Winning Rules of High/Low Draw Poker

There are two known types of high/low draw poker games. These are the "California High/Low Split" and the "High/Low with Declare". These two poker games are almost similar to each other and to all other draw poker variants. But these two games allow two winners which will equally divide the pot. One winner has the highest hand and the other winner has the lowest hand.

There is also a possibility that one poker player can win both the low and the high half of the pot. For example, a poker player may have a low straight. With such a hand, this particular poker player takes both the high and the low. Such a win is called "scooping" or "hogging" the pot.

The difference between the two is the Declaration Phase. In California High/Low Split, there is no Declaration Phase and the poker players allow their cards to speak for themselves. That is, the poker players do not state whether they plan to win the low or the high part of the pot.

While in the High/Low with Declare, the poker player indicates whether he intends to win the low part, the high part, or both. Such is called the Declaration Phase, which is done after the second betting round and before the showdown.

To conduct this Declaration Phase, each poker player takes two chips and holds them under the table, and the one closed fist is brought up. If this closed fist contains no chips, then the poker player wants to win the low half of the pot. If the closed fist holds one chip, the poker player plans to take the high half of the pot. And if the closed fist has two chips, the poker player intends on winning both halves of the pot. Revealing the contents of the closed fists is done at the same time.

Winners are decided in this manner:

� The poker player declaring to win the high half and has the best high, takes half of the pot. And the poker player declaring to win the low half and has the best low, also takes the other half of the pot. � A poker player with two chips and having the best low and best high hogs the pot. If he fails to win both, he does not get any part of the pot. That is, if he has the best low but not the best high, the low half of the pot goes to the second best low. � If all poker players has declared low, the one with the best low takes the whole pot. The same applies if all poker players declared high.