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- 7 Card Stud Hi Lo Rules. How To play 7 card stud high low - stud h/L rules. August, 2018 - Seven Card Stud Hi Lo is one of the more intimidating forms of poker, especially for the beginner. Regular Seven-card Stud is difficult enough as it is, and in Hi Lo, there is a low hand component added to mix things up.
- The Rules of Stud Hi-Lo Poker. In Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo, the low hand is played with an eight or better qualifier. This means that a low hand must contain an eight-low. If there is no qualifying low hand, the high hand wins the entire pot. As with Omaha Hi-Lo, Stud Hi-Lo across all poker sites in the US uses the Ace to Five hand ranking system.
Jun 22, 2016 When I was starting out in 1992, seven-card stud eight-or-better — a.k.a. Stud hi-low — was being touted as the game of the future, and it was spread in many poker rooms.
Stud Hi-Lo is one of the most popular games at various poker sites, US as well as international, thanks to its split pot structure. Awarding half the pot to a low hand and half to a high hand means this game is extremely action packed. In fact, if you’re of a somewhat nervous disposition, then Stud Hi-Lo probably isn’t the poker variant for you. However, if you’re slightly skittish and have a dual personality, then this game will be perfect.Operating along the same lines as Stud poker, but with a subtle twist, Stud Hi-Lo is gradually becoming the preferred format for some of the top online poker pros in America. Before we go any further, however, we feel it’s important to point out that Stud Hi-Lo isn’t for the fainthearted. Although the mechanics of the game are fairly simple once you’d got to grips with them, the amount of concentration it takes to understand its dynamics aren’t necessarily suitable for beginners.
During your first few sessions of Stud Hi-Lo poker you’ll probably find that you’ll struggle to keep up with the action. Thus, when you do decide to make the jump into one of these games, you should already have a developed poker strategy. Because of this, we recommend playing some Texas Hold’em or Stud Hi at one of our suggested top USA poker sites before you delve into the matrix of this split pot variant.
Five Things You Need to Know about Stud Hi-Lo:
- Stud Hi-Lo poker uses a split pot format. Half the pot is award to the winning low hand and half the pot is given to the winning high hand.
- If there is no qualifying low hand (an eight low minimum) then the best high hand scoops the pot.
- Stud Hi-Lo doesn’t involve community cards.
- In the event of the deck running out of cards, a single community card can be dealt.
- We recommend honing your skills at the Stud table before indulging in a few sessions of Stud Hi-Lo at a top USA poker sites.
The Basics of Stud Hi-Lo Poker
Stud Hi-Lo is a limit poker game and when it comes to betting, it’s virtually identical to Stud Hi. In contrast, this variant is almost a complete opposite to popular poker games in the United States such as Texas Hold’em. The first major difference is that the forced bets are known as antes and they don’t follow the same pattern as the “small blind” and “big blind” that you find in games such as Hold’em.
To stimulate action, Stud Hi-Lo games start with each player at the table putting in an ante which is equivalent to the minimum table stakes, e.g. a $2/$4 game will usually have a $0.30 ante. After this, players are dealt their first three cards (two face down and one face up) and the player with the lowest up card is forced to pay the “bring in”. The size of the bring-in can be the size of the ante or the full size of the table’s lowest stake, e.g. in a $1/$2 game the bring-in can be $1.
Hi Lo Stud Poker Rules List
Once this round of betting has been completed, the remaining players are dealt a fourth card face up and the player with the highest value card is the person who leads the betting. *Note, unlike seven card stud, there is no double-sized opening bet allowed if a player makes a pair on Fourth Street.
This pattern continues as a fifth and sixth card are dealt and only changes on the river (the seventh card), when the card is placed facedown on the table. The first player to bet in this final round is the one with the highest value cards on display. After Seventh Street has been dealt the remaining players must expose their card, unless one player forces everyone else to fold.
The Rules of Stud Hi-Lo Poker
In Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo, the low hand is played with an eight or better qualifier. This means that a low hand must contain an eight-low. If there is no qualifying low hand, the high hand wins the entire pot.
As with Omaha Hi-Lo, Stud Hi-Lo across all poker sites in the US uses the Ace to Five hand ranking system. This means that straights and flushes do not count against a hand and Aces are always low. Moreover, the highest card in your five-card hand will determine the strength of your low hand. For example, 8, 6, 4, 2, A will be known as an “eight low” and would lost to 7, 6, 4, 2, A (a seven low). To give you a better idea of how low hands look, here are ten of the top Stud Hi-Lo hands ranging from weakest to strongest:
*Note: a low hand is always ranked from its highest card downwards. *
If there is more than one remaining player when the final betting round is complete the last bettor or raiser shows his or her cards first. If there was no bet on the final round, the player in the earliest seat shows his or her cards first.
The player with the best five-card hand for the high wins half the pot, and the player with the best hand for low wins the other half of the pot. In the event that no hand qualifies for low, the best hand for high wins the entire pot. In the event of two or more players have the same high or low hands, the pot halves will be split accordingly.
Additional Stud Hi-Lo Rules:
- In the case of ties during the bring-in, the first person to act is decided by card suit. Suits are ranked in alphabetical order: clubs (lowest), diamonds, hearts and spades (highest).
- If the player with the lowest card showing on Third Street is all-in for the ante and they are consequently unable to make the required bring-in bet, the bring-in moves clockwise to the next player at the table.
- Stud games are played with eight players and because it’s possible to run out of cards before Seventh Street is dealt (because there’s only 52 cards in the deck), a single community card can be dealt face up to help determine a winning hand.
