Been playing more PLO and Triple Draw the last few days, grinding out small wins here and there, continuing my lastest streak of good online results. Up about $440 on Stars since my deposit last month, and I'm pretty happy about it.

Been thinking a lot about my game, and some of supafrey's criticism of my NL Hold'em advice. I trust his insight because he is a much better NL player than I am... I think my experience has been tainted somewhat because I have played at a lot of levels, mixed so much live and online, and gotten very odd feedback from the game on occasion. Somewhere in my development, I guess I decided I could just beat bad players with a weak-tight style (because that's what it is), and sort of regressed into that. Not sure how much effort I will put into changing it, because NL cash games are very boring to me now, although I would like to play some tournaments. I'm for sure playing in the Turbo Takedown a week from tomorrow. Come on, I deserve a win after all the work I've put in.

Anyway, back to the title topic. I've been mulling over the idea of writing another "Quick Guide" post on Triple Draw, but I haven't got everything in line quite yet. Still, here's a few tips for anyone interested (I strongly recommend anyone interested in Triple Draw read Negreanu's SS2 section; it is pure gold).

1. Most good starting hands have a 2 in them, and the general rule of thumb is, "don't leave home without a deuce." Obviously, there are some hands that don't have a 2 that you will still play, but the 2 is the key card in 2-7, much like the A is the key card in Omaha-8.

2. The winning hands are 7's and 8's. There are only four ways to make a 7-low, but they are all excellent hands. 8-5 is a very good low, and some of the 8-6's are frequent winners. 8-7 can be decent, but you want a reasonably smooth 3-card combo under it. 8-7-6 and other rough 8's are trouble and should only be pushed under the right circumstances. In general, don't draw to anything but a 7 or 8, especially on the first draw.

3. Don't draw two to an 8-7. This is a lesson I've learned the hard way. 8-7's are probably one of the costliest hands if you don't know how to evaluate your situation. Sometimes you will try and steal with a two-card 8-7 draw, but I don't like playing this hand against a raise, because against someone drawing smooth, you can be in big trouble.

4. Be wary of a 6. The 6 prevents you from making a wheel or an 8-5. Having a 6 isn't a deal breaker, but if you don't also have a 2, you will need to be careful, because you'll make a lot of rough draws. Remember any draw to a 7 that includes a 6 but not a 2 has the potential to make a straight, something we don't want.

5. As in Limit Hold'em, it is usually better to open with a raise/fold as opposed to a limp, and 3-betting is usually better than calling. This is especially true with any one card draw (even a one card draw to an 8-7), and your better two card wheel draws (2-3-4, 2-3-5, 2-3-7, 2-4-5, 2-4-7, and 2-5-7), and maybe even more hands against a loose raiser. If you can't raise or reraise your hand because you think it isn't strong enough, it might not be worth playing in the first place. Remember, especially in raised pots, it's very important to have a deuce and to be drawing smooth.