Lowball in a home game

Jeremy

I just wanted opinions on the LOWEST hand in a lowball game. Traditionally I play that straights and flushed don't work against you-A2345 being the best low hand. I know that some places say the best low is A2346 and I have never been able to figure out why. It doesn't really make a difference, as long as you know the rules, but I once had an argument with a guy over the following scenario. We were playing Bicycle roll 'em(5 cards, 2 draws, nothing wild,reveal the cards one at a time with a betting round after each). and I said A2345 was low, he said A2346 was low. My argument was "The game is CALLED bicycle roll 'em. A bicycle is A2345!" he said fine, we can accept A2345, but not 23456! Crazy talk as far as I am concerned. What do you think?

Hork42

There is a variation of draw poker where Aces are high and straights do count against you. So the lowest hand would be 7-5-4-3-2 (unsooted).

There are other variations in 7 card stud. London Lowball has six-high as the best hand 6-4-3-2-A (Aces are low, but straights and flushes count)

Razz is 7 card stud that uses A-2-3-4-5 as nut low. Straights and flushes don't count.

Typically with the draw games, they are either labelled as "Duece to Seven Draw" or "Ace to Five" This would indicate which hand ranking to use...

The one that we play in our group is Razz.

hork.

ScottyZ

Someone on this forum keeps harping ON AND ON about how you should establish the rules clearly *before* the start of a poker game to avoid arguments. I get tired of hearing that kind of clear thinking after a while.

If someone called a game bicycle lowball, my guess is they would be referring to Ace-to-five lowball (where A2345 is the best hand, and 23456 is a 6-low and a pretty good hand). However, if someone called a game I've never heard of (e.g. "bicycle" roll 'em), I'd probably ask the person to explain it.

Most importnatly, you need to be on the same page as the player calling the game. What if he has in mind that "bicycle" just means that A2345 is considered the best possible straight and it doesn't even refer to a lowball game? You'll probably turn red when you triumphantly display your 6-low only to be told you lose the pot to the dealer's full house.

There is no sensible lowball game I can think of where A2345 is the best hand (a 5 low) and 23456 is a straight.

ScottyZ

ScottyZ

BTW, the correct answer to the poll is "other" meaning that it depends on what kind of lowball your playing (as hork pointed out).

Polls are no fun when one of the answers is right.

ScottyZ

Jeremy

People have a hand in mind when you say "what is the lowest hand in lowball" that is what I want to know. There is no 'correct' answer.