Double Draw and Triple Draw, Four Before, Johnson and “Jack’s Back”
This topic will be covering a myriad of various draw poker variations: Double Draw and Triple Draw, Four Before, Johnson, and “Jack’s Back”. As each variation has its own rules and play intricacies, we will go down the line for a brief overview of each style of play.
Double Draw: Double Draw Poker has the same basic rules as found in Five Card Draw, and can be adapted to many other games (high or low). Essentially, this variation is played with two draw phases, which is equivalent to three betting rounds of play. As far as Double Draw games go, California Lowball Poker is considered to be an enjoyable game to use the double draw variation.
Triple Draw: Triple Draw is similar to Double Draw, as it is played as both a standard or lowball game. Like the name states, there are three drawing rounds. Sometimes, Triple Draw uses the Ace to Five or Deuce to Seven variations, both of which have started to gain popularity amongst serious poker players (having been used at The World Series of Poker, and the Grand Prix de Paris Poker Tournament.)
Four Before: Generally a lowball style poker variation (although it can be used in standard values too), this game’s initial deal has four cards dealt to the player, with a following betting round where players will draw one more card than they discard. At this point, the final betting round and subsequent showdown can commence.
Johnson: This game is a little trickier than others as the variations in rules can change the entire structure of the game, making it something else entirely. Johnson must be played with antes and no blinds, and has one Joker card acting as a “bug” during play. The first round deals each player five cards, starting with the player to the dealer’s left. The player can check or open with anything to get play started. If any other players open, the poker game will then revert to and continue as a standard five-card draw poker game. If the first round is not opened, however, the player to the dealer’s left has the option to open, but the game will now switch to the California Lowball variation. If, however, the deal is passed out an additional time, the players will have to re-ante and deal out cards again. Whew….
Jack’s Back: Jack’s Back is a variation of the “Johnson” poker game mentioned above. In Jack’s Back, the game is played with a pair of jacks (or better) to open the first round. Otherwise, it’s the same as Johnson (including the California Lowball switcheroo!)
