Low Poker

Low Poker

No doubt Low Ball poker was developed by some player that felt he only got low cards and couldn’t make a good high hand. Regardless, the world now has many poker variations the reward the lowest hand. The most popular use of low hands is in high/low split variations like Omaha 8 and Seven Stud 8 or better. Low Poker developed in several different places and the definition of a Low hand was subjected to several different interpretations. The results were three distinctly different and ways of ranking the hands: Deuce-7, Ace-6, and Ace-5.

Deuce-7 online is only found in Deuce-7 Triple Draw on some poker sites. In this variation the lowest hand is the absolute worst poker hand. Since an Ace high beats all non-paired hands in high poker, the Ace is considered a high card in Deuce-7. An Ace high hand loses to a King high hand. Flushes and Straights count and disqualify your hand. The lowest possible hand in Deuce-7 is: 2-3-4-5-7, no flush.

Ace-6 is still encountered occasionally but it is disappearing, and unlike Deuce-7, it hasn’t developed a niche game of its own. In Ace-6, the Ace is considered low, but Straights and Flushes count. The lowest possible hand is: A-2-3-4-6, no flush. The wheel, A-2-3-4-5, is a straight and would lose to any lower poker hand like trips.

Ace-5, or California Low, is by far the most popular variation. The popularity is probably due to its use in all of the High/Low variations of poker. In California Low, the best hand is: A-2-3-4-5 and flushes don’t matter. Ace-5 is also the ranking method used in RAZZ, and Draw Low Ball. It is also available on some sites as Ace-5 Triple Draw.

Which one is best? Well it depends. Competent Deuce-7 players will feast on inexperienced players who regularly play in the Ace-5 versions. The high only Ace does initially cause some mistakes, but the actual strategy is significantly different also. Ace-5 is the simplest and that probably accounts for its popularity. Ace-6 seems to be slowly fading.

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