Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo Rules

A popular hi-lo split game, seven-card stud hi-lo offers simple rules for the player who plays stud poker. Players who have never played a hi-lo split game can still follow along without any problem because the rules are pretty easy to understand. The object of the game is to win with the lowest hand or the highest hand and if you are feeling lucky, then you may even qualify with both the strongest and the weakest hand and rake in the entire pot!

Below, basic rules and tips are offered to help players begin playing Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo:

• The card game offers two ways to win but in order to qualify for the low hand, an eight or lower is required for a hand to constitute a low winning hand. If there are no low hands on the table, then the strongest hand played wins. Some exceptions may apply to this rule and they are always posted at the start of a game.

•  The “A” (ace) is used in Seven-Card Hi-Lo as the high card or low card.

• When determining a low hand, the flush or straight carry no significance in the low hand. For example, a straight 2,3,4,5,6 may take the high hand based on the fact it is a straight but it will take the low hand unless someone has an A,2,3,4,5 because 2,3,4,5,6 is a low hand and the straight is not understood in the low hand.

• The game follows the regular game of 7-card stud in that the player is dealt two “down” cards called ‘hole’ cards (also called pocket cards) and one card up which is called the ‘door’ card. As the rounds of betting begin and end, the dealer will then deal three more “up” cards and one more card “face-down”.

• Highest and lowest hands always split the pot and one player can easily hold both the highest and the lowest hand.

The game begins with an ante from each player. Stakes are set before the game starts and player who has the lowest card showing must post what is called the “bring-in” which is similar to posting blinds. If several players tie for placing the “bring-in” then the suits are used to rank and decide the weakest hand. Suits rank Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and then Clubs in descending order with Spades being the highest ranked. Read the rest of this entry »