Low Hand Ranking

Low hand rankings in poker can often be confusing to beginners. This is because in poker traditionally the highest or the strongest hand wins the pot.

If you are not familiar with the traditional hand rankings you can check out our poker hand rankings page.

This page will deal with low hands and their rankings. They open up a plethora of interesting poker games that you can try when you are saturated with the same old Texas Hold’em poker.

What is a low hand?

A low hand in poker is a poker hand that is made keeping in mind the low hand ranking system.

It is used in games in which the worst hand wins the pot. These games are called lowball games.

What is a lowball game?

Lowball is a variation of poker in which instead of the highest five-card hand it is the lowest five-card hand that wins the pot.

In some games, the whole pot belongs to the lowest hand whereas in other Hi/Lo variants the pot is split between the highest and the lowest hand.

The hand rankings for lowball poker are different from the traditional hand rankings.

We are here with a guide to the best hands and the worst hands that you can make.

Lowball games that use the low hand rankings

These low hand rankings are used in games such as:

• Razz poker
• Omaha Hi/Lo
• Stud Hi/Lo

Among other Hi/Lo and lowball games.

Note: You should note that in these hand rankings, the suits hold no importance. Even straights are irrelevant when it comes to the Ace to Five lowball rankings that we are going to discuss below.

Five Low in poker

This hand is also known as the wheel in low hands. It is the best hand that you can make.

It consists of a five as the highest card, followed by a four, a three, a deuce, and an ace.

Ace serves as a low card in this hand.

This is a great hand to have in low ball games and you can stake your antes of you are holding a Five Low.

Six Low in poker

A six low consists of any unpaired hand which has six as its highest card.

If more than one player has a six low hand then the next highest card on the hand is used to break the tie.

Seven Low in poker

A Seven Low in poker consists of any unpaired hand which has a seven as its highest card.

Similar to Six Low, if more than one player holds a Seven Low then the next highest card in the hand is used to break the tie.

Eight Low in poker

An Eight Low consists of any unpaired hand which has an eight as its highest card.

When multiple players hold Eight Lows then the next highest card in each of their hands is used to break the tie.

The player with the lowest card after the eight claims the pot.

In cases where even the second card is the same, the third and fourth cards can also be used to determine a winner. However, in the rare case that two players hold identical hands, the prize money in the pot is split between these two players and both walk away victorious.

Using the Low Hand for Poker Strategy

The strategy that you use for lowball games will depend on the particular game format that you are playing.

A commonly used strategy for lowball games is that you can sensibly enter almost any hands in the first betting round but with a tight range.

You will be entering the game pot only with the hands that you know have good low potential. It is a good rule of thumbs to avoid playing no good hands in the hopes of scoring some lucky cards on the streets later in the game.

Conclusion

Lowball games are a welcome break from the most commonly played poker games like Texas Hold’em and Omaha poker.

They can help you think from a different perspective and strengthen your overall poker strategy.

Now that you have a fair idea of the hand rankings and a basic lowball strategy go ahead and read up on the blinds, the betting rules, and other gameplay rules for lowball games.

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