Check raise in Lowball games

[fgmyers]

What is the reason for the rule:

"Check-Raising is allowed in all games except certain forms of Lowball."

What would prohibit a player from check-raising or allow it for that matter.  Please excuse my ignorance.  We don't have much interest in that game in South Florida but we are updating our rule book and the question popped up.

Thanks.

Frank

[K-Lo]

What is the reason for the rule:

"Check-Raising is allowed in all games except certain forms of Lowball."

What would prohibit a player from check-raising or allow it for that matter.  Please excuse my ignorance.  We don't have much interest in that game in South Florida but we are updating our rule book and the question popped up.

Thanks.

Frank

Historically, checking and then raising was considered poor etiquette and was frowned upon.  It was prohibited.  Check-raising no longer has the same stigma as it used to have, and for greater certainty, current rulebooks will explicitly clarify that check-raising is now permitted in most games. 

In some games such as California lowball, you must bet if you have a sufficiently strong hand (i.e. 7 low or better), and in places that still spread those games, I expect that they will still enforce the "ban" on check-raising in those games primarily because it is tradition.

K

[Brian Vickers]

What is the reason for the rule:

"Check-Raising is allowed in all games except certain forms of Lowball."

What would prohibit a player from check-raising or allow it for that matter.  Please excuse my ignorance.  We don't have much interest in that game in South Florida but we are updating our rule book and the question popped up.

Thanks.

Frank

I would just take that out, for all the reasons K-Lo stated above.  RRoP is becomming quickly dated.

[Nick C]

Brian,

I think we should stick to the games we are familiar with. Knocking RRoP, or time tested rules for games we don't play is, in my opinion, non-productive. I am not real familiar with the game either but, consider some of the strategy that could be practiced. The lowball rules allow you to bet and re-raise, or even pass and call if someone else opens. You just can't check and raise. It's part of the game and before we start changing rules for a game that most of us never play, I suggest we wait to hear from someone that knows the game better than we do.

[K-Lo]

Just to be clear, the no check-raise rule does not apply to all lowball games, just some variants of lowball.

[MikeB]

FWIW, I play in a monthly game that features "old school" Kansas City 2-7 Lowball.  It's played with blinds, no-limit, and just one draw.  In order to encourage action it's played "open or fold" so that pre-draw the player to the left of the BB must either at minimum double the BB or fold. After someone as opened, subsequent players can smooth call or re-raise. After the single draw the action is on the first remaining player to left of the button who can check-raise the second betting round.  

There are only two betting rounds in this style of lowball (pre-draw and post-draw), so the check-raise prohibition: a) guarantees some action by forcing a raise or fold pre-draw; and b) pressures those players who only have 1 or 2 decent low cards but will otherwise be able to limp and draw 3, 4, or even 5 cards if nobody bets.... in this way you also c) ensure that you rarely run out of cards during the draw.

BTW, lowball is a great game to have in a private dealer's choice setting, in most multi-game rotations, and is a great short-handed or heads-up game.