Proud to announce my second poker title: Dramaha! (game also known as Drawmaha or Sviten Special).

It's a high-high split game based on Omaha with five hole cards. Between the flop and turn, there is a draw round. At showdown, the best Omaha hand (two in the hole, three on board) splits the pot with the best Five Card Draw hand (all five hole cards).

It's been a great action-bringer at home games I've attended, and it's been played at some live events in public cardrooms in recent years. I recently drafted a procedure document for a local cardroom in my state (NH) to spread it as well.

I'am currently in Vegas, but only for 2-3 weeks. Can i buy that somewhere in person? Shipping cost a lot with express delivery and i will need that in the next few days if possible

Sorry, I've been out of the country for a while and haven't been checking 2+2 very often.

Typically you have to order it from Amazon. B&N and some other stores may carry it online, but there are no brick-and-mortar stores that carry physical copies, as far as I know.

When I'm stateside, I can occasionally mail out a copy from my personal stash. In that case, it still probably won't arrive within 2 or 3 days without premium shipping costs, but I can probably get it to you faster than Amazon (since it's printed already).

Check with Gambler's General Store on Main Street in Downtown Las Vegas. I don't know if they carry it, but they're the most likely ones to have it.

Best wishes,
Mason

When will the book be on kindle?

What is the title of your first poker book?

It will be a while (at least several months) before Dramaha is on Kindle.

My first book is SOHE: Simultaneous Omaha and Hold'em. There's a thread in this subforum with links and a short discussion.

Thanks for writing the book jim. I had hoped it would be limit focused but nonetheless most of the concepts carried over and helped me out a lot getting my feet wet in the limit dramaha games i played this summer.

Thanks, man! I really appreciate the feedback.

My crew plays it pot-limit, so that's my main point of view. We also get it into the mix for our occasional pink-chip game, but we take the opportunity to go even wilder when it's limit (Route 66: Dramaha with 6 hole cards and a 2-card turn). But I do find that the concepts in the book apply well in both fixed-limit and big-bet games.

Where are you playing Dramaha, by the way?

Would love to hear all the variations you play. We have a version with 6 hole cards as well and also where you play "douche bag poker" and use 3 from hand and 2 from the board. With all kinds of other crazy twists as well. One of guys in our group bought your book. We have been playing it for 5-6 years now

Glad to hear this game is getting played out there. I hope your friend enjoyed the book!

The two typical variations we play are Draw2maha (when we're 7-handed) and Route 66 (when we're 5-handed or shorter).

Route 66 is 6-card Dramaha with the added twist of a 2-card turn. It gets a brief mention in the appendices of the book. I've also played a few hands of "Route 67," which is the same thing but with a 2-card river in addition to the 2-card turn.

I have heard of folks playing Triple Dramaha, but I haven't dared to venture there yet. The drawing decisions must get pretty complex in that game. I've also heard of games where the Draw side is lowball, either A–5 or 2–7.

It has been getting played in the Las Vegas mix games. Definitely the most stupid game I have ever played in a casino.

Stupid because you lose at it?

You really want an answer?

Nothing to do with that, it's just a ridiculous game. I haven't played the low draw version, but it is being played also and sounds even worse.
Mostly because it's a split pot game where you can't really have your hands work together to scoop.
I understand people playing silly games in a home game for low stakes, but in a casino it just doesn't make sense. I'd rather play a stupid home game like follow the queen than this.

There are certain aspects of hand selection on the first round, as well as drawing strategy after the flop, that can line you up better for a scoop.

It's trickier than most flop games, though, because one half goes to a game where there's essentially no maximum hand value. You can seldom be totally sure you're scooping until showdown. But you can have a reasonable sense of whether you're ahead, and use that to set up very profitable spots on the turn in particular.

I'm surprised you'd have this opinion, though. I know you're good at many variants. Unless the Vegas mixed game is all people who are good Dramaha players, it should be easy money.

BTW, I'm not sure I'd especially like lowball variants of Dramaha, particularly 2–7. I suppose A–5 could be okay, but the strategy seems much too simple.

I certainly didn't think I was "good" at it, but the people I was playing with weren't either. It was pretty much like we were playing roulette, and I had about as much fun as I would have playing roulette, i.e. none. If the others were just handing me money, it would be profitable, but still not enjoyable.

Have never played a hand of this game yet but have read Jim’s book which is very good and a must buy. My only criticism is that the strength of the high hand is so vital, however, there was no material on strong your draw hand is considering your position pre draw.

That said it seems like it’s an interesting game due to the fact that there are some tough decisions of what to discard on the flop.

Jim, on page 22 you do not have 5cJcTcJh4h boxed in as a play on the button. I presume this was just an oversight, correct?

Isn’t that what 27 TD feels like to newer players?

So many pots where it’s 1/1 on last draw and you are basically flipping for 8 big bets

Small criticism I would add

The strength of your high hand in Archie is also incredibly important so I calculated some numbers and produced a chart on my website in one of my articles:

https://www.countingouts.com/archie-high-hands/

Not for me, I thought that game was fun the first time I played it, and you almost never chop. I don't like mixes with too many draw games though, as they are pretty boring after you have folded in each hand, as there is nothing to see. In flop and stud games, you can at least play vicariously after folding by looking at the upcards.

There's a flop in Drawmaha

But I hear ya, next time you may enjoy it more when you don't get your teeth kicked in ha ha j/k

Yeah I know, so it is a bit interesting to watch, but I still just thought it was stupid. These newer games just keep getting more and more complicated, for no good reason. That won't help draw new players, and it really cuts down on hands per hour.

I don’t disagree but in terms of drawing in new players the ship sailed many years once games like Badeucey arrived. But really though, mixed games were never really going to bring in the NLHE and PLO crowd. Trying to bring in new players was always mostly fruitless anyway.

Given that I’m more than fine with new games especially when the action is good. Imo Archie is a tremendous addition to Poker. Since I’m used to thinking about new games so it’s easier to do whenever something new comes out so I personally like it