BARGE Rulebook

London Lowball

Forced Money

The game is played with antes. The high card on the board by rank first and then by suit brings it in. The K♠ is the highest possible card followed by the K♥, K♦, K♣, and so on.

Dealing Procedure

Starting with the player in seat one, each player is dealt two cards face down then one card up, followed by a round of betting. For all rounds, the minimum bet will be equal to the size of the bring-in and the minimum raise is the size of the last bet or raise. The maximum wager is the size of the pot.

A second up card is dealt to all active players. This is followed by a round of betting. Action starts with the lowest hand showing.

A third up card is dealt to all active players. This is followed by a round of betting.

A fourth up card is dealt to all active players. This is followed by a round of betting.

A third down card is dealt to all active players. This is followed by a round of betting. This is followed by a showdown.

It is required of each player that they do not alter or obfuscate the order in which they have received their up cards.

Evaluating the Showdown

The best five-card Ace-to-Six low hand wins the pot. Straights and flushes count against the player, unlike California Lowball (Ace-to-Five) but like Kansas City Lowball (Deuce-to-Seven). Unlike Deuce-to-Seven, the Ace is the low card, not the high card. Thus the nuts is a non-flush 6432A hand. See the Appendix on Lowball Scales.

Notes

The rules for London Lowball were written assuming the game is played pot-limit, which is traditional for this game as described in Pot-Limit & No-Limit Poker by Stewart Reuben and Bob Ciaffone and how it was played at BARGE 2018. It is not played with a joker/bug.