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.
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 Limits page for 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 and in 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, 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 "8s or better" is still a requirement in order to
win the low, so a player must have an unpaired hand that consists of five cards less than
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 Hi Lo
poker is ready to be played again.
If you are familiar with stud poker, the most popular being
Seven Card Stud, then you should be able to pick up the 7 Card Stud Hi Lo variant fairly
quickly. If you are unfamiliar with stud poker or seven card stud, we recommend you
try that poker game out first to get a feel for how the game is played. You are always
welcome to play on our free poker tables at IpcPoker, so
that you can sharpen your skills before playing for real money.
Lastly, if you like to play other Hi Lo variants, we recommend you check out
Omaha Hi Lo, which is a very popular poker game as well.
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