In these examples, player A is dealt three queens. Example 1: At the sixth and seventh cards, when the size of the bet is increased, only A and B remain in the pot. A has triplets; B has an obvious low hand. In this situation A has the worst of it. Regardless of the cards drawn, B will win the low half of the pot. More often than not, A will win the high. Unless B improves (say to a straight) and A does not, A does win the high.

However, on those occasions when B does improve and A does not, B wins the entire pot. On hands of this type there will be very little money in the pot besides that bet by A and B. In other words, when A is lucky he gets his money back. Part of the time, A loses everything. The situation is worse for A at pot limit or table stakes: B can bet increasing amounts with no fear of loss!

Example 2: A, who has triplets, is in the pot along with more than one other person, near the end. Each of these other players has a low hand. A now has an equity in the pot; he stands to win an amount depending on the number of other players. However, as A's potential win increases, so the chance that he will win at all decreases. With more than one player having a potential low, there is considerable danger that one of them will draw a straight (or, rarely, a flush). A's position is better than in the two-handed case (in which he could only lose) but is not a profitable situation.

Example 3: A is involved in a pot with other players, some of whom are going for high also. This case cannot be more advantageous to A than that of Example 2, for now A may not even have the best hand for high! (In a limit game, you can expect quite a few players at the showdown.) Furthermore, he is at a disadvantage versus the low players who have a chance at each half of the pot if they fill their hands.