The Basics of 2-7 Lo-Ball
Eric | May 29, 2011
One very fun poker game that is not very well known is 2-7 Lo-Ball. This game hasn’t received as much attention as Hold’em or Stud. It’s only found on a few US online poker sites, but it is available to play. If you’re a fan of Lo-Ball games like Razz, or even O8 or Stud Hi-Lo, you may want to give 2-7 a try. It requires a different strategy than traditional poker games.
The lowest hand wins
As the name suggests, 2-7 is a Lo-Ball game where players aim to make the lowest possible hand. There are two variations of 2-7: Single Draw and Triple Draw. In Single Draw, each player gets one chance to trade in any number of cards and draw new ones. In Triple Draw, each player has three opportunities to draw new cards. It is set up much like Five Card Draw. The blinds go clockwise around the table each hand. The small blind, half the amount of the big blind, is to the left of the dealer chip, and the big blind is to the left of the small blind. These are mandatory bets placed before any cards are dealt.
Once the blinds are placed, each player is dealt 5 cards face down. A round of betting starts with the player to the left of the big blind and continues clockwise. After this, each player, starting with the small blind, can either draw or stand pat. In Triple Draw, this process repeats with rounds of betting between each draw.
You don’t want aces
The goal is to achieve the lowest possible hand. Aces are high in this game, making them undesirable. Traditional poker hands like pairs, straights, flushes, and full houses are considered bust hands. Thus, you want to avoid a low straight. The best possible hand is 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 because 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 would make a straight and be a bust hand. Hence the name 2-7.
Here are some examples to illustrate:
- If you hold 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, you have a strong hand since there are no pairs or straights, and the cards are all low.
- If you hold 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, you have a straight, which is a bust hand in 2-7 Lo-Ball.
- If you hold 2, 3, 7, 9, J, you have a relatively weak hand because of the higher cards.
When deciding whether to draw new cards, consider the strength of your current hand. For instance, if you hold 2, 3, 4, 5, and an Ace, you might want to draw one card to replace the Ace. If you have a hand like 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, you may choose to stand pat, keeping your strong low hand.
Unfortunately, not many poker sites offer free 2-7 Lo-Ball games. It may be hard to find one, but now you know the rules if you do. Otherwise you may just as well stick to playing Texas Hold’em.
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