Starting Play of the Hand

In deuce to seven triple draw, each player is dealt five cards. The goal is to make the worst five card hand possible. Unlike other lowball games, the worst hand is literal, meaning a straight or flush will kill your hand and an ace is high and bad for your hand. With this in mind, the "best" hand you can have in deuce to seven is 7 5 4 3 2, hence the name "deuce to seven."

There is a small and big blind just as in hold'em, and the play rotates clockwise starting to the left of the big blind. Players may match the big blind, raise or fold in turn. Once the action gets back to the big blind, he may check or raise if no one has raised, call, raise or fold if there has been a raise.

The Draw

Players, in the same order as the betting, now discard as many cards as they wish. Once cards have been replaced, there is another betting round. This continues until each player who remains in the hand has had three draws. Once the final round of betting is complete, hands are shown down, and the lowest hand wins the pot.

Strategy for Deuce to Seven

If you need more than two cards to make your hand, you should probably fold. With three betting rounds, things could get very expensive and you might not even have a made hand at the end. Don't forget the rules. Hands like 7 5 3 2 A and 7 6 5 4 3 look very good until you remember that aces are high and straights are even higher.