Draw Lowball Poker Rules

  

Introduction

Lowball or Low Poker is poker in which the lowest ranking hand wins. Most poker variants can be reversed in this way, but the name 'Lowball' is most often used to refer to a low version of Five Card Draw Poker. On this page several versions of this game are described. They differ in the hand ranking, the drawing procedure and whether a wild card is used, and these are described on this page.

Draw Lowball Poker Rules How To Play

The different possible rankings for low poker are explained on the hand ranking page. The differences depend on whether Aces are counted as high or low, and whether straights and flushes count. Paired cards always count, so in the absence of straights and flushes a hand of five different ranks always beats a hand containing any duplicate ranks.

When drawing to a five-card hand to make a low hand, it is seldom worth drawing more than one card. If you draw two cards you will make a pair about half the time, and however low the three cards are that you keep, your chance of getting a 9-high or better is never more than 25%. For this reason, there are versions of lowball in which players have more than one opportunity to draw. In such a game you can afford to draw more than one card the first time, but if you stay for the last draw you will either stand pat or draw just one card, hoping for a low card that does not pair with any of your other four.

Although Draw Poker is perhaps the most usual form of Lowball game, the Lowball version of Five Card Stud also works well, and Seven Card Stud Low is also played under the name Razz. The name Lowball is also occasionally used to refer to the game called Jacks Back on this site, which begins as Five Card Draw Jacks or Better and is played for low if no one has a good enough hand to open.

California Lowball

Examples of Lowball Poker There are five examples of Lowball poker that are the most popular and are the ones being played the most at present. Each of these differs in a certain way, either on how it is played or in its rules. The first game is called California Lowball, which is played with an Ace to 5 ranking, limit betting, and they use one. There are many fun and interesting varieties of poker, but one of the most fascinating games is called Lowball. The rules are fairly simple: the objective of the game is the same as traditional poker in that you are striving to win a pot — but unlike other poker games in which players are striving to get the highest hand, Lowball players are trying to score the lowest hand possible. A Single Draw from 2 to 7 (Kansas-City Lowball) is a variation of draw-poker with an exchange. In this game, the players must collect the weakest combination in order to win. Poker combinations in this game are different from ones that are used in Hold'em or Omaha.

Also known as Ace-to-Five Single Draw, this game is similar to Five Card Draw Poker, but in the showdown the lowest hand wins, using ace-to-five ranking. That is, aces are always low and straights and flushes do not count, so the lowest hand is A-2-3-4-5, then A-2-3-4-6, A-2-3-5-6, etc. AS always the highest cards of an unpaired hand are compared first, so for example 7-5-4-3-2 beats 7-6-3-2-A.

It is possible to play with an ante, but in formal games it is more often played with blinds. The dealer places a small blind and the next two players to the left of the dealer each place a big blind equal to the minimum bet.

Everyone is dealt five cards and there is a round of betting. If an ante is used this begins with the player to the left of the dealer. When blinds are placed, these count as bets and the first betting round begins with the player immediately to the left of the blinds; the players who placed big blinds are allowed to raise when the turn comes around to them even if no one else has done more than call.

After the first betting round, surviving players in turn, starting to the dealer's left, can discard any number of cards (in practice seldom more than one card) and are dealt replacements. There is then a second round of betting. If the game is played with blinds this is started by the first active player to dealer's left. If there are antes and no blinds, the second round is begun by the player who opened the first round of betting.

When Lowball is played as a fixed limit game, some play that the size of the bet is doubled after the draw and others play that it remains the same.

This game is often played with a joker added to the deck. The joker, sometimes known as the fitter, represents the lowest rank not present in the holder's hand. For example 8-6-4-A-joker is equivalent to 8-6-4-2-A.

Betting Sevens

Some play that a player who checks after the draw with a hand that is 7-low or better (five different ranks with nothing higher than a 7) and has the best hand at the showdown can only win the chips that were in the pot at the time of the draw. Any chips that were bet after the draw are placed in a separate pot that this player is not eligible to win.

Betting, calling a bet or raising after the draw entitles you to win the whole pot with your 7-low or better if you have the best hand at the showdown, provided that you did not check at your first turn to act after the draw. It is therefore unwise to check after the draw with such a hand, unless you intend to fold if another player bets against you.

LowballDraw lowball poker rules how to play

Kansas City Lowball

Kansas City Lowball is also called Deuce to Seven Single Draw or sometimes Billy Baxter Lowball after the player who won the world championship in this game several times. In this game, Aces are always high and straights and flushes do count (and are therefore bad), but A-2-3-4-5 is not a straight, because the Ace is high. The best hand possible is 7-5-4-3-2 (hence 'Deuceto Seven'), followed by 7-6-4-3-2, ... K-Q-J-10-8, A-5-4-3-2, A-6-4-3-2, ... up to the usual royal flush, which is worst. In other words, it's the exact opposite of normal high poker except for the A-2-3-4-5 rule.

The deal, draw and betting are similar to California Lowball. So far as I know, this game is normally played without a joker, and there is no equivalent of the 'betting sevens' rule.

The Deuce to Seven page of the Play Lowball Poker site has further information on this game.

Ace-to-Six Lowball

This is Five Card Draw Poker using ace-to-six ranking, in which straights and flushes count but aces can be low. Normally A-A should be the lowest (and therefore best) pair, but A-K-Q-J-10 would count as a straight - but opinions may differ, so these details should be agreed in advance among the players.

This game is often ignored or said to be unusual in books and on poker web sites. This may be because it is not played in public card rooms on the American West Coast and rarely offered as an online game. However, I suspect it is fairly widespread in home poker games, particularly on the American East Coast and in Europe.

