Double Draw Rules

The object of the game is to win the pot, either by holding the lowest five-card hand at showdown or by making a bet that no other player calls.

The game is played with a standard 52-card deck. Every player's hand is the five cards they hold; there are no community cards.

Double Draw may be played with any of the three lowball rankings. The dealer shall announce which one before play:

1.3(a) Ace-to-five: aces low, straights and flushes ignored; best hand 5-4-3-2-A. See Ace-to-Five Lowball.

1.3(b) Deuce-to-seven: aces high, straights and flushes count against you; best hand 7-5-4-3-2, not all one suit. See Deuce-to-Seven.

1.3(c) Ace-to-six: aces low, straights and flushes count against you; best hand 6-4-3-2-A, not all one suit. See Ace-to-Six Lowball.

Double Draw is the two-draw form of the game. Triple draw gives three draws and four betting rounds; single-draw lowball gives one draw and two betting rounds.

Double Draw is normally played with blinds, in the same way as triple draw. The player to the dealer's left posts the small blind and the next player to the left posts the big blind, equal to the minimum bet.

Blinds count as bets. The big blind may raise when the action returns to them, even if every other player has only called or folded.

Each player is dealt five cards face down, one at a time, starting with the player to the dealer's left.

The first betting round begins with the player to the left of the big blind.

After the first betting round, each remaining player in turn, clockwise from the dealer's left, may discard any number of cards and receive the same number of replacements, or stand pat.

A second betting round follows, then a second draw in the same order, then a third and final betting round.

If the deck runs out during a draw, the discards (the muck) are shuffled and cut to form a new deck, from which the players still waiting to draw are served.

The game may be played with any betting structure. In fixed-limit play the bet size usually increases for the later rounds. The source does not fix the point at which it doubles, so the dealer shall announce it before play.

If all but one player folds at any point, the remaining player wins the pot without showing their cards.

If two or more players remain after the third betting round, there is a showdown. The lowest hand under the announced ranking wins the pot. Suits have no rank, and identical hands split the pot.