2-7 Single Draw Poker Rules

2-7 (Deuce to Seven) Single Draw is a form of draw poker, sometimes referred to as ‘Kansas City Lowball’. Lowball games reward the best low hand, making it the opposite of games likes Hold’em and Stud, in which the highest hand wins. Like board games Hold’em and Omaha, the game is played with blinds and a button, and is also sometimes played with antes. In Single Draw, each player has the opportunity to discard and draw cards once, though you may ‘stand pat’ (not discard any cards) on the draw.

1. How To Play 2-7 Single Draw Poker
2. What Is 2-7 Single Draw Poker Rules

How to Play 2-7 Single Draw

First, it’s important to understand that the hand rankings are different in 2-7 than in other low games. In 2-7, straights and flushes count against your low hand, and aces are always high. So the best possible hand is: 7, 5, 4, 3, 2. The following 2-7 hands (not a complete list) are ranked from least powerful (#1, which will rarely win the pot) to most powerful (#16, the nuts):

1. J, 7, 4, 3, 2 (all the same suit - a flush)
2. 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 (a straight)
3. 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 (a lower straight)
4. 5, 5, 5, 6, 3
5. 2, 2, 7, 6, 5
6. A, 9, 6, 4, 2
7. A, 8, 7, 4, 2
8. A, 5, 4, 3, 2 (not a straight - ace-high)
9. K, J, 8, 7, 4
10. T, 7, 5, 4, 3
11. T, 6, 5, 4, 3
12. T, 6, 5, 4, 2
13. 9, 7, 6, 4, 3
14. 8, 6, 4, 3, 2
15. 7, 6, 4, 3, 2
16. 7, 5, 4, 3, 2

2-7 single draw poker, aka deuce-to-seven, is played just like five card draw except the lowest hand wins. In deuce-to-seven, aces are high and straights and flushes count, so the lowest possible hand is 2-3-4-5-7. You get to draw once, discarding as many cards as you like. You bet twice, when the cards are dealt and after the draw. These factors make no-limit 2-7 single draw a game highly conducive to bluffing. When played at a high level, poker becomes less about relying on the absolute strength of hands, and more about exploiting your opponents' tendencies. Psychology becomes a very important factor in no-limit 2-7 single draw. 2-7 Lowball rules for NL Single Draw are simple; however, players not familiar with the Deuce to Seven ranking of hands often get confused. Of course, in lowball poker the goal is to make the lowest hand possible. In Deuce to Seven the best hand a player can make is 2-3-4-5-7. Like all games, poker comes with a set of rules that make up the game. Now the rules may differ slightly with the variants, but essentially, they are all based on the same fundamentals.

Blinds

Draw games are played using forced bets known as ‘blinds’, with the player sitting to the left of the dealer button posting a small blind, and the player to their left posting the big blind. The small blind is usually equal to half the size of the big blind. Lowball is also sometimes played with an ‘ante’, which is a small forced bet posted by each player in addition to the blinds.

The Deal

Each player is dealt five cards face down. There is then a round of betting, where you have the option to either call, raise, or fold. Players still left in the hand after the first round of betting now have the opportunity to draw. This means you can try and improve your hand by discarding some of the cards, and being dealt new ones to replace them. Click the cards you want to discard, and then hit the ‘Discard’ button. You can discard all five cards if you wish. If you feel that you already have a strong hand, you can opt to ‘Stand Pat’. This means that you are choosing not to discard any of your cards. When the draw is complete, another round of betting ensues, with players having the option to bet or fold (if a bet has been made before the action is on them). If no bets are made, players also have the option to check. If more than one player is still left in the hand at this point, a showdown takes place, with the player holding the best hand taking the pot.

So the sequence of action is:

1. Five cards dealt to each player
2. Betting round #1, beginning with player to left of big blind
3. Discard/Draw, beginning with the player to the left of the button
4. Betting round #2, beginning with the player to the left of button
5. Showdown (if necessary)

In draw games, it is possible for more cards to be needed than are remaining in the deck. In this case, the cards are reshuffled, and play continues using the new deck. For more information on reshuffling in draw games, please see Reshuffling the Deck.

Showdown - Determining the Winner

The player with the best five-card 2-7 hand wins the pot. After the pot is awarded to the best hand, a new game of 2-7 Single Draw is ready to be played.

If two or more hands have the same value, the pot is equally split among them. There is no rank of suit for the purposes of awarding the pot. Please remember, this is different from other forms of low or high/low poker, where an ace can be played either high or low. In 2-7, an ace is always the highest card.

Basic Strategy

In Lowball, most hands that are usually strong in games like Hold’em are weak. Pairs, trips (three of a kind), straights and flushes are always considered to be high hands, and so do not qualify in Lowball. If a hand has no pair, the player with the highest ranking card loses. For instance, if one player has 9-6-5-2-3, this hand beats 10-9-6-2-3. In 2-7 games, aces are always high, and are therefore not good. This means that a player holding J-9-7-3-2 beats an opponent with A-9-7-3-2. The best possible hand is 7-5-4-3-2 of different suits. This is because the hand is low, has no ace and is not a straight or a flush. It’s for this reason that the game is called 2-7 Lowball.

Learn How to Play 2-7 Single Draw for Free

If you are unfamiliar with 2-7 Single Draw poker, we recommend you try the game out first to get a feel for how it’s played. You are always welcome to play on free poker tables at PokerStars, and sharpen your skills before playing real money poker.

