Ace to Five Triple Draw Rules

Context: Term article: A-5 Triple Draw Rules

Overview

A-5 Triple Draw (Ace to Five Triple Draw) is a form of Lowball poker, belonging to Draw Poker. The goal is to make the lowest possible hand, where Aces are low, and straights and flushes do not affect hand strength. Therefore, the best hand is A-2-3-4-5 (also known as the "wheel" or "bicycle").

Hand Rankings

• Hands are ranked from lowest to highest based on card values, with suits disregarded.
• Card value order: A (lowest), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K (highest).
• Comparison rule: Compare starting from the highest card; the hand with the lower highest card wins. For example, 7-5-4-3-2 (seven-high) beats 8-4-3-2-A (eight-high).
• Special rule: Straights and flushes are not considered special hands, so A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest hand (called the "wheel"), while 2-3-4-5-6, though a straight, is treated as a regular high card hand (six-high) and is higher than the wheel.
• If two hands are identical, the pot is split.

Game Flow

Typically played with 2-6 players using a standard 52-card deck. The game consists of one deal and three draw rounds, with a betting round before each draw.

Betting Structure

Uses fixed-limit or pot-limit betting, commonly fixed-limit: small bet and big bet. For example, 2/4: the first two betting rounds use $2 bets, and the last two use $4 bets.

Specific Steps

1. Deal: Each player receives five down cards, dealt clockwise starting from the dealer (Button) position.
2. First betting round: Action starts to the left of the big blind (or to the left of the dealer, depending on rules), with a pre-draw bet.
3. First draw: Players choose to keep or discard any number of their down cards (up to 5), then draw from the deck top to replenish to five cards. Drawing order is clockwise starting from the player to the dealer's left.
4. Second betting round: Same as the first, but the bet size may increase (e.g., small bet in fixed-limit).
5. Second draw: Repeat the draw process.
6. Third betting round: Bet size becomes the big bet (if previously small).
7. Third draw: The final draw opportunity.
8. Final betting round: Big bet.
9. Showdown: Remaining players reveal their hands; the lowest hand wins.

Strategy Points

• Starting hands: Typically strong starting hands are wheels or low hands like six-high or five-high; avoid pairs or high cards.
• Drawing decisions: Adjust based on opponent actions. For example, if an opponent draws few cards, they likely hold a strong hand; if they draw many, they may be drawing.
• Position advantage: Later-position players gain more information during the draw.