Biggest Winners in Stud Hi-Lo History
The biggest winners in Stud Hi-Lo history usually emerge from the WSOP that is held in the United States, so let’s take you through some of the most famous champions from recent years and show you the level it’s possible to reach when you play this game at our recommend US poker sites:
- Frank Kassela – 2010 $10,000 WSOP Stud Hi-Lo Champion – $447,446
- Eric Rodawig – 2011 $10,000 WSOP Stud Hi-Lo Champion – $442,183
- Adam Friedman – 2012 $5,000 WSOP Stud Hi-Lo Champion – $269,037
- Mike Matusow – 2013 $5,000 WSOP Stud Hi-Lo Champion – $266,503
- George Danzer – 2014 $10,000 WSOP Stud Hi-Lo Champion – $352,696
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Updated In January, 2020 - 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo (8 or Better) is an intriguing poker variant of 7 card stud where the pot is often split between two winners; the highest hand and the lowest hand. However, there is not always a Low Hand winner because of the strict rules of Low Hand Development. Stud H/L is included in a majority of the mixed poker games played online so developing a basic understanding of how it is played is must. If 7 card stud and razz had it baby it would be 7 card stud hi-lo. This article covers the rules of seven card stud 8 or better and what you should do if you run out of cards. Stud h/l is always the 'E' in mixed poker games. below I have added a list of games that include the stud poker variant.
Mixed Poker Games That Include 7 Card Stud Eight or better (ranked by popularity):
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7 Card Stud Hi-Lo Rules - Objective
Hi Lo Stud Poker Rules Online
The object of 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo is to use the 7 cards available to you throughout the hand to develop the highest ranking poker hand, the lowest ranking poker hand, or both. Winning the low and high hands is called Scooping the pot.
Hi Lo Stud Poker Rules Free
7 Card Stud Hi-Lo Rules – Hand Development
The High Hand in 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo follows the standard poker hand rankings. The highest hand wins, period. However, the Low Hand must “Qualify” in order to even compete for the low hand half of the pot. A Qualifying Low Hand must following these specific rules of hand development:
- Aces are the lowest card (highest in High Hand only).
- Straights/Flushes don't count against you in the low hand.
- There may be no card higher than an 8.
- No pairs or better are allowed.
By these qualifying rules, the best and worst possible qualifying low hands are:
- Best: A-2-3-4-5
- Worst: 4-5-6-7-8
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7 Card Stud Hi-Lo Rules – Betting Structure
Stud Hi Lo Rules
7 Card Stud Hi-Lo is primarily played in a Fixed Limit betting structure. Instead of the standard Blind Bets used in Hold'em poker games, 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo requires forced bets called the Ante and Bring-In. Fixed Limit: This betting structure limits players to exact bet/raise amount throughout a hand of 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo. The exact amounts depending on the stakes and the current betting round. If the stakes are $2/$4, players must place bets/raises in $2 increments (the low bet) for the first two betting rounds. In the final three betting rounds, all bets/raises increase to $4 (the high bet).
Ante: All players must place an Ante Bet before the cards are dealt. The Ante can range anywhere from 10% to 25% of the low bet.
Bring-In: After the initial deal of cards, each player has 3 cards. The first two are face-down, but the third is face-up, called the Door Card. The player with the lowest Door Card places the Bring-In, equal to 50% of the low bet. If there is a tie for lowest card, lowest tying suit places the Bring-In. Suits rank lowest to highest Club, Diamond, Heart, Spade – easily remember because they are alphabetically ordered.
7 Card Stud Hi-Lo Rules – The Deal / Sample Hand
Finally, we'll walk you through a sample hand of 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo to depict how the Streets and betting rounds are performed. Please be aware that a hand will end immediately if all other players Fold, awarding the last remaining player the entire current pot. The hand begins with Ante bets, then the initial deal, where each player receives 3 cards. The first 2 cards are hole Cards, dealt face-down. The last is the Door Card. The player with the lowest Door Card places the Bring-In to kick off the first round of betting. The player left of the Bring-In may Bet the low bet, Raise the low bet, or Fold. He may not Call since the Bring-In is only half of the low bet. Betting continues around the table in this fashion. The Bring-In bettor will only need to add enough chips to his Bring-In to Call, Bet or Raise. Once all players have acted, each choosing to Call or Fold, the game continues.
4th Street: Each player is dealt a fourth card face-up. The second betting round begins. For the duration of the hand, the highest open hand showing will start each betting round.
5th Street: Each player receives a fifth card face-up. The third round of betting starts. All bet/raise amounts now increase to meet the high bet for the rest of the hand.
Seven Card Stud Hi Lo
6th Street: Each player is dealt their sixth card face-up, followed by the fourth betting round.
7th Street: Each player receives their seventh and final card, this time face down. The fifth and final betting round follows.
The Showdown: All players who remain active in the hand will use 5 of their 7 cards to develop the highest possible hand. The strongest ranking poker hand wins half of the pot. Next comes the Low Hand. All active players who have a Qualifying Low Hand will compare their lowest 5 card hand, with the lowest winning the other half of the pot. Should no player Qualify for a low hand, the high hand winner scoops the entire pot. It is also possible for the same player to win High and Low hands.
Note: It is possible to run out of cards before the 7th Street can be dealt. At a full table of 8 players, where no one choose to fold, there won't be enough cards. In such cases, a single card is dealt face up to the center of the table. This becomes the 7th Street for all players.