09-07-2014, 10:44

In particular: how to draw and when to bet.

Catch up with Part 1 of the series with a guide to 2-7 starting hands here.

Draws

This is an important phase of your game as it lays the cornerstone for winning or losing the pot.

For beginner purposes it can be separated it into three parts:

A. General strategy B. Playing in position C. Playing out of position

General Strategy

The most frequently asked questions for beginners in 2-7 often revolve around:

When to draw How many cards to draw Which hands we're drawing for When to check or bet

Unfortunately, in poker, there are rarely occasions where you can give one definite answer. But, there are often basic rules and guidelines that help you develop your personal best strategy.

The first thing you need to pay special attention to is the number of opponents. In heads-up play an eight-high or nine-high hand might well be good enough to take down the pot.

If you have more than one opponent, though, a 9-8 or 9-7 is rarely good enough to win.

Secondly, watch carefully for how many cards your opponent is exchanging.

The more cards he takes, the more likely his hand is not very good.

Also, remember what cards you are throwing away. If you start with a hand like 7-7-5-2-2, not only are you drawing to the nuts you're also taking a seven and a deuce out of the game that no one else can have.

When should you bet, then? If you have the initiative, keep it if the draw has made your hand better.

You can check if that is not the case. Once you’ve gathered some experience, you can start taking over the initiative with bets or checkraises.

Playing in Position

Position might be even more important in 2-7 Triple Draw than in Hold’em or PLO.

Not only do we get information about whether our opponent is checking or betting, we also learn how many cards he mucks before it's our turn.

This is a major advantage, especially regarding how strong your hand has to be to win.

Let’s say we have a 9-7 hand. If our opponent takes three cards, we can keep the nine. We should certainly get rid of it if our opponent only takes one, because our 9-7 is probably no good.

Betting in position is not a complicated strategy:

If you have a made hand or you’ve drawn less cards than your opponent, you should bet.

If your hand doesn’t get any better and/or you're exchanging the same number of cards, you should check behind.

Playing Out of Position

Your playing style here is pretty much the opposite of when you're in position.

As there are only 52 cards and 2-7 is usually played on 6-max tables, you should really only play strong hands in early position.

Sadly, these don’t come up very often. The result is that you will often play from the blinds when you are out of position.

From that position you will mostly check to your opponent and try to get more information from him.

If your hand is made after the second draw, a check-raise can often get you more value. In many cases you will get another raise or bet because your opponent doesn’t give you credit for a really strong hand.

However, if you are out of position, and your draw didn’t help, you will have to make a decision about your hand going to the second draw when the bets double.

If you still have to exchange two cards after the second draw, you should generally not call the next bet but give it up.

Key Takeaway

Position is of utmost importance in 2-7 Triple Draw.

The information you get determines when to bet.

In general, bet if you are in an advantageous position.

More 2-7 Triple Draw Strategy Articles:

Beginner's Guide to 2-7 Triple Draw Poker Pt. 1: Starting Hands Beginner's Guide to 2-7 Triple Draw Poker Pt. 3: Play After Last Draw


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