Triple Draw A-5 Lowball with no mandatory "Bet a 7"

[gte910h]

Any suggestions/resources on what's a good hand to drop/keep? I'm not much of a draw player, but I have a good read on the guy who calls this game in dealer's choice all the time.

I can do all the probability work during the hand, its just after three draws, I can't figure out what a good starting hand would even look like from examining the other player's hands.

[Phat Mack]

Any suggestions/resources on what's a good hand to drop/keep?

I think the first rule is to always draw to the nuts. Never draw to a 6, for example. Naturally, an A23 is better than a 543, because you may hit a non-nut hand that you have to make a decision on, and the smoother the better. Then it becomes a matter of how much gamble you want to show. There are situations where you might even draw three cards on the first round, such as where you have to show that you are willing to mix it up. Personally, I think drawing two is loose, but it depends on who I'm playing with. Loose playing, and by this I mean multiple-card draws on the first round, add a lot of variance but don't help or hurt you that much long term. Loose playing, such as drawing to 6's and 7's, can get you killed.

The interesting decisions in this game are when you make a smooth 6 before the final draw, but if you have good reads and good position, they should be easier for you. Of course, a lot depends on betting format, number and type of players, etc. Hope this helps - I don't know if I've told you anything that you didn't know already.

[Al Mirpuri]

There is a very good post concerning just this on google's rec.gambling.poker. (http://groups.google.com/groups?q=) For more posts on Triple Draw Lowball: go here. (http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=) Apparently, there are no books on Triple Draw Lowball or its strategy.

PS: If you found this post worthwhile then click on my name and give me a five star rating!

[snakehead]

first, position is very important in triple draw games. a draw to a 7 on the button could be more reasonable than a 6-draw in the small blind. a two card draw to a wheel would always be a good starting hand, and any one or two card draw to a 6 containing an ace. draw to 7's in late position only.