Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Rules (Seven Card Stud 8)

February 28, 2007 by ozpoker
Filed under Poker Rules

Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo - Also known as Seven Card Stud 8

The same rules as standard Seven Card Stud up until the showdown. Then the pot is then split equally between the best high hand, and the best qualifying low hand. If there is no qualifying low hand, the high hand wins the entire pot.

Straights and flushes do not count against the low hand, but pairs do. To qualify, no card from the low hand may be above an 8.

A player can scoop both high and low, winning the entire pot. This can be done with one five-card hand that works both ways such as :

or with two different five-card hands made up from the same holding such as :

This Seven-Stud holding represents a Queen-high flush, as well as a 7-low.

Order of play

All players ante which is a pre-defined amount of money placed in the pot before the hand is begun. In tournaments the ante increases as the levels increase.
Each player is dealt two hole cards face down, and one door card face up.
There is a round of betting, started by the “bring-in” which is the forced bet made on the first round of betting by the player who is dealt the lowest card. The bring in is equal to half the lower limit.
Each player is dealt another card, face-up (fourth street).
There is a round of betting.
Each player is dealt another card, face-up (fifth street).
There is a round of betting.
Each player is dealt another card, face-up (sixth street).
There is a round of betting.
Each player is dealt another card, face-down (the river).
There is a final round of betting.

The pot is split evenly between the best five-card high hand and the best qualifying five-card low hand. If multiple players show the identical best hand, that half of the pot is split evenly between those players.

Seven-Card Stud H/L (8) is offered only in Fixed Limit structure. The first two betting rounds are at the lower limit and the last three rounds are at the higher limit.