Draw Poker Variations: California Lowball
Ok, as odd it sounds, there are some poker games where you actually want to try and get the lowest possible hand (as opposed to regular poker, where low hands happens to many of us without even trying!)
That’s the basic concept of Lowball Poker, where low hands rule the table. And the most popular variant of lowball poker is a game called California Lowball.
California Lowball is a draw poker variant that is very close to regular Five-card draw, but in this instance, the player with the lowest hand is the one that will walk away with the pot.
Like Draw Poker, there’s an initial bet (usually an ante, but sometimes it can be a blind – it depends on the individual table or casino), and five face down cards are dealt to the players. Then the start of the first betting round commences, and cards are discarded / replaced. However, players are NOT trying to get a better hand – they want a weaker one. Being dealt four Kings is a bad thing, because at best, you will be left with a King-high hand (assuming you can only replace 3 cards.) On the plus side, you have zero chance of pairing your left-over king (because you had them all to start with), so maybe that’s not so bad.
California Lowball was played back in the height of poker popularity in 1970’s Gardenia. And although other games are more popular, California Lowball is still quite the relevant game at many poker tables, because it generates a level of excitement few other games can muster. Because let’s face it - trying to destroy good hands is fun!!
California Lowball uses an A-5 low rule. This means the Ace is the low card, and straights and flushes are ignored (thus, A-5 is the best hand possible, as it’s the lowest without straights being in effect.) Many times, a single joker is added to the deck, and plays as the lowest card possible (that isn’t already present in the hand – you don’t want your joker making a pair in lowball, do you?)
Lowball can be very interesting for people not used to it, as it requires a different mindset. You want to discard / replace cards that hopefully won’t get you a pair. It will probably take a novice several hours to get acclimated to making hands weaker (which is actually making them stronger.) And perhaps California Lowball is the perfect game for Louie Loser, who never seems to get the good hands. Of course, with Louie’s bad luck, he’ll probably be dealt a Q/K full house right off the bat (the only time that’ll ever happen to him!)
