Ace to 5 Lowball
The most common version
of Lowball online poker room
is A-5 triple draw.
Play works the same as 5
card draw but with players
trying to make the best
possible low hand, and there
are three draws instead of
one. Straights and flushes
don't count so the best
possible hand is A-2-3-4-5
regardless of suit.
Before the cards are
dealt the two players to the
left of the dealer button (a
small D in a circle
identifies the current
dealer position) must make
forced bets, called blinds.
The first person left of the
dealer pays the small blind,
and then the next person
pays the big blind, which is
double the small blind.
These amounts are the table
limits. The minimum bet in a
hand is the amount of the
big blind.
Once all the players have
their cards there is the
first of 4 betting rounds
and players have the 3
options: fold their hand,
call the big blind (bet
equal to the big blind) or
raise (bet a higher amount).
After all players have
acted, the players who stay
in the hand for the have a
chance to change or improve
their hand by discarding up
to 5 of their cards and
getting the same number of
new cards back. They also of
course have the option to
keep all their cards in
their hand.
There is a second round
of betting (where players
have the option of checking,
raising or folding) followed
by another opportunity to
draw, followed by a third
round of betting and the
third and final draw.
There is then a final
round of betting followed by
a showdown, at the showdown
the player with the lowest
hand takes down the pot.
