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Home > Poker Rules > Seven Card Stud Hi / Lo
Seven Card Stud Hi / Lo Poker Rules: Overview
Seven Card Stud and its Hi /Lo (8b) variation is a traditionally popular game and tends to be well supported by most online poker rooms. It is typically easier to find a seven card stud hi / lo game at your chosen table-limits on the internet than it is Omaha, but again, like Omaha, exponents of this particular art would be well advised to stick to the bigger poker rooms in order to avoid having to wait too long for a game.
The formats for regular Seven Card Stud and the Hi/Lo variation are very similar, but the premise for Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo is different in that there are two winning hands for each game: the strongest (highest) hand, and the weakest (lowest) hand split the pot. The hi / lo variations of any poker game involve much more strategical thought than their regular counterparts, but, like any variation of poker, it is easily picked up (but takes the best part of a lifetime to master).
When assessing the strength of your low hand, it is best to count from your highest card down. Say you have 2694J, look at it like this: J9642. This is because the highest cards in your hand determine how low your hand is... Confused? Take a look at the following examples:
Say both hands have a highest card 8. The pot goes to the player with the next lowest high card. So 8-6-5-4-3 beats 8-7-3-2-A; K-J-9-7-6 beats K-Q-4-2-A and so on.
Likewise, if the highest two cards match, then the pot is decided by the next card: J-9-6-5-3 beats J-9-7-3-2.
| 1-10 | 11-20 | 21-30 | 31-40 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1) 5432A | 11) 7632A | 21) 8432A | 31) 86532 |
| 2) 6432A | 12) 7642A | 22) 8532A | 32) 8654A |
| 3) 6532A | 13) 7643A | 23) 8542A | 33) 86542 |
| 4) 6542A | 14) 76432 | 24) 85432 | 34) 86543 |
| 5) 6543A | 15) 7652A | 25) 8632A | 35) 8732A |
| 6) 65432 | 16) 7653A | 26) 8642A | 36) 8742A |
| 7) 7432A | 17) 76532 | 27) 8643A | 37) 87432 |
| 8) 7532A | 18) 7654A | 28) 86432 | 38) 8752A |
| 9) 7542A | 19) 76542 | 29) 8652A | 39) 8753A |
| 10) 7543A | 20) 76543 | 30) 8653A | 40) 87532 |
In Seven Card Stud Hi / Lo, there is no 'blind.' What we have instead is an ante, a small bet which each player must contribute at the beginning of each hand. Antes serve to build the pot and to increase each player's interest in the hand. The Stakes dictate the bet and fixed limit raise amount: for example, in a $5/$10 Fixed game, both the bets and raises for the first two rounds of betting must be $5, no more, no less. The last two rounds have a bet/raise amount of $10. In a Pot Limit game, the maximum bet/raise can't be more than the current pot amount. So, if the pot is $30, you can't bet more than $30.
The Cap: in Seven Card Stud, each round of betting can consist of one bet and has a maximum of three of allowable raises. So, if a bet is made, that bet can only be raised three times, after which all players must either call or fold. However, if only two players remain in the hand the cap is increased, to a maximum of five raises.
The ante: First off, all players must post the ante. The dealer then deals each player two face down cards (the pocket cards), then a face-up card (the door). After this comes the first betting round, beginning with the bring-in. The bring-in is a mandatory bet which must be made by the player with the lowest showing door card. The amount of the bring-in is usually half the smaller stake amount, but the player making the bring-in has the option to increase this bet to the full small stake. If two players are showing the same door card, the suit rankings are used to decide which player should make the bring-in.
The ranks of the suits are, in order: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs. Subsequent to the bring-in, all players must call, raise or fold to the bring-in bet. Betting begins to the bring-in player's left, and continues clockwise. If the bring-in opens with half the low stake, the first raise will 'complete' the bring-in, raising it to the lower stake limit. Any raises after that must be the lower stake amount. For example, at a $5/$10 table, if a player brings-in with $2, and you want to raise him, you must raise $3, completing the bring-in. Now, any player that raises after you must raise $5.
Third Street: After the Bring-In bets have all been called, each player is dealt another face up card, called 'Third Street.' The highest showing hand opens the betting round. If a pair is showing for any hand on Third Street, that player has the option of doubling his(her) bet amount, and "raising the stake" for this betting round. Otherwise, Third Street bets and raises are limited to the small stake.
Fourth Street: Another face up card is dealt to each player, and high hand opens the betting round. For these last three rounds, the bet amount is now the higher stake ($10 in a $5/$10 game).
Fifth Street: The fourth face up card is dealt to each player, and high hand opens the betting round. For these last three rounds, the bet amount is now the higher stake ($10 in a $5/$10 game).
The River: The final card is dealt to each player face down, making a total of 7 cards in each hand. Now the final betting round begins, and as before, the highest showing hand starts the betting. The River bets are still limited to the upper stake. ($10 in a $5/$10 game).
The Showdown: The last player to bet or raise during the final betting round (the river) will show their hand first. If all the players checked through (nobody bet) on the river, the player to the left of the dealer will show first. The remaining players' hands will be automatically revealed moving clockwise, unless a hand is weaker than the winning hand shown. In this case, you'll have the option to show, or muck (fold without showing). The highest and the lowest 5 card hands split the pot. A player can use any 5 cards in their hand to win either the high or the low, or both.
Note: It sometimes happens in Seven Card Stud that all 8 players remain in the game by the river. Of course, there are not enough cards in the deck for each player to have seven cards (not most decks, anyway!). When all eight players remain involved in the hand, the dealer will turn over a single community card in the middle of the table - this card is then used by all 8 players to fill their hand.
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