Ace to Six relative value of straight “AKQJT”

Question

I've a doubt about hand ranking in AceToSix: this is about a very rare case where the straight AKQJT have to be ranked against other bad hands like KQJT9.

according to wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowball_(poker)

"in AceToSix low 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 ace-to-six low, straights and flushes are accounted for (as compared to Ace-to-five) and count as high(and are therefore bad), and aces play as the lowest card."

Since the ACE counts as the LOWEST card does it make up to a straight in this hand AKQJT? and if it does, does it means that AKQJT is better than KQJT9 given that the ACE is the lowest of these cards and the ranking is inverted with respect to standard ranking rules?

thanks in advance

Answer 1

Great question, and I believe I know the answer, but I can't for the life of me find an online reference. I believe that you are correct, in that KQJTA is not considered a straight, and defeats KQJT2, just as A5432 defeats A6432 in 2-to-7 lowball.

The 2-to-7 (aka "Kansas City") lowbal situation occurs frequently, and you can find online sources for the rule, because people will draw to 5432 (not a good draw, but not a terrible one). The corresponding situation in A-to-6 (aka "London") lowball really never happens, because no one would ever draw to a hand that bad. That's probably why the rule never comes up, and why it's so hard to find a reference.