Handout 02 · No-limit
No-limit 2-7 single draw
The same upside-down ranking as triple draw, with one draw instead of three and no limit on the bet. Two betting rounds, and the only public information is how many cards each player took.
- Cards
- Five, all face down
- Draws
- One
- Betting
- No-limit, two rounds
- Forced bets
- Blinds, usually antes too N7
- Best hand
- 7-5-4-3-2, not all one suit
- Also known as
- Kansas City lowball, "deuce"
1How it is dealt and bet
Each player gets five cards face down. There is a round of betting, then one draw in which each player may replace anything from no cards to all five, then a second round of betting and the showdown. W N7
- Opening. Rule sets differ on whether you may simply call the big blind. The WSOP's rules note that some structures allow it and others require the first bet to be at least double the big blind. W One published guide describes the no-limping version as the usual one, and says some venues do not enforce it. N7
- After the draw you may check any hand, and check-raising is allowed. W R (That sentence exists because an older lowball game had a rule against checking a seven. It does not apply here.)
Sources disagree: a card exposed before the draw
The WSOP's rules say every exposed card, on the deal or the draw, is replaced. W Robert's Rules of Poker says that in deuce-to-seven you must keep an exposed 2, 3, 4, 5 or 7 dealt before the draw, and any other card, the six included, is replaced. R Both agree that a card exposed on the draw is replaced. Ask which rule is in force before it matters.
2Hand ranking
Identical to triple draw: the worst conventional hand wins, the ace is high only, and straights and flushes count against you. The best hand is 7-5-4-3-2 in at least two suits. W R
- 9♥7♦5♣4♠2♥ beats 10♠6♦4♥3♣2♦A nine beats a ten, however smooth the ten is.
- J♥9♦8♣7♠2♥ beats 8♥7♦6♣5♠4♦The second hand is a straight.
- Q♥8♦6♣4♠2♥ beats A♥6♦4♣3♠2♦Queen-high beats ace-high. The ace is the worst card in the deck.
With one draw, hands run much weaker than in triple draw. A jack-high is a real hand here.
3The draw
You hold 2-3-4-7 and draw one, with your discard counted as gone (47 unseen).
| You finish with | Cards that hit | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| A seven | 8 of 47 | 17.0% |
| An eight or better | 12 of 47 | 25.5% |
| A ten or better | 20 of 47 | 42.6% |
| A jack or better | 24 of 47 | 51.1% |
The other half of the time you pair, or catch a queen, king or ace.
How often are you dealt a pat hand? A nine or better 2.04% of the time, a ten or better 4.75%.
The same point in words: after drawing one you make a jack-high or better about half the time. N7 Our count agrees (51.1%).
4Starting hands
- Beginners do better avoiding two-card draws: it is hard to make a strong low drawing two with a single draw. N7 Two-card draws are generally weak and often lose to a mediocre one-card draw. C8
- Position is critical: the later player sees how many cards the other drew, and how he bet, before deciding. N7
- Pat hands of eight or better are rare, and a pat nine or better is usually a big favourite over a drawing hand. A pat jack is typically a small favourite over one drawing hand; a pat ten is usually a little above 60%. C8
Checking those last figures: against one opponent drawing one card to 2-3-4-7, a pat hand is still best this often.
| Pat hand | His outs | Pat hand holds up |
|---|---|---|
| 9-8-6-4-2 | 13 of 43 | 69.8% |
| 10-8-6-4-2 | 17 of 43 | 60.5% |
| J-8-6-4-2 | 21 of 43 | 51.2% |
| Q-8-6-4-2 | 25 of 43 | 41.9% |
The published "small favourite" and "a little above 60%" both check out for these example hands.
No solver baseline for this game. Our solver work covers limit triple-draw games only. Nothing on this page comes from it.
5The key decisions
Before the draw: pat, one, or fold
Because there is only one draw, the decision is mostly made by the cards you are dealt. The table in section 4 gives the raw numbers a pat ten or jack is working with against a single one-card draw; against two drawing hands those chances are lower still.
After the draw: the bet
- Sevens and eights are very strong and can usually be bet hard on the end; strong nines are similar; weaker nines and tens still win often, especially short-handed. N7
- Jack-high is an average hand. Folding it to a bet is often fine against a tight player, but folding it too often is a mistake, especially heads-up. N7
- Many players check when they miss. If an opponent knows you fold whenever you miss, he can bet every time. Call wider (queen, king, ace-high) against players who bluff a lot, and bluff missed draws more against players who only call with jack-high or better. N7
6Common mistakes
- Bringing triple-draw standards. Computed With one draw, eights are rare: the best one-card draw makes an eight or better one time in four, and a jack or better about half the time.
- Drawing two. Published See section 4. N7 C8
- Folding every miss. Published It tells the other player he can bet any time you check. N7
- Forgetting the straight. A one-card draw to 3-4-5-6 has two ranks that complete a straight. The odds calculator counts this for any four cards you enter.
NL 2-7 single draw: cheat sheet
Seminar 27 · Handout 02 · no-limit, five cards, one draw
The order of play
Blinds (and usually antes) → deal 5 → bet → one draw → bet → showdown.
Ranking in one breath
- Worst poker hand wins. Best: 7-5-4-3-2 in two or more suits.
- Ace is always high. Straights and flushes are bad. Suits never break ties.
Odds to carry
| 2-3-4-7, draw one, finish with | Hits/47 | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| A seven | 8 | 17.0% |
| An eight or better | 12 | 25.5% |
| A ten or better | 20 | 42.6% |
| A jack or better | 24 | 51.1% |
| Pat hand vs one 2-3-4-7 draw | Holds up |
|---|---|
| 9-8-6-4-2 | 69.8% |
| 10-8-6-4-2 | 60.5% |
| J-8-6-4-2 | 51.2% |
| Q-8-6-4-2 | 41.9% |
Published rules of thumb
- Avoid two-card draws. Act last when you can: the draw count is the only tell the rules give you.
- Jack-high is an average hand. Do not fold every miss.
Ask before you sit
May the first player in just call, or must he raise? Is an exposed low card kept or replaced before the draw?
seminar27.com · Odds computed by the site's own script. Rules: WSOP live-action rules, Robert's Rules of Poker. No solver baseline for this game. For education.