7 Card Stud Hi/Lo
Also known as Stud 8 and Seven Card Stud eight or better, Seven Card Stud hi/lo is a variation of Stud. It's a challenging game that involves most pots being split between the best high hand, and the best low hand (providing there is a qualifying low hand). For a low hand to qualify, it must include five cards ranked eight or below. Players new to the game often struggle to determine the strength of their low hand. A useful tip is to read the five cards backwards, like a number. The lowest number is the lowest hand. Consider these examples, a hand of A 2 4 7 8 would be read 87,421 and a hand of A 2 4 6 7 would be read 76,421. The second hand, A 2 4 6 7, is lower than the first and would win half the pot.
Rules
Stud hi/lo is set up and dealt in the same way as Seven Card Stud, with each player posting an ante, being dealt two cards face down and one up, with the lowest exposed card placing a forced bring in bet. After the first round of betting, the player with the highest exposed hand acts first. The betting limit doubles after each remaining player receives their fifth card, and remains at the higher limit for the rest of the hand.
When the seventh round of betting is complete, players still left in the hand reveal their cards to see who wins the high and low half of the pot. If there is a qualifying low hand, the player with the best low hand wins half the pot, while the player with the best high hand wins the other half. If there isn't a qualifying low hand, the best high hand wins the full pot.
Basic Strategy
An important skill to learn is the ability to observe what cards other players have (the cards they are dealt face up), even the ones that have been folded. In addition to helping calculate pot odds, it's also the best way to avoid drawing to a hand where the cards you are looking for have already been dealt to another player.
It's also often a good idea to aim to win the entire pot, instead of just attempting to build a high or low hand only. This is known as 'scooping the pot'.
Learn to play Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo with our free software download.
