Deuce to Seven

Overview

Deuce to Seven (also called 2-7 Lowball or Deuce-to-Seven Lowball) is a lowball poker game where the objective is to make the lowest possible five-card hand. Unlike traditional high poker, the ranking is inverted: the worst high hand (like King-high) is often a strong low hand. Aces are always high, and deuces (twos) are the lowest rank. Straights and flushes do not count as low hands; they are considered high and thus undesirable. The best possible hand is 7-5-4-3-2 (not a straight), commonly called a "wheel" in other games but here it's the nuts — often referred to as "the number one" or "the perfect hand."

Hand Rankings (from best to worst)

1. 7-5-4-3-2 (not a straight; all cards are different suits)
2. 7-6-4-3-2 (if suits allow no flush)
3. 7-6-5-3-2
4. 7-6-5-4-2
5. 8-5-4-3-2 (not a straight)
6. 8-6-4-3-2 ... and so on, with the highest card being as low as possible. Pairs, trips, full houses, etc., are very bad.

Note: A hand like 2-3-4-5-6 is a straight (six-high), which is a high hand and therefore terrible in Deuce to Seven. Similarly, a flush (any five cards of the same suit) is considered high.

Game Play

Deuce to Seven is typically played as a draw game (2-7 Single Draw or Triple Draw). In the most common form, 2-7 Triple Draw, each player receives five cards, and there are three drawing rounds. After each draw, players may discard and replace any number of cards. The final round of betting occurs after the third draw. The variant can also be played in mixed games like H.O.R.S.E. or as a standalone.

Strategy

Because straights and flushes are bad, players often try to "rough" their hands — meaning they avoid making a straight or flush while keeping the lowest cards. Key concepts include:

• Drawing smooth: Drawing to a hand that has a good chance of being low without improvement.
• Pat hands: Standing pat (not drawing) with a strong low hand like 7-5-4-3-2.
• Bluffing: Since players don't see opponents' cards, semi-bluffing with drawing hands is common.
• Position: Acting later provides information from earlier draw decisions.

Comparison to Other Lowball Games

In Ace-to-Five Lowball (California lowball), aces are low and straights/flushes count as low. Deuce to Seven is more challenging because the high-hand penalties make hand reading and drawing decisions more nuanced.

Typical Usage in Poker Rooms

Deuce to Seven is popular in mixed-game rotations, especially in high-stakes cash games and tournaments like the World Series of Poker (WSOP) mixed events. It requires careful hand evaluation and discipline to avoid making a straight or flush inadvertently.