7 Card Stud Hi Lo
7 card stud hi lo is a
technically demanding poker game
where the best poker hands for
the high and low split the pot
at showdown. In 7 card stud hi
lo poker, players are dealt 7
cards throughout the course of
the hand, but only the best
five-card hand possible for each
player is used to determine the
winner. Visit our
poker hand rankings page to
see the ranking of hands for 7
card stud hi lo. Note that 7
card stud hi lo is played with
an "8 or better" qualifier,
which means that a hand must be,
at worst, an 8 for low to be
eligible to win the low portion
of the pot. (Low hands in seven
card stud high low are
determined in the same way
they're determined in
Omaha 8 or better.)
Rules for Playing 7 Card
Stud Hi Lo
Before a game of 7 card stud
hi lo begins play, all stud
players ante a nominal amount
(see
poker limits for the exact
ante amounts). Each player is
dealt two hidden hole cards and
one exposed card. The player
with the lowest exposed card is
the "bring-in", and is forced to
make a wager of either a half a
small bet or a full small bet
(for example, either $1 or $2 in
a $2/$4 stud high low game).
Action continues clockwise
around the
poker table until betting is
complete for the round.
Rule Note: For the
purposes of determining the
bring-in in 7 card stud hi lo,
ties in card rank are broken by
suit, with the order being
spades, hearts, diamonds and
clubs (in descending order).
Each poker player now
receives an exposed card, called
"Fourth Street". The first
player to act is the individual
whose exposed stud cards have
the highest poker value. By
rule, this player may either
check or bet. If no player shows
a pair amongst his or her
exposed cards, the bet will be a
small bet ($2 in a $2/$4 game).
If any player shows a pair, the
betting can be opened for a big
bet ($4 in a $2/$4 game).
Each player now receives
another exposed card, called
"Fifth Street". Again by rule,
the first player to act is the
individual whose exposed poker
hand have the highest poker
value.
Rule Note: Starting on
Fifth Street and for the rest of
the hand, all bets are in big
bet increments ($4 in a $2/$4
game).
Each poker player now
receives another exposed card,
called "Sixth Street". Again,
the first player to act is the
individual whose exposed cards
have the highest poker value.
Each player now receives a
seventh and final card (hence
the name 7 card stud), which is
dealt face-down and known only
to the player to whom the card
is dealt. The first player to
act is the individual whose
exposed cards have the highest
poker value.
If there is more than one
remaining player when the final
betting round is complete in 7
card stud hi lo, the last bettor
or raiser shows his or her
cards. If there was no bet on
the final round, the player
whose exposed cards have the
highest poker value shows his or
her cards first.
Showdown - Determining the
Hi and Lo Winner
The player with the best
five-card hand for the high
("Hi") wins half the pot, and
the player with the best hand
for low ("Lo") wins the other
half of the pot. In the event
that no hand qualifies for low,
the best hand(s) for high wins
the pot. Remember that in 7 card
stud hi lo, the "8 or better" is
still a requirement in order to
win the low, so a player must
have an unpaired five-card hand
that consists of all cards less
than or equal to the value of 8.
Otherwise, there is no low if no
player can meet this hand
requirement. After the pot is
awarded to the high and low
hands, a new online game of 7
card stud hilo poker is ready to
be played again. |
