What this A-5 lowball odds calculator does
Ace-to-five lowball, the California game and the ranking used in razz and in every hi/lo split, is the friendlier of the two lowball systems: the ace is low, and straights and flushes do not count, so 5-4-3-2-A is simply the best hand and there are no traps. What is left is pure drawing arithmetic, and this calculator does it exactly. Type the cards each player keeps, it deals the draw from the remaining deck, scores every five-card result under ace-to-five rules, and reports who wins how often.
A one-card draw against a pat hand is 43 possible outcomes; two players drawing is a few thousand; everything up to a couple of players drawing two is enumerated in full. The number is the number, not an estimate.
Entering hands
What each player keeps, spaces between players: 7c6d4h3s2c Ac2d3h4s is a pat seven against a one-card draw to the wheel. Four cards draw one, three draw two. Up to eight players, any mix of pat hands and draws. Known discards go in Dead cards.
Worked examples, computed by this engine
| Match-up | Equity | Method | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pat 7-6-4-3-2 vs wheel draw7c6d4h3s2c vs Ac2d3h4s | 76.74% / 23.26% | Exact · 43 deals | Load → |
| Pat 8-6-4-2-A vs 6-4-3-2 one-card draw8c6d4h2sAc vs 6h4c3d2d | 74.42% / 25.58% | Exact · 43 deals | Load → |
| Pat 9 vs two-card draw to 3-2-A9c7d5h3s2c vs 3h2dAd | 81.92% / 18.08% | Exact · 946 deals | Load → |
| Pat 6-5-4-3-A vs pat 6-5-4-2-A6c5d4h3sAc vs 6h5c4d2dAd | 0.00% / 100.00% | Exact · 1 deal | Load → |
The wheel draw against a pat 7-6-4-3-2 is the canonical spot and it is 77-23 for the pat hand: the draw needs a 5, a 6 or a 7 that does not pair, which is 12 cards less the ones the pat hand holds, 10 of 43. A smooth pat eight against a one-card draw to 6-4-3-2 is 74-26, the draw having 11 live outs. A pat nine against a two-card draw to 3-2-A holds up 82% of the time, which surprises people who think of 3-2-A as a strong start; it is, with three draws to come, but with one draw it needs two good cards at once. The last row is a ranking check: 6-5-4-2-A beats 6-5-4-3-A because the fourth card is lower, every time.
The ranking
Compare the highest card first; lower wins. If equal, compare the next card down, and so on. Any unpaired hand beats any paired hand, one pair beats two pair, lower pairs beat higher pairs. Straights and flushes are ignored entirely, so a 6-5-4-3-2 of one suit is a six-low and nothing more. Aces are low, so A-2-3-4-5 is the wheel and A-A-2-3-4 is a pair of aces, which is the best pair you can have. The hand distribution table groups each player's results by the low they made, from five-low down to "paired or worse".
About triple draw
This is a one-draw calculator, exact for the final draw of A-5 triple draw and for the whole of a single-draw game. With two or three draws remaining, equity depends on what each player keeps after each draw, which no calculator can know without modelling both players' decisions. The one-draw number is the floor for the drawing hand and the ceiling for the pat one, and it is the number the last and biggest bet is made on. The same ranking in a stud format is the Razz calculator; the deuce-to-seven ranking, with its traps, has its own 2-7 Lowball calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Three ways. The ace is low rather than high, straights do not count against you, and flushes do not count against you. So 5-4-3-2-A, worthless in 2-7, is the best possible hand here, and a 6-4-3-2-A of all one suit is still a six-low.
Lower is better, compared from the top card down: any six-low beats any seven-low, and 7-5-4-3-A beats 7-6-3-2-A. No-pair hands beat paired hands, one pair beats two pair, and among pairs the lower pair is better. The calculator picks the best five from whatever is dealt.
Yes. A-2-3-4 drawing one wants a 5, 6 or 7 that does not pair: that is 12 cards of the 43 unseen when the pat hand holds a 7 and a 6, minus the ones the pat hand blocks. The exact figure is 23.3%, which is what the calculator shows.
The calculator gives the equity for the cards you type with one draw to come. With more draws to come the answer depends on what each player discards after each draw, which needs a strategy model rather than a calculator; use the one-draw number as the floor.
