| Doubles | |
|---|---|
| 1988 Virginia Slims of Houston | |
| 1987 Champions |  Kathy Jordan Martina Navratilova |
| Champions | Katrina Adams Zina Garrison |
| Runners-up | Lori McNeil Martina Navratilova |
| Final score | 6–7, 6–2, 6–4 |
Kathy Jordan and Martina Navratilova were the defending champions but only Navratilova competed that year with Lori McNeil.
McNeil and Navratilova lost in the final 6–7, 6–2, 6–4 against Katrina Adams and Zina Garrison.
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.
Lori McNeil / Martina Navratilova (final) Katrina Adams / Zina Garrison (champions)
Rosalyn Fairbank / Candy Reynolds (quarterfinals) Penny Barg / 
Mercedes Paz (semifinals)| First round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | L McNeil M Navratilova | 2 | 6 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| K Schimper W Wood | 6 | 2 | 4 | 1 | L McNeil M Navratilova | 6 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| H Crowe K Steinmetz | 3 | 5 |  J Jonerup J Smoller | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| J Jonerup J Smoller | 6 | 7 | 1 | L McNeil M Navratilova | 7 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | R Fairbank C Reynolds | 6 | 6 | G Magers W White | 6 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| M Gurney P Jung | 1 | 3 | 3 | R Fairbank C Reynolds | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| G Magers W White | 6 | 6 | G Magers W White | 6 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| M L Daniels A M Fernandez | 1 | 4 | 1 | Lori McNeil Martina Navratilova | 7 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
S Collins  T Zambrzycki | 4 | 4 | 2 | Katrina Adams Zina Garrison | 6 | 6 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| A Frazier L Spadea | 6 | 6 | A Frazier L Spadea | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
 I Budařová H Na | 3 | 1 | 4 | P Barg M Paz | 6 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | P Barg M Paz | 6 | 6 | 4 | P Barg M Paz | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Ca MacGregor Cy MacGregor | 6 | 7 | 4 | 2 | K Adams Z Garrison | 6 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| M Lindström H Ludloff | 7 | 6 | 6 | M Lindström H Ludloff | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| E Hakami G Mosca | 6 | 1 | 2 | K Adams Z Garrison | 6 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | K Adams Z Garrison | 7 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chris Evert was the defending champion but did not compete that year.
In the Doubles competition of the 1988 Virginia Slims of California tennis tournament, Hana Mandlíková and Wendy Turnbull were the defending champions but they competed with different partners: Mandlíková with Jana Novotná and Turnbull with Zina Garrison.
Mercedes Paz and Eva Pfaff were the defending champions but they competed with different partners that year, Paz with Mary Lou Daniels and Pfaff with Zina Garrison.
Chris Evert was the defending champion and won in the final 6–0, 6–4 against Martina Navratilova.
Katrina Adams and Zina Garrison-Jackson were the defending champions but lost in the semifinals to Gigi Fernández and Natasha Zvereva.
Patty Fendick and Zina Garrison-Jackson were the defending champions but they competed with different partners that year, Fendick with Meredith McGrath and Garrison-Jackson with Lori McNeil.
Katrina Adams and Manon Bollegraf were the defending champions but they competed with different partners that year, Adams with Zina Garrison-Jackson and Bollegraf with Martina Navratilova.
Pam Shriver was the defending champion but did not compete that year.
Zina Garrison and Eva Pfaff were the defending champions but did not compete that year.
Katrina Adams and Zina Garrison were the defending champions and won in the final 6–3, 6–4 against Gigi Fernández and Lori McNeil.
Claudia Kohde-Kilsch was the defending champion but lost in the semifinals to Zina Garrison.
Eva Pfaff and Elizabeth Smylie were the defending champions but they competed with different partners that year, Pfaff with Manon Bollegraf and Smylie with Wendy Turnbull.
Lori McNeil was a defending champion at the time but was beaten in the 1993 semifinals by Miriam Oremans, 7–6, 7–6.
Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver were the defending champions but did not compete that year.
Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver were the defending champions but lost in the semifinals to Gigi Fernández and Robin White.
Gigi Fernández and Martina Navratilova were the defending champions but lost in the third round to Katrina Adams and Manon Bollegraf.
Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver were the defending champions and won in the final 3–6, 6–3, 6–2 against Patty Fendick and Jill Hetherington.
Lori McNeil and Martina Navratilova were the defending champions but only McNeil competed that year. She competed with Rennae Stubbs but lost in the second round to Catherine Barclay and Kerry-Anne Guse.
Lori McNeil and Rennae Stubbs were the defending champions but only McNeil competed that year. She competed with Martina Navratilova and won in the final against Pam Shriver and Elizabeth Smylie, 6–3, 6–4.
Gigi Fernández and Natasha Zvereva were the two-time defending champions, and successfully defended their title, defeating Lindsay Davenport and Lisa Raymond in the final 6–2, 6–2.