A-5 Triple Draw Lowball Rules

A-5 Triple Draw Lowball is almost identical to Deuce to Seven Triple Draw except for a few differences in the ranking of hands. In A-5 Triple Draw, you’re still going for low hands but Aces count as low and straights/flushes do not count against you. Pairs are still bad to have but overall the requirements for low hands have been eased a little in this version of Triple Draw.

Out of the two Triple Draw games, this one is my favorite because the hand rankings are easier to distinguish for people like me who are used to Texas Holdem. The downside to that is that your opponents will also find it easier to catch on to the hand rankings in A-5. There will still be plenty of fish in A-5 Triple Draw (because most people are clueless when it comes to A-5 strategy) but you won’t see quite as many complete blunders like you will in 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball.

A-5 Triple Draw Hand Rankings

Since Aces count as low and straights don’t hurt your hand, the best possible hand in A-5 is A-2-3-4-5. This is called “the wheel” or “number 1.” After that, the next strongest hand is A-2-3-4-6 and it’s called “number 2.” The top five strongest hands in A-5 are as follows:

Number 1: A-2-3-4-5
Number 2: A-2-3-4-6
Number 3: A-2-3-5-6
Number 4: A-2-4-5-6
Number 5: A-3-4-5-6

One thing that often confuses new players is the fact that hand values are judged from the top down and not from the bottom up. So even though the hand A-2-3-4-T is comprised of mostly low cards, it would still lose to 4-5-6-7-8 because the highest card in each hand is used to determine the winner. If both hands share the same highest card, the next highest card is used – and so on down the line.

Also remember that pairs do count against you. The only way you can win the pot if you catch pair is if your opponent catches an even bigger pair. The hand A-2-3-5-5 would lose to 7-8-J-Q-K because of the pair.

Play of the Game

The rest of the game is played identically to Deuce to Seven Triple Draw. Each hand begins with the dealer’s button moving one seat to the left. The dealer’s button is used to mark position and represent the dealer in games that employ a full time dealer.

The Blinds

The blinds are small forced antes that ever player must pay at some point. The player to the immediate left of the dealer must pay the small blind and the player to the left of the small blind must pay the big blind.

The small blind is equal to one-half the minimum bet of the game and the big blind is equal to one full minimum bet. So if you’re playing in a $10/$20 fixed limit game, the blinds would be $5 and $10. As the dealer’s button moves around the table, each person will have to pay the blinds once per orbit.

First Deal and Betting Round

Each player receives five cards face down. These are called the “hole” cards. After the players see their cards, there is a round of betting that begins with the player to the left of the big blind. This player has the option of calling the minimum to stay in, folding or raising.

If any of the players raise, all the other players must at least match that raise or fold their hands. The betting continues clockwise around the table until all bets have been matched.

First Draw and Betting Round

Now the players may discard any number of cards from their hands and receive new cards from the deck. After the players have gotten their new cards, there is another round of betting. This time the betting begins with the first player to the left of the dealer.

Second Draw and Betting Round

This drawing round and betting round is played exactly the same as the previous round.

Third Draw and Betting Round

This is the last chance for players to draw and bet but this round is also played identically to the previous round.

Showdown

After all the players have finished betting, the players still in the hand reveal their cards. The player with the best A-5 Triple Draw poker hand wins the pot.

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