Lowball Poker is a variation of poker that treats hand rankings the opposite to regular poker variations. This means that traditionally poor hands are better than traditionally good ones and there are three main variations of Lowball Poker that are played using this strategy.

Lowball games are quite popular amongst players looking for alternatives to the more traditional types of poker. You need to keep your wits about you as the hand ranking rules are literally turned on their heads, making for plenty of errors caused by lapses in concentration. Games are usually played fast, without community cards. Game play and betting structures most closely resemble those of draw poker with blinds or antes.

Currently, the most popular version is Razz, which is similar to Ace to Five Low. Here the best possible hand is A-2-3-4-5, known as the Wheel. In this variation, aces are low, flushes and straights are discounted, so are losing hands.

Another variation is Ace to Six Low, where aces are low, flushes and straights are high and the best possible hand is A-2-3-4-6. In this game A-2-3-4-5 is counted as a straight and therefore a losing hand.

Deuce to Seven Low is a variation where aces, flushes and straights are high. The best possible hand in this game is 2-3-4-5-7. In this game, A-2-3-4-5 is not counted as a straight because the ace is high, so this hand would merely be labelled Ace High.

Several other variations exist but all regard lowest as best.