highball

[Jesse Sheidlower]

> Curiously, there are no canonical poker games called "highball" that
> I know of, but low poker (in which essentially* the "worst"
> conventional hand wins) is often called "lo-ball" (i.e. straight low,
> as distinct from hi-lo split).   I think I've usually seen it with
> the "lo-ball" spelling, but it's not listed with either spelling in
> the OED, AHD4, or HDAS.  Sometimes "lo-ball" poker refers
> specifically to low 5-card draw as opposed to low stud variants.
> While I've never of "highball" poker (for high-hand-wins), I can
> imagine it as a sort of nonce retronym.
>
> Jesse, I know we can count on you to update the OED's poker
> lexicon--at least lo-ball should be entered

Yes, _lowball_ will be entered when it comes time. (It's not slang
and so wouldn't be in HDAS.)

Usually, _lowball_ refers to a variety of draw poker where the
lowest hand wins. Seven-card stud played for low is usually
called _razz._

I also expected the _lo-ball_ spelling to be common, but in a half-dozen
serious poker books I've checked, it's _lowball._

> *"essentially" because in the dialects I'm familiar with, straights
> and flushes don't count against the low hand in either lo-ball or
> hi-lo poker; the best hand is 5-4-3-2-A, called a wheel.

In virtually all serious (casino or tournament) poker, the best low
hand is an 5-4-3-2-A with straights and flushes not counting for
low. There's also two-to-seven lowball, where straights and flushes
do count and an ace is regarded as always high, so the best hand
is a 7-5-4-3-2 of non-unique suit. The variant where the best hand
is 6-4-3-2-A of non-unique suit is almost exclusive to home games,
though it also does seem to be by far the most common in home games.

The 5-A wheel, flushes not counting, is extremely important in
serious poker because it allows you to scoop the pot, i.e. winning
both high and low, which would not be likely if you're holding
a 6-4-3-2-A type of low.

Jesse Sheidlower
OED