Mixed Games Micro Stakes Is What I Miss

Before the sustained poker explosion, brought on by an aptly named Chris Moneymaker, games outside of Texas Holdem, such as Deuce To Seven Lowball, were just as popular.

In the midst of the poker boom, Black Friday was the United States' Government response to online poker. On April 15, 2011, the U.S. feds seized the two most popular online poker sites, PokerStars and FullTilt. PokerStars was operating ethically, while FullTilt was an American company full of professional poker players who bilked player deposits to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.

I played on both sites, playing "micro stakes" mixed games. Table limits from penny bets to dollar entry fee tournaments, made the experience fun.

Lowball games are what the name sounds like. The worst hand is the best hand, and in this low game, Deuce To Seven Triple Draw, the best hand is 23457. And, as the name says, it's a three-draw game. Which essentially means, draw to a very good hand or go broke. It also has a Single Draw(SD) version, and gameplay is the same. Players are dealt five cards, and have three draws(SD is 1 draw) to make a five card low hand. This game is generally played at the no-limit stakes.

Badugi is another draw poker game that has three draws and is low. Unlike "Deuce," and like most low games, the Ace is low. Badugi is a four card game, with a catch. In addition to four different low cards being the objective, different suits are also required to make a "Badugi" hand. Players are dealt four cards and have three draws to make a four card, differently suited, poker hand. This game is played at limit and no-limit standards.

The start of a Badugi hand, limit poker.

Omaha, a highly popular game that is played structurally like holdem, except that there are four cards in the hole, whereas two are held in Texas Holdem. Omaha can be played high, low, or both. It is played limit, pot limit, and no-limit.

Razz, another low game, is Seven Card Stud, played for low only. In Razz, any low can win, as long as it's better at showdown. Seven Card Stud is a popular game among the poker games, played in many casinos as a limit game. Players are dealt two cards "down" and the one at a time for a total of seven. Betting occurs after each draw session. The object is a winning five card hand.

It is odd to me, that we live in a world where online poker is illegal, but state run games are legal. There is a continuing effort to make online poker legal again, and some states already have American casinos operating online.

The history of poker is both rich and crooked, as the various games have been used to swindle naive players, as well as capture the passion of honest players. Developed as a riverboat game in the 19th century and derived from games of American forefathers, the game we know today was grown in the American south in the 1960s, and by the 1980s, poker was on television. Of course, some scandalous players still try and cheat the game, but overall safety is actually very good.

On my son's actual birthday in 2005, while sitting in the hospital and holding little Paden, a television show called Beyond The Glory, showcased "Texas Dolly," Doyle Brunson. For a player like me, it was fitting.

Today, poker is alive and kicking in the U.S. Cardrooms are everywhere, casinos spread many different games, garage home games are at an all-time high, and online poker is making an effort to be legitimate.

I miss playing triple draw lowball for pennies on FullTilt, and my only poker wish these days is for an American system that is safe for players to play online.

Penny ante poker is an American right, as is most poker games in the traditional format. Contact your congress representatives and the poker industry.