Deuce-to-Seven

Deuce-to-seven low is often called Kansas City lowball the no-limit single-draw variation or just low poker. It is almost the direct opposite of standard poker: high hand loses. It is not as commonly used as the ace-to-five low method. As in all lowball games, pairs and trips are bad: that is, any hand with no pair defeats any hand with a pair; one pair hands defeat two pair or trips, etc. No-pair hands are compared starting with the highest ranking card, just as in high poker, except that the high hand loses. In deuce-to-seven low, straights and flushes count for high and are therefore bad. Aces are always high and therefore bad. For example, the hand 8-5-4-3-2 defeats 9-7-6-4-3, because eight-high is lower than nine-high. The hand 7-6-5-4-2 defeats both, because seven-high is lower still. The hand 7-6-5-4-3 would lose, because it is a straight. Aces are high, so Q-8-5-4-3 defeats A-8-5-4-3. In the rare event that hands with pairs tie, kickers are used just as in high poker but reversed: 3-3-6-4-2 defeats 3-3-6-5-2. Since the ace always plays high, A-5-4-3-2 is not considered a straight; is simply ace-high no pair it would therefore lose to any king-high, but would defeat A-6-4-3-2. The best possible hand is 7-5-4-3-2 hence the name deuce-to-seven low, followed by 7-6-4-3-2, 7-6-5-3-2, 7-6-5-4-2, 8-5-4-3-2, 8-6-4-3-2, etc. Hands are sometimes referred to by their absolute rank, e.g. 7-5-4-3-2 #1, said 'number one'. When speaking, low hands are referred to by their highest ranking card or cards. Any nine-high hand can be called a nine, and is defeated by any eight. Two cards are frequently used: the hand 8-6-5-4-2 can be called an eight-six and will defeat an eight-seven such as 8-7-5-4-2. Another common notation is calling a particular low hand smooth or rough. A smooth low hand is one where the remaining cards after the highest card are themselves very low; a rough low hand is one where the remaining cards are high. For instance, 8-7-6-4-2 would be referred to as a rough eight, but 8-5-4-3-2 would be referred to as a smooth eight. Wild cards are rarely used in deuce-to-seven games, but if used they play as whatever rank would make the lowest hand. Thus, in 7-6-Joker-3-2, the joker plays as a 4, while in Joker-5-4-3-2 it would play as a 7 a six would make a straight, and an ace would make ace-five high.

Financial betting refers to the wagering on the price development of a financial instrument at some later date relative to the current price or level of the instrument, against odds offered by a bookmaker. Maximum potential pay-off of the wager is known when the bet is taken and as a corollary risk is known beforehand by being limited to the initial stake.

Financial betting instruments are a type of digital option. The outcome of the wager at settlement is binary, that is, either a win or a loss. Settlement is executed in cash and there is no delivery of the underlying asset. At any point in time prior to the settlement date bets can often be sold, allowing for possibilities to bet on the accuracy of a market move within the fixed limits of zero win loss of the stake and maximum potential win. A fee might sometimes be charged for this service.

The main difference between financial betting and speculation on financial markets using products such as financial spread betting is that the bet must result in a simple binary win or loss based on an event on the underlying financial instruments. This triggers a fixed payout for a win, while with spread betting the payout or loss varies with the price level of the underlying instrument. Within financial floating odds the odds change for a given strike price as the price of the underlying changes. The floating odds company calculates odds for different strikes and how much can be won upon settlement depends on how much is bet at those odds.

Within financial fixed odds betting, the odds are fixed, while the strike price where a win is achieved relative the current level changes. The fixed odds company will calculate how much has to be bet to win a certain amount upon settlement if the conditions of the prediction become true.