Ace-to-six low is a method for evaluating low poker hands.
As in all lowball poker games, pairs and trips are bad: that is,
any hand with no pair defeats any hand with a pair; one pair
hands defeat two pair or trips, etc. No-pair hands are
compared starting with the highest ranking card, just as in
high poker, except that the high poker hand loses. In ace-to-six
low, straights and flushes count for high (and are therefore
bad), and aces play as the lowest card.
For example, the poker hand 8-5-4-3-2 defeats 9-7-6-4-3, because
eight-high is lower than nine-high. The hand 7-6-5-4-2
defeats both, because seven-high is lower still. The hand
7-6-5-4-3 would lose, because it is a straight. Aces are
low, so 8-5-4-3-A defeats 8-5-4-3-2. Also, A-A-9-5-3 (a pair
of aces) defeats 2-2-5-4-3 (a pair of deuces), but both of
those would lose to any no-pair poker hand such as K-J-8-6-4. In
the rare event that hands with pairs tie,
kickers are used
just as in high poker (but reversed): 3-3-6-4-2 defeats
3-3-6-5-A.
It is called ace-to-six low because the
best possible hand
is 6-4-3-2-A, followed by 6-5-3-2-A, 6-5-4-2-A, 6-5-4-3-A,
7-4-3-2-A, 7-5-3-2-A, etc.
When speaking, low poker hands are referred to by their highest
ranking card or cards. Any nine-high hand can be called "a
nine," and is defeated by any "eight." Two cards are
frequently used: the hand 8-6-5-4-2 can be called "an
eight-six" and will defeat "an eight-seven" such as
8-7-5-4-A.
A wild card plays as whatever rank would make the lowest
poker
hand. Thus, in 6-5-Joker-2-A, the joker plays as a 3, while
in Joker-5-4-3-2 it would play as a 7 (an ace or six would
make a straight).
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