One of the most popular forms of draw poker, 2-7 Lowball can be found being played in mixed-rotation games across the world.

Deal and Game Play

1. 2-7 Lowball is a "blind game," meaning the player to the left of the dealer puts in the small blind, and the player to the left of the small blind puts in the big blind.
2. Starting with the player on the left of the dealer and moving clockwise around the table, every player is dealt five cards facedown, one card at a time.
3. Once all players have five cards, the first betting round starts with the player to the left of the big blind.
4. Once the betting round has completed, the players enter the first drawing round.
5. Starting with the player on the dealer's left, the player announces how many cards he would like to throw away from his hand and receives new ones in return.
6. The dealer deals all of the cards to that player at once before moving on to the next player.
7. A player can choose to keep his hand intact and not throw away any cards at all. This is known as standing pat or rapping pat.
8. If a player chooses to discard all five cards, the dealer will only deal them four new cards at once. The fifth card will be dealt after all other players have recieved their cards
9. If the player discarding all five cards is last to be dealt cards, the dealer will deal them four cards at once, then "burn" one card (discarding it face down on the table) before dealing hte player his fifth and final card.
10. Once all players have received their new cards the second betting round begins, starting with the player to the left of the dealer.
11. This pattern repeats until either:
    • Only one player is left, the rest having folded.
    • The players have completed the betting round after the third drawing round.

If you'd like more information on things such as betting rounds or blinds, head to this article:

• Texas Hold'em Rules and Game Play

Showdown

Once all betting is complete, the best 2-7 Lowball hand wins the pot.

1. Hands are counted from the highest card in the hand down.
2. The best possible 2-7 Lowball hand is 7-5-4-3-2 (with all five cards NOT of the same suit).
3. Straights, flushes and pairs count against you.
4. Having a straight does not kill your hand, but lessens the value. For example, any hand without a flush, straight or pair will beat any hand with a pair, regardless of how low the cards are.
5. The ace is used only as a high card.
6. Because the ace is a high card, 5-4-3-2-A is not considered to be a straight but an A-5 high.
7. Any two players holding the same hand split the pot.

Once the player with the winning hand has received the pot, the player who was to the left of the dealer becomes the new dealer for the next hand.