Finally, if you like to play other draw variants, we recommend you check out Triple Draw 2-7 Lowball, Five Card Draw, or Badugi, all of which are very popular poker games as well. These games are a nice change of pace from the amazingly popular Texas Hold’em game, and they are also available in our poker tournaments selection.

As well as 2-7 Single Draw, we also offer many other poker variants. See our Poker Games page to learn more.

If you have any questions about 2-7 Single Draw games at PokerStars, please email Support.

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First steps

Deuce to Seven Single Draw is a poker game also known as LowBall Poker. Being part of the draw games family means that each player gets a complete hand before the beginning of the first betting round and develops the hand during the game by exchanging or “drawing” cards. The difference between Deuce to Seven Single Draw Poker and other popular poker games like Texas Hold’em and Stud is that in Lowball Poker the best low hand wins the pot. Many professional poker players consider 2-7 Single Draw to be the most pure form of poker. This poker variant is played in live cash games, is becoming more popular in online cash games and of course, and is played at a couple events at the WSOP and other major poker tournaments.

How To Play 2-7 Single Draw Poker

How the game is played

At a Deuce to Seven Single Draw table are seated maximum 7 players, in case of an eight handed mixed game, one person sits out one hand. The player to the left of the dealer button pays the small blind and the player to his left pays the big blind. The big blind usually amounts twice the sum of the small blind. The game proceeds in a clockwise direction and the dealer button changes position at the end of each round, which is the same structure as Texas Hold’em. Sometimes the game is played with an “ante” bet; which is a small forced bet paid in addition to the blinds.

The first betting round

At the beginning of the game, each player receives five cards face down. The first round of betting starts and the player has to make the worst hand possible, straights and flushes being counted against him and aces as high cards. After the blinds are paid, the next step for the players is to decide: call, raise or fold. The first betting round ends when all the players have either called the bet or folded their cards. The best possible hand in Deuce to Seven Single Draw is 7-5-4-3-2 of different suits, also known as “wheel” or “number one”. This is the best hand because there is no ace, no straight, and no flush, and this is also the reason why the game is called Deuce to Seven Single Draw.

The exchange of cards

At the end of the first betting round, the first exchange of cards takes place. A player can discard 5,4,3,2 or 1 of his cards or none of them “stand pat”; usually one rarely discards all of his cards.
The process of replacing or “drawing” the cards begins with the player to the left of the dealer button, and continues clockwise around the table. After all the players have received new cards, a new betting round begins.

The second betting round

The second betting round begins with the player to the left of the dealer button. This player can check or bet, and the game continues until each player has called the bet (if a bet was made), checked, or folded. At this point, the betting round is over and the showdown can begin.

Showdown

In a Deuce to Seven Single Draw game showdowns are rather different than in any typical poker game like Texas Hold’em. Since no normal value is used and the hands that are usually high in other variants, here it’s the opposite, and the players use a low hand system. When the outcome of a showdown is a tie, the winner of the pot is the player with the lower version of the hand.
The best four hands in Deuce to Seven Single Draw Poker

• 7-5-4-3-2 (wheel or number one)
• 7-6-4-3-2 (number 2)
• 7-6-5-3-2 (number 3)
• 7-6-5-4-2 (number 4)

What Is 2-7 Single Draw Poker Rules

These hands must be formed by at least two suits, if the cards are of the same suit, than the combination is a flush, which is not a winning hand in 2-7 Single Draw.

Standard Poker Moves

When you receive the cards, you have a few options. If you like the cards you were dealt, you can bet, call a bet that has been already made, or raise a bet. However, if you do not like the cards you have received, you can fold (discard) them, exchange a few cards or all of them.

• Fold — If you do not like the cards you were dealt, you have the option to discard them “fold”, and therefore leave the round of the game. If in that particular betting round you have already called someone’s bet, or paid the small blind or the big blind, you lose that amount. After you have folded your cards, you cannot lose any more money during the current round.
• Check — When you do not want to place a bet, but believe that you wish to proceed to the next round, you can check. This action is possible only when nobody has placed a bet before you.
• Call — To call a bet means to pay the same amount that the previous player has bet.

All-In

The main reason why players decide to go all in is when they have a very good hand. A player chooses to go all in in this case because when other players call this move, and the player who went all in wins anyway, the winnings are significant. A player can also go in to bluff and confuse his opponents - make them believe that he holds a good hand, so they will fold their hands and the player who went all in will win the pot. Another reason to go all-in, is when a player has a good hand, but he does not have enough chips to call the bet made by the player in front of him. In this case, this player can bet all his chips, even if the amount does not equal the sum of the previous bet. The player cannot act any further and should he win the showdown, he wins the main pot, all the bets placed after the player went all in, are set in a different pot — called “side pot”, which is won by the player with the second best hand. Practice makes perfect, and playing online is the best way for you to master the game! We strongly recommend PokerStars, where you can also pick up a fabulous welcome bonus.

Short History of Deuce to Seven Single Draw Poker

Deuce to Seven Single Draw Poker is part of the draw poker family, and is probably one of the oldest poker variants. We do not know the exact time the game was created, but it’s safe to assume that the history of this game dates back to the same time of Five Card Draw. Doyle Brunson referred to Deuce to Seven Single Draw as the most pure form of poker, yet mathematics being a key when learning the basics of the game. Before Hold’em and Omaha took by storm the poker world, Deuce to Seven Single Draw was one of the most popular games, played by classic pros like Billy Baxter, Bobby Baldwin and Doyle Brunson.