Tips on Playing Lowball Poker
Lowball is an exciting game of draw poker where the lowest hand wins the pot.
Armed with some poker knowledge and poker tips, anyone can have fun
and even win some money playing lowball.
Find our tips on playing lowball below and happy playing!
Poker Tip#1
Know the rules of the game. Know which lowball variation you are playing
and how many draws there are. Keep
in mind whether your game treats aces as high or low and if straights and flushes
play. With so many variations of Lowball
poker, it is easy for players to make mistakes regarding the rules.
Here is a quick reminder:
California Lowball - Ace is low and straights and flushes do not count against the low.Joker may be used in forming the hand.
A-2-3-4-5 is the best possible hand.
Kansas City
Lowball – 2-3-4-5-7 is the best hand. Aces, straights and flushes are treated
as high.
Triple-Draw
Poker – There are three drawing rounds, and is usually played limit.
The game can either be A-5 (ace low) or 2-7 (ace high) ranking.
London Lowball
– A-2-3-4-6 is the best possible hand.
Ace is low, but straights and flushes play high.
Deuce-to-Six
Lowball – Aces are high and straights and flushes ignored.
2-3-4-5-6 is the lowest ranked hand.
Poker Tip
#2
Know when to hold ’em, know
when to fold ’em. Simply put: fold bad hands and play good hands. There are 2,598,960
possible hands in a 5 card lowball game based on a 52 card deck.
If while playing lowball you find yourself wanting to discard 4 cards
before the draw, it probably isn’t a hand worth playing. Don’t worry, a better hand
is right around the corner.
Poker Tip
#3
Remember that
your only goal is to win the hand so don’t get caught up trying to make every hand
into a wheel. You don’t need the lowest ranked hand every time to win! In lowball,
you have the opportunity to draw for a better hand.
Don't lose sight of the fact that you can also draw for something worse too. Playing
lowball successfully takes time but with practice, you will quickly
learn which cards to keep and which to replace.
If you have a gut feeling that Queen high can win, do you really need to
take a risk to score something better?
Lowball is
a great game for those new to poker and those who just need a new flavor of poker. Use the
poker tips above to begin to master the game, and with time you will
come upon your own strategies and tips on playing lowball.