Deuce-to-seven low is a method for evaluating low
poker hands. It is often called Kansas City
Low Poker or just low poker. It is almost the direct opposite of standard poker:
the high hand loses.
As in all lowball poker games, pairs and trips are bad: that is,
any poker 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
deuce-to-seven low, straights and flushes count for high
(and are therefore bad). Aces are always high (and therefore bad).
For example, the 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
high, so Q-8-5-4-3 defeats A-8-5-4-3. In the rare event that
poker hands with pairs tie, kickers are used just as in high poker
(but reversed): 3-3-6-4-2 defeats 3-3-6-5-2.
It's called deuce-to-seven low because the
best possible
hand is 7-5-4-3-2, followed by 7-6-4-3-2, 7-6-5-3-2, 7-6-5-4-2,
8-5-4-3-2, 8-6-4-3-2, etc.
When speaking, low poker hands are referred to by their highest
ranking card or cards. Any nine-high poker 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
8-7-5-4-2.
Wild cards are rarely used in deuce-to-seven
low poker games, but if
used they play as whatever rank would make the lowest poker hand.
Thus, in 7-6-Joker-3-2, the joker plays as a 4, while in
Joker-5-4-3-2 it would play as a 7 (a six would make a
straight, and an ace would make ace-five high).
High-low split poker games with deuce-to-seven low are usually
played with a declaration.
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