How To Play Seven Card Stud Hi Lo

Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo is a split pot version of the popular 7 card stud poker game. At showdown the total pot is split between the best 5 card poker hand and the ‘lowest’ hand comprising 5 different cards 8 and below. The best low hand is A-2-3-4-5 and is known as a ‘wheel’. This article shows the rules of seven card stud hi-lo by taking a hand through from start (before the cards are dealt) to the showdown at the end.

Ante

Before the cards are dealt active players contribute to the initial pot in the form of an ‘ante’. This small bet is usually between 10% and 50% of the initial bet size, for example 25c in a $1 / $2 game.

Each player is then dealt 3 cards, 2 are visible only to the individual player while the 3rd (known as the ‘door card’) is face up on the table. The player with the lowest door card then starts the betting with a forced small bet known as the ‘bring in’. In a $1 / $2 stud hi-lo game this bet would be $1.

Betting

Betting proceeds in a clockwise direction from the ‘bring in’ player. Players wishing to play can either match the small bet or raise – there are a maximum of 4 raises allowed on each betting round.

Once betting is completed a 4th card is dealt face up – this is known as ‘4th street’. The player with the highest hand showing now starts the second round of betting which also uses the smaller betting limit.

After 5th street is dealt face-up the betting doubles, again there is a maximum of 4 raises per round of betting. 6th street is also face up making a total of 4 visible cards in each player’s hand.

7th Street

The final card, 7th street, is dealt face down and is only visible to the individual player. A final round of betting then takes place – again started by the player with the highest hand showing in the 4 face-up cards.

If a player runs out of chips during the betting of a hand then the pot in which they were involved is separated. Players who wish to continue betting and raising then continue in a new pot (known as the ‘side pot’) in which the all-in player has no interest.

At showdown the pot is divided between the highest poker hand comprising 5 of each player’s 7 cards, and the lowest poker hand which has 5 cards 8 or below. If no player has a qualifying low hand then the entire pot is awarded to the player with the highest poker hand. Should there be 2 players with identical high or low hands then the half of the pot won is further divided.

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