 2015 draft); Robert's Rules of Poker v11, Section 11, "Lowball" rule 10.

61.12 When the deck runs out, the discards are reshuffled

Triple draw often needs more cards than the deck holds. When the stub can't cover a player's draw, the discards are shuffled to make a new stub. New Jersey's regulation leaves the drawing player's own discards out of that shuffle, so nobody gets back a card they just threw; Maryland's draft says only that the discards are reshuffled. PokerNews adds that burned cards are not reshuffled. A reshuffle can happen more than once in a hand, and cards still in a live hand are never included.

Example, six players at the third draw: four players have drawn and the stub has one card left. The fifth player throws three. They get the one card, then two from a new stub made of every earlier discard except the fifth player's own three.

Source: N.J.A.C. 13:69F-14.12B(f); COMAR 36.05.06.21 H(3) (Maryland, 2015 draft); PokerNews, 2-7 Triple Draw rules.

61.13 A player who is all-in still draws

Being all-in takes you out of the betting, not out of the hand. An all-in player is still in the round of play, so they draw at every remaining draw like anyone else. If every player still in is all-in, there is no more betting, but the remaining draws are still dealt in turn before the showdown. No published triple-draw rulebook treats this as a special case; it follows from the regulations giving the draw to every player remaining in the hand.

Example: in $2/$4 triple draw, a player goes all-in for $3 before the first draw and is called. Both players still take all three draws, and the hands are shown after the third.

Source: N.J.A.C. 13:69F-14.12B(f), (h), (j); common card-room practice.

61.14 Ace high, straights and flushes count, 7-5-4-3-2 is best

Your hand is the five cards you hold after the last draw, and the lowest conventional hand wins. The ace is always high, so A-5-4-3-2 is not a straight but an ace-high hand, which beats any pair and loses to any king-high. A straight or a flush counts against you: 7-5-4-3-2 all of one suit is a flush, not a seven low. The best hand is 7-5-4-3-2 of at least two suits; the full 2-7 ranking, with ties, is Hand rankings.

Source: Robert's Rules of Poker v11, Section 11, "Deuce-to-Seven Lowball", introduction and rule 1; COMAR 36.05.06.21 K(5) (Maryland, 2015 draft); N.J.A.C. 13:69F-14.3(e)–(f).

61.15 Cards speak, but don't call a better hand than you hold

At the showdown your cards are read for what they are, whatever you say. Robert's Rules adds lowball's own conduct rules: you may not claim a better hand than you have, and a player who miscalls a hand and so causes an opponent to throw away the winner loses the pot. A player who spreads a hand containing a pair should say "pair." The showdown order and the pot are Showdown and Pots.

Source: Robert's Rules of Poker v11, Section 11, "Lowball" rules 15 and 16.

61.16 A card the dealer exposes

1. (a) Before the draw, fixed-limit: a 7, 5, 4, 3 or 2 exposed by the dealer must be kept; any other card, a 6 included, is replaced after the deal.
2. (b) Before the draw, no-limit and pot-limit: the same: a 2, 3, 4, 5 or 7 must be kept and any other card replaced.
3. (c) On the draw: an exposed card can't be taken. The dealer finishes everyone's draw, then replaces it.

These are Robert's Rules for single-draw 2-7; triple-draw rooms usually follow them, but the TDA leaves draw-game irregularities to the house.

Source: Robert's Rules of Poker v11, Section 11, "Lowball" rule 9, "Deuce-to-Seven Lowball" rule 2, and "No-limit and Pot-limit Lowball" rules 2(b) and 3; TDA 2026 Rules (Version 1.1), Rule 37-A.

61.17 A hand with too many or too few cards is fouled

A playing hand is exactly five cards. Before the draw, a player short a card may be given one if the first player hasn't acted; after that, they make up the number on the draw. After the last draw, a hand of more or fewer than five cards is fouled and can't win the pot.

Source: Robert's Rules of Poker v11, Section 11, "Lowball" rule 12.

61.18 Asking how many cards a player drew

Until there has been action after a draw, any player still in may ask an opponent how many cards they took, and the opponent and the dealer must answer. Once the betting starts, Robert's Rules says the player need not answer and the dealer may not. In triple draw this resets at every draw.

Source: Robert's Rules of Poker v11, Section 11, "Lowball" rule 13.

61.19 Pot-limit triple draw, double draw and the split games

1. (a) Pot-limit triple draw. BARGE says triple draw is sometimes played pot-limit, and the WSOP's Dealer's Choice list includes pot-limit 2-7 Triple Draw.
2. (b) Double draw. The same game with two draws and three betting rounds.
3. (c) Badeucy. A five-card triple draw where half the pot goes to the best 2-7 hand and half to the best four-card badugi (63.14).

Source: BARGE rulebook, Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw, "Notes"; PokerNews, Dealer's Choice rules; pagat.com, Double Draw; BARGE rulebook, Badeucy.