Getting the Best in Deuce to Seven
Deuce-to-seven low Two to seven low is commonly "Kansas City" low or simply low poker is what poker players termed "two to seven low" method of low hands. This game is the exact opposite of a regular poker wherein combination with a high card loses. "Deuce to seven" method is rarely played as compared to "ace to five" method.
In almost all lowball poker games, hands containing pairs or trips is extremely penalized. To be exact, any hand which do not contains a pair beats those hands which contain a pair; a hand with a pair beats hands with two pairs and so on. Hands that don't contain a pair are evaluated with the highest ranked card first similar to high poker except that this time a high card loses. Flushes and straights are always considered as high in "deuce to seven" so is an ace (so therefore this is awful).
For a case, the combination 8-5-4-3-2 beats 9-7-6-4-3, since eight-high is underneath nine-high. The combination 7-6-5-4-2 defeats both, hands since seven-high is still lower. The combination 7-6-5-4-3 is a sure loser since it's a straight. In general aces play high so a combination 9-8-5-4-3 beats A-8-5-4-3. In breaking ties among hands a kicker is use to resolve it. Example, the hand 3-3-6-4-2 beats 3-3-6-5-2.
As a rule, aces at all times play high so the combination A-5-4-3-2 do not count as straight and is just plain ace high with no pair (as a result losing to any king-high, although it would beat A-6-4-3-2). The best likely combination will be 7-5-4-3-2 (that's why deuce-to-seven low gets its name), next is 7-6-4-3-2, then 7-6-5-3-2, afterward 7-6-5-4-2, followed by 8-5-4-3-2, and 8-6-4-3-2, so on and so forth.
During conversations, low hands are often identified by its highest ranked card or else cards. Each nine-high combination may be described "a nine", thus losing to any "eight". Two particular cards are regularly encountered: the combination 8-6-5-4-2 may be identified as "an eight-six" which will beat "an eight-seven" combination like the 8-7-5-4-2.
Another ordinary practice is to call any particular combination "rough" or "smooth". A smooth combination is a hand where in all the cards after the highest rank is excluded are all low. In contrast a rough hand has its remaining cards high. For example, the hand 8-7-6-4-2 would count as a "rough eight," however the cards 8-5-4-3-2 is a "smooth eight."
In deuce to seven poker games, wild cards are seldom employed, however if the players decide to use a wild card then it can represents any rank. Thus, in the combination 7-6-Joker-3-2, the joker substitutes for a 4, whereas in the combination Joker-5-4-3-2 it stands for 7.