Triple Draw

In this game players have three opportunities to improve their hand. According to some sources the maximum number of players for this game is six. Certainly with a larger number of players the cards will frequently run out and discards will need to be recycled.

Normally it is played with blinds: the player to dealer's left posts a small blind, and the next player to the left posts a big blind, equal to the mimimum bet for the game.

The dealer deals five cards to each player and there is a round of betting beginning to the left of the big blind. As usual in games with blinds, the big blind player is allowed to raise even if the others have all folded or called. Then in clockwise order, starting to dealer's left, players may discard any number of cards and are dealt replacements. There is a second round of betting begun by the first active player to dealer's left. This is followed by a second opportunity to discard and draw, a third round of betting, a third discard and draw, and a fourth round of betting. In a fixed limit game, the size of the bet is normally doubles after the second draw, so that the last two rounds have big bets.

It happens fairly often in this game that the dealer runs out of cards. In this case all the discarded cards (the 'muck') are shuffled and cut to form a new deck from which replacement cards are dealt to players who are still waiting to draw.

There are two versions of this game, depending on the hand ranking used in the showdown (see low poker hand ranking):

Draw lowball poker rules how to play
  • Deuce to Seven Triple Draw, which uses deuce-to-seven ranking, is perhaps the more popular game.
  • Ace to Five Triple Draw, using ace to five ranking is also sometimes played.

The Triple Draw page of the Play Lowball Poker site has further information on the history and variants of this game.

Double Draw

This game is similar to Triple Draw, except that players only have two opportunities to improve their hands by drawing cards. There are therefore three betting rounds: after the deal, after the first draw and after the second draw. Either ace-to-five or deuce-to-seven (or even ace-to-six) ranking can be used, as agreed by the players.

2-7 (Deuce to Seven) Triple Draw Lowball is a poker game in which the low poker hand wins the pot at showdown. In other words, it is a form of ‘Lowball’. It is a ‘draw’ game, meaning that you are dealt five cards, and may discard from zero to five of them on the draw, and receive that number of replacement cards. In Triple Draw, each player (maximum 7 per table) has the opportunity to draw three times, though you may ‘stand pat’ (not discard any cards) on any or all of the draws.

How to Play 2-7 Triple Draw

First, it’s important to understand that the hand rankings are different in 2-7 than in other low games. In 2-7, straights and flushes count against your low hand, and aces are always high. So the best possible hand is: 7, 5, 4, 3, 2. The following 2-7 hands (not a complete list) are ranked from least powerful (#1, which will rarely win the pot) to most powerful (#16, the nuts):

  1. J, 7, 4, 3, 2 (all the same suit - a flush)
  2. 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 (a straight)
  3. 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 (a lower straight)
  4. 5, 5, 5, 6, 3
  5. 2, 2, 7, 6, 5
  6. A, 9, 6, 4, 2
  7. A, 8, 7, 4, 2
  8. A, 5, 4, 3, 2 (not a straight - ace-high)
  9. K, J, 8, 7, 4
  10. T, 7, 5, 4, 3
  11. T, 6, 5, 4, 3
  12. T, 6, 5, 4, 2
  13. 9, 7, 6, 4, 3
  14. 8, 6, 4, 3, 2
  15. 7, 6, 4, 3, 2
  16. 7, 5, 4, 3, 2

Blinds

Draw games are played using forced bets known as blinds, with the player sitting to the left of the dealer button posting a small blind, and the player to their left posting the big blind. The small blind is usually equal to half the size of the big blind. Lowball is also sometimes played with an ante, which is a small forced bet posted by each player in addition to the blinds.

Draw Lowball Poker Rules Card Game

The Deal

Each player is dealt five cards face down. There is then a round of betting, where you have the option to either call, raise, or fold. Players still left in the hand after the first round of betting now have the opportunity to draw. That is, each player selects which (if any) cards he wishes to discard by clicking on them. By clicking a second time on a card that you have planned to discard, you remove it from the discard set. You can discard all five cards if you wish. If you feel that you already have a strong hand, you can opt to ‘Stand Pat’. This means that you are choosing not to discard any of your cards. Discarding continues around the table clockwise. When it is your turn to discard, you press the button to confirm you wish to discard the selected cards.

After the first draw, there is another round of betting, beginning with the first active player to the left of the button.

There are two more draws with a round of betting following each one, resulting in three draws total, and four rounds of betting. If more than one player is still left in the hand at this point, a showdown takes place, with the player holding the best hand taking the pot.

So the sequence of action is:

  • Five cards dealt to each player
  • Betting round #1, beginning with player to left of big blind
  • Draw #1, beginning with player to left of button
  • Betting round #2, beginning with player to left of button
  • Draw #2, beginning with player to left of button
  • Betting round #3, beginning with player to left of button
  • Draw #3, beginning with player to left of button
  • Betting round #4, beginning with player to left of button
  • Showdown (if necessary)

Showdown - Determining the Winner

The player with the best five-card 2-7 hand wins the pot. After the pot is awarded to the best hand, a new game of 2-7 Triple Draw is ready to be played.

If two or more hands have the same value, the pot is equally split among them. There is no rank of suit for the purposes of awarding the pot. Please remember, this is different from other forms of low or high/low poker, where an ace can be played either high or low. In 2-7, an ace is always the highest card.

Draw Lowball Poker Rules Poker

Learn How to Play 2-7 Triple Draw for Free

If you are unfamiliar with 2-7 Triple Draw poker, we recommend you try the game out first to get a feel for how it’s played. You are always welcome to play on free poker tables at PokerStars, and sharpen your skills before playing real money poker.

Draw lowball poker rules how to play

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Draw Lowball Poker Rules Against

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