Reply #4: There are three versions of lowball rules (of which I know) [View All]

[PurityOfEssence]

The one I prefer--which is the most liberal--is where straights and flushes don't count against you; thus the wheel is the best hand (A2345). The other very common version is that straights and flushes DO count against you, thus an unsuited "64" is the best hand (A2346). In both of these versions, the Ace is low, and in any version of either of these assumptions, if one chooses to go both ways, the Ace is a "1" in the low hand and above the King in the high hand unless being used to fill a low straight. (In version one, you could have the wheel and go both ways, with a straight high and the lock hand low. In version two, you could go both ways if you have an 86 or something to go low, and an Ace high to go high.)

One much rarer--and strictly conservative--version is where Aces are ALWAYS high, and straights and flushes count against you, thus a 75432 is the lock low.

It would seem that in any version of the game where an Ace could be low, if declaring low, paired Aces (a pair of "1"s) should be lower than the 2s. The Aces have been defined as the lowest cards; why do they pervert to high cards just because they pair? They're low cards.

Does anyone have a reference site, and above all else, how do the Casinos play it?