What Is the Lowest Hand in High Low Poker?

Poker is one of the most popular card games in the world. It’s a game of skill, strategy, and luck that can be played with a group of friends or in a casino.

There are many variations of poker, including High Low Poker. In this article, we will discuss what the lowest hand is in High Low Poker.

High Low Poker is also known as Hi-Lo or 8-or-better. The aim of the game is to have the best hand at showdown. However, there are two ways to win the pot in High Low Poker – by having the highest hand or by having the lowest hand.

The lowest hand in High Low Poker is called a “qualifier”. A qualifier is a five-card hand that does not contain any pair or higher-ranking cards. In other words, it’s a hand where all five cards are different ranks and there are no pairs, trips, or four-of-a-kind.

To determine whether a player has a qualifying low hand in High Low Poker, you need to look at their five-card combination. The lowest possible qualifying hand is A-2-3-4-5 (also known as a “wheel”), while the highest possible qualifying hand is 8-7-6-5-4.

It’s important to note that suits don’t matter when it comes to determining the lowest hand in High Low Poker. Therefore, if two or more players have the same low qualifying hand (e.g., A-2-3-4-5), they will split the pot equally.

PRO TIP:In High Low Poker, the lowest hand is determined by the Ace-to-Five lowball system. This means that the lowest possible hand is made up of an Ace, two, three, four and five in any suit. This is often referred to as a ‘wheel’ or ‘bicycle’.

Now that we know what the lowest hand is in High Low Poker let’s take a look at some examples:

Example 1:
Player 1: A♥️ K♥️ J♣️ 9♠️ 7♦️
Player 2: 7♠️ 6♣️ 5♥️ 4♦️ 3♠️

In this scenario, Player 2 has the lowest qualifying hand with 7-6-5-4-3. Player 1 doesn’t have a qualifying low hand since they have a high card of Ace.

Example 2:
Player 1: A♠️ K♥️ Q♣️ J♥️ T♦️
Player 2: A♥️ K♣️ Q♥️ J♦️ T♥️

In this case, neither player has a qualifying low hand since both hands contain high-ranking cards. Therefore, the pot will go to the player with the highest hand.

In conclusion, the lowest hand in High Low Poker is a five-card combination that doesn’t contain any pair or higher-ranking cards. The lowest possible qualifying hand is A-2-3-4-5, while the highest possible qualifying hand is 8-7-6-5-4.

Remember that suits don’t matter when it comes to determining the lowest hand. Now that you know what the lowest hand in High Low Poker is, you can start playing this exciting and challenging variation of poker!