The Game

Deuce to Seven Lowball is a form of draw poker that has been played in card rooms worldwide for years, and it has become more popular in recent years as online players look to explore games other than the widely popular game of Hold'em. Lowball games is typical in that they reward only the best low hand, making it the opposite of games such as Hold'em and Stud, where the highest hand wins, and different from standard Hi/Lo games that award both the Hi and Low winning hand.

 

Deuce to Seven Lowball exists as both 2-7 Single Draw and 2-7 Triple Draw, and for the latter please see the game menu for a complete description and rules, as we are now looking at 2-7 Single Draw. However the games are identical apart from the Single Draw and Triple Draw options within the games.

 

 

How to Play Deuce to Seven Lowball (single draw)

Lowball is played using blinds, known as forced bets, and starts with the player seated to the left of the dealer (button) posting the small blind, and the player to the left of small blind posting the big blind, small blind being half the big blind. Lowball is also known to be played using an ante, which is a small forced bet posted by each player in addition to the blinds. In brief the game is played accordingly to... (1) Posting blinds, (2) Five cards are dealt to each player, (3) Betting round one, beginning with the player to left of the big blind, (4) Draw, (5) Betting round two, beginning with the player to left of the button, (6) The Showdown, determining the winner.

 

Note... Make sure to check the exact rules on blinds vs. ante in your poker room.

 

 

Opening Deal

Following the blinds being posted the game begins with each player being dealt five cards, face down, players hole cards. The cards are deal one by one, starting with the player posting the small blind, and moving clockwise.

 

 

First Betting Round

This is then followed by first round of betting, where the players have the option to either call, raise or fold. Players still left in the hand then moves on to the draw.

 

 

The Draw

The part of the game that either makes it or breaks it. With the first round of betting being complete the draw is up, where each player determines which, if any, cards he or she wishes to discard, and the player have the option to exchange any of its five cards, or none at all. With the draw being complete the second betting round begins.

 

 

Second Betting Round

Bet, fold or if no bets are made player also have the option to check. With the draw being complete the second round of betting starts, if more than one player is still in the game at this point.

 

 

Reshuffle Rule

As in Seven Card Stud it is possible for more cards to be needed than what are remaining in the deck. In this case, the cards remaining together with the cards discarded are reshuffled and used as a "new" deck in order to complete the current game.

 

 

The Showdown

The showdown in Deuce to Seven Lowball is much different than in the more typical game of poker like Texas Hold'em, as the game uses a low hand ranking system, trying to create the worst possible five card hand. Aces are high, straights and flushes counts against you etc.

 

In the event of a tie, one determine winner by the lower version of the hand rank. For instance, if two players both have tens as low card, one then look at the next high card to determine which one is the lower. Hence if one players holds T, 9, 6, 5, 4 and the other player holds T, 9, 7, 4, 3 and where the first cards are both tens one move on to the next one. With both being nines one move to the next one etc. The first hand (T, 9, 6, 5, 4) holding a six, and the second hand (T, 9, 7, 4, 3) holding a seven, the first hand wins due to six is lower than seven. Should two players holding a pair or a straight, the lower hand would win, for instance a pair of threes beats a pair of sixes, and an eight high straight wins over a ten high straight.

 

 

Hand Rank 

In Lowball, straights and flushes counts against you and aces are always high, hence the best possible Lowball hand is 7, 5, 4, 3, 2. The following Lowball hands are in order of the strongest winning hand first etc.

 

7, 5, 4, 3, 2	The best possible lowball hand
7, 6, 4, 3, 2
8, 6, 4, 3, 2
9, 7, 6, 4, 3
T, 6, 5, 4, 2
T, 6, 5, 4, 3
T, 7, 5, 4, 3
K, J, 8, 7, 4
A, 5, 4, 3, 2	Ace high, not a straight
A, 8, 7, 4, 2
A, 9, 6, 4, 2
2, 2, 7, 6, 5
5, 5, 5, 6, 3
7, 6, 5, 4, 3	The lower stronger straight
8, 7, 6, 5, 4	Straight
J, 7, 4, 3, 2	Same suit, flush

 

Note... The above hand rank list is not the complete list of hands.

 

 

Strategy

Playing Lowball means a different though of mind. Hands usually strong in games as Hold'em are in Lowball weak hands. Pairs, three of a kind, straights and flushes are always high hands, hence they are of the chart and don’t qualify in Lowball.  

 

If a hand holds no pair, the player with the highest ranking card loses. For instance if a player holds 9, 6, 5, 2, 3 against 10, 9, 6, 2, 3 the first hand 9, 6, 5, 2, 3 wins.

 

Aces are always high and therefore no good. For instance if a player holds J, 9, 7, 3, 2 he beats A, 9, 7, 3, 2. The best possible hand is 7-5-4-3-2 of different suits, because the hand is low and holds no aces nor is it a straight or a flush. Hence we now have a brief strategy  and why the game is called Deuce to Seven Lowball (2-7 Single Draw).

 

 

Fixed Limit vs. No Limit

Fixed Limit and No Limit have the same game structure but one difference is the size of the blinds. If you're at if you're at a 1/2 Fixed Limit table, the small blind is 0.50 and the big blind is 1. However, at a 1/2 No Limit table, the small blind is 1 and the big blind is 2.