There is one basic truth about cash poker games, whether it’s Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha, or 2-7 triple draw strategy that always makes itself clear over time: if you play a good solid game then the more fish at the table, the more money you’ll make in the long run. An unforeseen problem has occurred with the poker explosion, however, namely that sometimes there are so many fish that they end up choking the sharks. Take a look at the World Series of Poker, it has swelled from 2,000 players to 10,000 in just three years. You have to be a great player to win it, but you have to be the luckiest great player, as well.
Part of the skill of any poker game is that not only do stronger players know their odds, but by knowing how to play aggressively, they know how to make chasers fold. This is critical, because if you are a 3-1 favorite, that means in 40 hands you will win 30 times and lose 10, but if you can get half of those chasers to fold, suddenly you win 35 times and lose 5, a huge shift in profit margin. But bad players chase hands and tend to get more big hands, meaning you are far more likely to suffer every bad break possible.
So where can you find a game full of bad players where there aren’t too many to drown the good players out and make the game a crap shoot? The answer is 2-7 Triple Draw. The beautiful thing about good 2-7 Triple Draw Strategy is that though there is luck involved, it works against chasers as often as for them, and a conservative player should be able to dominate early with simple strategy. First off, like razz, 2-7 Triple Draw is a ‘worst hand’ or ‘low hand’ game. What is very important to remember, however, is that there are some critical differences between this game and other low hand games.
Remember:
- Ace is always high. In other games, such as Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo, and others, Ace is low, but good 2-7 Triple Draw Strategy means you have to remember that ace is always high, and so ace high is an incredibly weak hand.
- Straights and flushes count. In other low card games they don’t. This means that 2-3-4-5-6 is NOT the best hand, but 2-3-4-5-7 is.
- Counting goes from high card down. 2-3-4-5-8 is beaten by 2-4-5-6-7. This is the most common mistake in virtually any low game.
There is a lot of luck in this game, because after the initial five card hand, you have three chances to exchange cards, as does everyone at the table. Because of this, this is basically a five or six person game, most commonly five. Also because of the trade ins, many players will play a lot of hands. Basically, this is a game you want to play very conservatively until you hit a monster hand. If you are a beginner and you have a hand that has a high card of nine or more, throw your hand away! Yes, sometimes nine high wins, and sometimes king high wins, but not often enough to make it profitable.
The majority of the time an eight high hand will win, and a seven high hand is an over 90% lock to at least split the pot. When you have these hands, keep hammering everyone else on every round of betting. Once you’re used to this game, count right, and know the types of players at your table, you can play more hands, but if you use this ultra conservative strategy you will win far more often than not. Also, if someone keeps calling, chasing that last card, while you stand and bet, it is almost ALWAYS correct to bet on the last round, and if the person drawing re-raises you, ALWAYS call. Far more often than not they missed completely and are trying to bully you, and sometimes they settle for a hand not as strong as yours. The pot odds dictate a call here.
Never slow play this game, follow these rules, and you’ll be on your way to an increased bank roll in no time!