Deuce to Seven Lowball Rules

Introduction

Lowball is a very interesting form of poker; it is basically the idea that the lowest hand wins the game instead of the highest hand and because of this rather peculiar way of looking at poker, a number of interesting things have come about. There are three primary rankings of poker hands in lowball games and the one that is used here, as the name says, is the deuce to seven method. This method requires a low hand to not be a straight or a flush and aces are always high; never low. With these rules, the best hand is 2-3-4-6-7 not of the same suit, hence the name deuce-to-seven lowball.

Game Play

The game play of the deuce to seven lowball game is essentially the same as the game play involved in draw poker. Each player is dealt five cards face down that nobody else can see and they pick them up and look at them to determine which ones they want to keep and which ones they want to throw away. There is a round of betting before the actual draw and then a player can draw up to three different cards. In some versions of the game the player is allowed to draw four cards to a two, but most casinos and online areas where lowball is played do not allow for that option. Once each player has had a chance to draw, another round of betting takes place and then the showdown happens with the lowest hand according to the rules laid out in the previous section taking the whole pot.

Betting

With two betting rounds, there is not much chance for people to get the money in. To make up for this and to distinguish deuce to seven lowball from other forms of lowball, the betting structure is frequently no limit. While you will find games of the other betting structures (especially pot limit), no limit deuce to seven lowball is by far the most popular game around.

Triple Draw Variant

Speaking of popularity, the triple draw variant of deuce to seven lowball has become the most popular variant around. In this variant, there is not just one drawing round but rather there are three drawing rounds, with betting rounds in between each round. This serves to double the number of betting rounds in the game and when that is combined with the no limit betting structure and the general way in which lowball games work, the result is something that action junkies will absolutely love.

Availability

The main problem with deuce to seven lowball is its availability. Not only are you unlikely to find it in an average casino, but you might even have problems finding it online. While there are some websites (such as Poker Stars) that do have the triple draw version of deuce to seven lowball, that version is very rare and the original single draw version is practically non-existent. You are more likely to be able to find a regular home game that plays it than you are to be able to find it outside in a casino or online at a poker site.