Stupid question - what is a "LO"?

[dizong]

I feel embarrassed asking this question but in split hi-lo games, what is the actual definition of a "lo"? Is it based on the lowest card (akin to ace-high flush > king-high flush)? Out of the following hands, what is the rank (from best to worst):

A2348
A2368
A3467
23456

A2348 is best obviously. I'm guessing that A2368 is better than A3467 (despite the 8 in the former). In addition, I'm guessing 23456 is the worst of the four. Thanks for clearing this up.

dizong

P.S. if i missed this in a FAQ somewhere, sorry for wasting time.

[MediaPA]

in hi/lo games, the best low hand is A-5(straights don't count agains the low). So you start at your highest card (8 or lower) and work your way back to see who has the best hand. Whoever has the lower card where the first difference is wins.

A2345 best
A2346 worse
A2356 worst
etc.

In triple draw straights aren't low hands if you are playing 2-7, but that's another topic.


EDIT: To answer your question
A2348 8 high with a 4 kicker (3)
A2368 8 high with a 6 kicker (4) worst
A3467 7 high (2)
23456 6 high (1) best

hope this makes some sense.

[dizong]

Well. Maybe the answer wasn't obvious after all. Thanks for the reply.

dizong

[SheridanCat]

Not at all stupid.

When comparing the low hands, try this. First, determine which 5 cards each player is using - sometimes not real obvious in Omaha/8 for instance.

Then start comparing those hands starting with the highest card in each. If one of the cards is lower than another, that is the better hand. If the cards are the same rank, compare the next lower card. Again, the lowest is the winner. If they are the same, compare again. Obviously, if no one has a lower card, you have a tie.

It's common to list low hands from the highest to the lowest card, ie 6532A.

I hope that helps. I learned this all by playing play money O/8 online.

Regards,

T

[GMan42]

Easiest way to compare them is to rank the cards top to bottom, and write them as an actual number, using 1 for A.

So per your example, you get

84,321
86,321
76,431
65,432

And you simply look at the value of the numbers to compare them. 65432 is the best low hand out of the above.

[Cooker]

A simple way to think about low hands is to make each players worst high card hand. Next, compare the 2 hands by thinking about high card hands and then whoever has the better high card hand loses the low. Now lets examine your examples
A2348
A2368
A3467
23456
The worst high card hand here is a 6-high which is the 23456, so this is the best low here. The next worst high card hand is the 7-high so A3467 is the second best low in the group. Now you have 2 8-highs to compare. The 8-high with 4 kicker (A2348) is the worst of the 2 8-highs, so this would be the third best low hand. Now lets put them in order from best low to worst low:
23456 (6-high)
A3467 (7-high)
A2348 (8-high 4 kicker)
A2368 (8-high 6 kicker)
The trick is you compare from the highest card down. Many players make the mistake of comparing from the lowest card up.

Also note that in some games (2-7 lowball) you are penalized for straights and flushes, so be sure you know the specific rules for the game you are playing in.