Qualifying and Evaluating Low Poker Hands

Unlike poker games played for low only, which allow any hand to be considered a low poker hand, high-low split games require that a low hand consist of five unpaired cards where every card is an Eight or lower. Thus 8432A qualifies as a low poker hand, but 9432A does not. You also need to know that low hands are counted from the highest card down, not from the lowest card up. For example, if one player has 86543 and another player has 8732A, the player with the Six as the second highest card beats the player with the Seven as the second highest card.

♠♥♣♦ Note

You can play low-only games online if you like. Razz is seven-card Stud played for low, and triple-draw Lowball is five-card Draw played for low. There are two variations of Lowball: A-5 Lowball (also called California Lowball ) and 2-7 ( Deuce to Seven or Kansas City Lowball ). In California Lowball, straights and flushes don’t count against you and the Ace is considered a low card, so the best hand is A2345. In 2-7 Lowball, the Ace is considered a high card and straights and flushes count against you, so the best hand is 23457 of mixed suits.

To practice creating the lowest possible poker hand, consider the seven-card Stud hands in Figures 1, 2, and 3 to determine if a low is possible, and, if so, what the best low poker hand is that you can make.

You can make a low hand from the cards in Figure 1. The lowest hand you can make is 7♥5♣4♦2♣A♣.

Figure 1 Is it possible to make a low hand from these cards?
If so, what is the best possible low hand you can make?

You cannot make a low hand from the cards in Figure 2. The lowest hand you can make is 9♥8♠4♦3♦A♠, which doesn’t qualify.

Figure 2 Is it possible to make a low hand from these cards?
If so, what is the best possible low hand you can make?

You can make a low hand from the cards in Figure 3. The lowest hand you can make is 8♠5♣ 4♠3♠2♣.

Figure 3 Is it possible to make a low hand from these cards?
If so, what is the best possible low hand you can make?