2-7 Triple Draw: Playing The Turn in Position Part 1

The turn is the toughest street to play in any flop or draw game and Deuce to Seven Triple Draw Lowball (27TD) is no different. However, having position makes things a lot easier, especially since there are many situations where our opponent’s turn bet or lack of one is often a clear indicator whether or not he is holding a pat hand.

This knowledge will sometimes enable us to make decisions that will increase our equity, an element that doesn’t exist in non-draw games such as Omaha or Hold’em.

Draws Were 1/1 On Second Draw – In Position Facing A Check

When both players were drawing one on the second draw and the first player checks, the out of position player is almost always still drawing. Occasionally, he may be sandbagging a big hand or have a mediocre holding such as 10-8-6-5-2 that will usually break if you bet and pat if you check, but the majority of the time it means the second draw did not complete his hand.

When facing a check, the in-position player should bet and pat any ten or better, even with a hand with a strong underlying draw underneath such as 10-7-4-3-2 that would be giving up the opportunity to draw to a premium hand. Too much equity would be lost by breaking the ten, and this expectation cannot be fully recouped in the river betting.

Jack lows are a different story; hands with good underlying draws such as J-7-6-4-2 and J-8-5-4-3-2 should be checked back and broken. While a jack low is usually a small favorite over any drawing hand, so is a superior one-card draw over an inferior one, and breaking allows us to reap implied odds on the last betting round. An underlying ‘8-6’ draw is on the border, but any J-8-7-3-2 or worse should be bet and patted.

Premium one-card draws should occasionally be bet for a few reasons:
For value. A 2-3-4-7 draw with a paired three is a 58% favorite over 2-5-6-8.

A bet will usually induce your opponent to break a hand like 10-8-6-5-2 which in this case, would cause you to go from a 39% underdog to a 58% favorite.

Your opponent may fold. This doesn’t happen often but it can when your opponent has a very rough draw and is a big win.

We should also bet and snow the worst of our one card draws especially when having paired a few times along the way. It can be more profitable to bluff with bad draws like 9-8-7-2 or even a more decent one such as 8-7-5-2 when we have paired a couple of fives along the way than it is to check and try to make the best hand on the last draw.

Getting check-raised is relatively rare, although it does happen from time to time. This is highly player dependent, but usually it’s a very big hand that hasn’t paired along the way. There are also some opponents that may occasionally check-raise a middling hand such as 8-7-5-4-2 and then check after the last draw. Some loose aggressive players may even play a busted hand very creatively by check-raising the turn and betting the river. As in all forms of poker, it’s important to obtain reads and a feel for what plays your opponent is capable of making.

Draws Were 1/1 On Second Draw – In Position Facing A Bet Without A Pat Hand Or Probable Second Best Made Hand

When the out-of-position player leads he often has a pat hand, especially if they are an experienced 27TD player. One very important read that you want to have here is whether or not he will bet all of his tens or even jack lows in this spot. Most players that you will encounter will tend to bet only their nine or better lows along with some ten lows where it makes sense to do so, but it’s very important to know if they tend to lead lighter.

If our opponent leads a strong range and the pot is relatively small, we can fold draws as good as 8-7-5-2. If our opponent is not betting many of his tens, we may only have around 20-25% equity with some potential for reverse implied odds on the river. We are not obligated to continue with just any eight draw. However, if your read is that he leads light, we must continue with any clean draw to an eight.

Speculative turn raises can occasionally be made in an attempt to get your opponent to break or on your best days, instantly fold. A hand such as 10-8-7-6-2 is a decent candidate to make a play at the pot as it unblocks nines, targeting some 9-7-5-3-2 holdings that our opponent may choose to break. And you can easily fold if you get reraised.

While a holding such as 10-7-4-3-2 also unblocks nines, it’s not as effective as a choice with which to make a play. Many players choose holdings such as this figuring they have a premium draw to fall back on if their opponent three-bets or just calls and pats. However, a drawback is that when we are successful in getting the break we desire, we must pat the ten and therefore eliminate the possibility of making a premium hand in position.

A hand like 2-4-5-7 where we have paired some fours and fives along the way is also a good hand with which to test our opponent. Once again we unblock nines (as well as tens) and when successful in getting a break, we are usually a decent favorite with the superior draw and having seen cards that he may need.

In the next installment on 27TD we will discuss among other things, the art of “freezing” your opponent on the turn. Freezing is another tool that the in-position player has in increasing the likelihood they win the pot, and will further demonstrate the value of position in draw games. ♠

Kevin Haney is a former actuary of MetLife but left the corporate job to focus on his passions for poker and fitness. He is co-owner of Elite Fitness Club in Oceanport, NJ and is a certified personal trainer. With regards to poker he got his start way back in 2003 and particularly enjoys taking new players interested in mixed games under his wing and quickly making them proficient in all variants. If interested in learning more, playing mixed games online, or just saying hello he can be reached at [email protected].