Lowball inverts the normal ranking of poker hands. There are three methods of ranking low hands, 7️⃣ called ace-to-five low, deuce-to-seven low, and ace-to-six low. The 'ace-to-five' method is most common. A sub-variant within this category is 7️⃣ 'high-low poker', in which the highest and lowest hands split the pot, with the highest hand taking any odd chips 7️⃣ if the pot does not divide equally. Sometimes straights and/or flushes count in determining which hand is highest but not 7️⃣ in determining which hand is lowest, being reckoned as a no-pair hand in the latter instance, so that a player 7️⃣ with such a holding can win both ways and thus take the entire pot.

Lowball variants [ edit ]

The most popular 7️⃣ forms of lowball are ace-to-five lowball (also known as California lowball), and deuce-to-seven lowball (also known as Kansas City lowball). 7️⃣ Ace-to-five lowball gets its name because the best hand at that form is 5-4-3-2-A. In ace-to-five lowball straights and flushes 7️⃣ do not prevent a hand from being low. You win by simply having the five lowest cards. Deuce-to seven lowball 7️⃣ gets its name because the best hand at that form is 7-5-4-3-2 (not of the same suit).[1]

Ace-to-five low is the 7️⃣ most common method for evaluating low hands in poker, nearly universal in U.S. casinos, especially in high-low split games.