California Lowball

This is a game where the lowest poker hand wins.

It is played with a standard poker deck of 52 cards, plus a joker.

Game Play

Round 1

  • Each player pays an ante.
  • Each player is dealt five cards, face-down.
  • There is a round of betting, starting with the player to the left of the dealer.
    • Check-raises are not allowed.
    • A player is not allowed to check (they must bet or fold) if they have the lowest poker hand better than or equal to Seven - Six

Round 2

  • Each player draws any number of cards.

Round 3

  • There is a round of betting, starting with the player to the left of the dealer.
    • Check-raises are not allowed.
    • A player is not allowed to check (they must bet or fold) if they have the lowest poker hand better than or equal to Seven - Six

Winning the hand

At the end of the hand, the lowest poker hand wins.

  • Each player must form the best poker hand from any five of the five cards from among their hole cards or the table
  • Aces are always low
  • Jokers are wild and may be substituted for any card
  • Straights and flushes are ignored.

Betting

  • Each player may check, call, bet or raise, as their chips allow.
  • A raise needs to be as least as large as the last bet.
  • Each round of betting is at a fixed limit.

Hand types

Poker hands:

  • Royal Flush
    • Royal flush
  • Straight-Flush
    • Cards of the same suit and in sequence.
  • Quads
    • Four cards of the same rank.
  • Full House
    • Three of a kind and and a pair.
  • Flush
    • A set of cards in all in the same suit.
  • Straight
    • A set of cards in consecutive sequence.
  • Trips
    • Three cards of the same rank.
  • Two Pair
    • Four cards, with two pairs of cards of the same rank.
  • Pair
    • Two cards of the same rank.
  • High Card
    • Kickers