A-5 Triple Draw

Objective

Win chips by making the best (lowest) 5-card hand, with three opportunities to draw. Aces are always low. Straights and flushes do not count against the hand.

The Basics

A-5 Triple Draw is a lowball draw game. Each player is dealt five cards and may draw up to three times to improve their hand. The best possible hand is A-2-3-4-5. Because aces are low and straights and flushes are ignored, hands are ranked from the highest card downward.

Setup

Blinds are posted before each hand: the player left of the dealer posts the small blind, the next posts the big blind. Each player is dealt 5 cards face down. Action pre-draw starts left of the big blind.

Betting Rounds

1. Pre-draw — 5 cards dealt. Action starts left of the big blind. Small bet applies.
2. First Draw — Players draw 0–5 cards. Betting follows. Small bet applies.
3. Second Draw — Players draw 0–5 cards. Betting follows. Big bet applies.
4. Third Draw — Players draw 0–5 cards. Final betting round. Big bet applies.

Bet Sizing

• Pre-draw and first draw use the small bet.
• Second and third draw use the big bet (2× the small bet).
• Raises are in fixed increments of the applicable bet size.
• Maximum of four bets per street, unless heads-up.

Key Rules

• Aces are always low.
• Straights and flushes do not count against the hand.
• Hands are ranked from the highest card downward — A-2-3-4-5 is the best hand, A-2-3-4-6 is second best, and so on.
• A player may draw 0 cards (stand pat) on any draw.
• Pairs, trips, and quads all count against the hand — only the five lowest unpaired cards matter.

Common Mistakes

• Pairs count against the hand — a hand of A-A-2-3-4 is not a strong low; it plays as a pair of aces.
• Flushes and straights are completely ignored — A-2-3-4-5 of the same suit is still the best possible hand.

At the Table

Five cards dealt; three draws available. Best hand is A-2-3-4-5. Aces low; straights and flushes ignored.