Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo Rules

Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo is a stud poker game. In stud poker each player receives a mix of downcards (that only you can see) and upcards (that everyone can see) dealt in multiple betting rounds. In all stud games, the last card is always dealt face down. All card are individual, there are no community cards as in hold'em games. Stud games are also typically non-positional games, meaning that the player who bets first on each subsequent round does not necessarily have to be the same. Antes are used instead of blinds.

Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo is a high-low split pot game, that is the best (best hi) and the worst (best low) hand split the pot between them. If one player has the best high hand and another player has the best low hand the pot is quite simply split between them. If one player has both the best high hand and the best low hand, that player scoops the entire pot. If there is a tie for one of the parts of the pot, it can be a bit more intricate. But the cardinal rule is that half the pot is reserved for the best high hand(s) and the other half is reserved for the best low hand(s).

One final example on the splitting of the pot: If two players are tied for the best high hand then these players get 1/4 of the pot each and if in the same pot there is another single player who has the best low hand, then that player gets 1/2 of the pot. Should the player being tied for the best high hand and the player who has the best low hand be one and the same, then that player gets 1/4 + 1/2 = 3/4 of the pot.

Unless otherwise stated a qualifier of 8-or-better for low applies to Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo. That is a player must have five cards of different ranks that are an eight or lower in rank in order to able to contest the low half of the pot. The lower the highest card is, the better. Straight or flushes do not count against the low hand. An ace may be used for high or low. For a more detailed discussion on this, please see the section on hand rankings for low. If there are no qualifying low hands, then the whole pot is awarded to the best high hand.

Otherwise Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo follows the same rules and sequence of game play as regular Seven-Card Stud. (For the already knowledgeable player it should be noted that there is no double bet option if there is a pair showing on fourth street as there is in Seven-Card Stud.) Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo is played with seven cards, whereof three are downcards and four are upcards. Two downcards and one upcard are dealt before the first betting round. Thereafter one card is followed by one betting round, in total there are five betting rounds. The best five-card poker hand can be constructed by any mix of the seven cards. The same five cards or any other combinations of cards may be used to construct the best low hand.

Sequence of Game Play

1. Antes Each player must place a forced bet, the ante, before the cards are dealt.
2. Starting hand Each player receives two cards face down and one card face up. The face down cards are also known as hole cards, and the first open card as the door card.

3. First betting round The player with the lowest ranking upcard (also by suit) has to open the betting. That player has a choice of making the bring-in bet, which is less than a full bet, or making a regular full sized bet. The action then continues clockwise.
4. Fourth street Each player receives another card face up.

5. Second betting round From now on the player with the best poker hand showing (of the upcards that is) starts the action.
6. Fifth street Each player receives another card face up.

7. Third betting round The betting advance as before. (In a fixed limit betting structure the bets are now doubled.)
8. Sixth street Each player receives another card face up.

9. Fourth betting round The betting advance as before.
10. River Each player receives a seventh and final card face down.

11. Last betting round The betting advance as before.
12. Showdown If more than one player reaches this stage, all remaining players show their hands. The first bettor or last raiser shows first, and then only those who beat that hand (for any part of the pot) has to show. The best ranked high hand wins the high half of the pot. The best ranked (qualifying) low hand wins the low half of the pot. Players can use any five of their seven cards to make their best high hand and any five cards, whether the same as the high hand or not, to make the best low hand.

Example

Player As cards

Player Bs cards


Studying each players hand in this example shows that Player B must have started the betting on the first round of betting as the five is lower ranked than the ace (the ace counts as high for this purpose). On all subsequent rounds, player A has started the action as player As upcards are better than player Bs all the way. Looking at the high half of the pot we see that player As flush draw does not come in, but that sixth street did bring a two pair aces up. Player B on the other hand did make the straight draw on the river and beats player A for the high half of the pot.

Player As final high hand

Player Bs final high hand


For the low half of the pot, player A makes a six high. While player B does not qualify for the low half of the pot at all with the nine high. It is not the fact that the nine high is also a straight that counts against player B but the fact that the highest card is higher than an eight. Nor can player B use the extra fives or sevens, as a qualifying low hand must consist of five differently ranked cards, thus pairs are dubious in any Hi/Lo game. In conclusion, Player A has the best low hand and player B the best high hand and the pot is split.

Player As final qualifying low hand

Player Bs final non-qualifying low hand

In Depth Issues

Suits To determine who should start the action on the first round of betting, if two or more players have the same lowest card, suits are utilized. The person who brings it in is determined by suit order progressing from clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades.

Position To determine who should start the action on subsequent betting rounds, if there is a tie for the highest hand, position is considered. The player who received cards first, is then also first to act.

Cap The term cap is used to describe the final raise in a round since betting is then capped and no one can make another raise. A cap of three raises are usually used. Increasing the amount wagered by the opening forced bet up to a full bet does not count as a raise, but merely as a completion of the bet. So three raises can still be made before the cap is reached.

Too small deck On a few rare occasions the number of cards in the deck are not enough to give each player their own river card. This happens when all player at a full table chooses to stay in the game all the way. In such a case, the final card is dealt face up in the center of the table, the river card becomes a community card.

Odd chip When the pot is split, there are sometimes an odd chip left over. First off, any leftover odd chip goes to the high half of the pot. If two or more players tie for the high side of the pot and there is an odd chip, the player with the highest card in their hand is awarded the odd chip. If they have the same high valued cards, the suit takes preference going from spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. When two or more low hands split the lower half of the pot, the odd chip in this half goes to the player with the lowest card by suit, thus in the order: clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades.