2-7 Single Draw Strategy

You can find a great article on the overall game at How to Play 2-7 Single Draw.  2-7 single draw is a lowball poker variant played with the same rules as it cousin the triple draw.  Best lowball hand wins, aces are high and straights and flushes count as high hands.  The difference is obvious by the name, you only get one draw.

2-7 single draw can be found in limit but is more popular in the NL realm.  It is usually played at a little higher stakes than the triple draw version and   tales a little more cunning strategy to win consistently. Though lowball poker games seems to be harder to come by, this version seems to be making a bit of a comeback online and in casinos.

The basic rules of this game are pretty simple if you are used to playing games like Texas holdem.  Any hand you would consider a powerful one in holdem is a bad hand in 2-7 single draw.  The best hand or nut hand you can get in this game is 2-3-4-5-7.  These hands are a little rarer in this game because of only having a single draw.

Since this game has does not have any community cards the only thing you have to go on is your read on the player, how much they bet and how many cards they draw. Since there is only one draw for all players, you are not really going up against a strong low hand most of the time like in triple draw, so any low can be a good hand.  This is what makes this game exiting a having good action.

This is also, much like some of the other poker games, a position oriented game.  A good starting hand would be 4 cards to a 9 or a ten low, so you are left just drawing one card.  Later in position however, once you see what everyone has done, playing a two draw hand for a minimum bet could be advantageous.  

In limit games you would want to consider calling one bet with any 5 card low up to possibly a small pair. You would have to factor in who was playing and what kind of hands they have been going to showdown with.  Facing a raise you should only call if you have an 8 low or better or possibly a smooth 9 low hand. With single draw the bluff can come into play a little more than in triple draw.  You may find a bet in the right situation could win you the pot more often than not.

In NL you want to avoid of the biggest mistakes most people make in this poker game.  You do not want to get all your chips in the pot on a draw.  As in most NL poker games, knowing how much to bet and when to bet it is half the battle.  In NL 2-7 single draw bluffing is a huge part of the game.  It puts a premium on reading your opponents because no one can see what any of the other player’s cards.  

2-7 single draw be a fast paced high action game and is making a comeback in popularity both online and in brick and mortar casinos.  If you are good at reading opponents and their betting patterns, smelling out a bluff and/or a good position player you should give it a try.

Here is a good interview regarding NL 2-7 single draw with Tom Schneider: