London Lowball Strategy

London lowball poker is one of the most popular poker games in Europe, and its sweeping online poker rooms, picking up new fans as it goes. London lowball is very, very similar to Razz poker, although unlike in Razz, straights and flushes do not count against London lowball players and London lowball is a pot limit game. London lowball is also a game that is known as a game of patience, which makes developing a strategy for well implemented steals of the ante very important. Here are some other important poker guides you may want to read:

Razz Poker strategy

HORSE poker strategy

Stud Poker strategy

Stud HL Strategy

There are various strategies that many successful (even professional) London lowball enthusiasts swear by. Learning which strategy works well for you is simply easier when you have ample amount of time participating in London lowball games and practicing your moves. Many new and upcoming London lowball lovers as well as well-seasoned professionals with huge bank rolls take advantage of the various online poker rooms that offer free play. Players simply register, create a free account, and start playing in any of the free rooms that are available. Practice is the best way to form the skills that you need to succeed in London lowball without investing any of your bankroll or sacrificing your valuable chips.

One of the most valuable skills and strategies that you can develop in London lowball play is to know which starting hands work (and consequently, which ones you can bet or raise on, which should be folded). While ace – two – three – four – six is the best London lowball hand, any hand that has a six high is considered excellent. Use these figures to gauge your bets, raises, and ultimately, if you need to just give it up and save your chips for the next hand. When you do get a good (low) hand, you should play aggressively.

There’s few secrets between opponents in London lowball because you have the biggest part of your hand on your “porch” (facing up cards). Because of this, London lowball is a bluffer’s worst nightmare. Only two of your cards will be dealt down, so everyone will be able to read everyone else’s cards to a big extent. While this works against you personally, it can work for you because you can see what has been dealt and what is remaining in the deck for the most part (other than the hole or pocket cards). By closely observing the cards that are visible, you can get a really good picture of whether the card or cards you are hoping for on the river are in play or if they are still waiting in the deck.

In London lowball, you want to see as many dead cards as possible. Because pairs count against you, if you see that you hold a deuce, but there are also two other deuces on player’s porches, you can pretty much count on not getting another deuce. Again, this goes back to the skill of observation – one skill you must learn in London lowball (or any poker game for that matter).

Many professional poker players talk of stealing the ante in London lowball. Ante stealing is best carried out when you reach the higher limits, which won’t happen until you reach fifth street. One way that the ante can be stolen is if the “bring in” player is seated to your left and folds; at this point you should go ahead and complete the bet to have the best chance to steal the ante. This won’t work with every London lowball hand, but it will work enough to be profitable.