7 Card Stud Hi-Lo Rules

7 Card Stud 8 or Better, also known as 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo, is a popular variation of 7 Card Stud in which the pot is split between the winner of the Highest Ranking Hand and the Lowest Ranking Hand. The ‘8 or Better’ rule determines whether a Low hand qualifies to win, requiring the Low Hand to have no card higher than an 8 and of course no Pairs. Read our article on 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo strategy to learn some of the winning tactics you can use at the table. Straights and Flush are not viable combinations and Aces are considered lowest card in a Low Hand. The normal High Hand rules apply, with Aces being the highest card. (See Poker Hand Ranks at the bottom of this page for more info.) 7 Card Stud 8 or Better can be played by 2 to 8 players, using a standard 52-card deck.

For quick reference, the Qualifying Low Hand rules are laid out below:

Qualifying Low Hand (5 cards):

1. No card higher than 8
2. No Pairs or better
3. Aces are low
4. Straights/Flushes don’t count as combinations

• Best possible Qualifying Low Hand: A-2-3-4-5
• Worst possible Qualifying Low Hand: 4-5-6-7-8

Object of 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo

The object of 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo is to use the 7 cards dealt to you throughout the game to create the highest ranking 5-card poker hand, then the lowest qualifying 5-card poker hand. The winner of each hand, high and low, wins half of the pot. If no player has a qualifying low hand, the high hand winner takes the entire pot. It is possible for the same player to win both halves of the pot.

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Betting Structure of 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo

7 Card Stud Hi-Lo is most often played in Fixed Limit, though No Limit and Pot Limit games are not uncommon. Fixed Limit refers to the forced betting structure. For example, in a $1/$2 game of 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo, players are required to place all bets and raises in increments of $1 for the first three betting rounds, increased to $2 bets and raises for the last two betting rounds.

In 7 Card Stud 8 or Better, players must place an Ante bet before the deal, with one player placing a Bring-In bet after the initial deal. The rules of these, and all other betting options, are detailed below.

Ante: An Ante Bet is a low wager placed by all players before any cards are dealt. The amount of the Ante varies, usually between 10% and 25% of the low-end stakes. (i.e. $1/$2 stakes = $.10-$.25 Ante).

• Bring In: After the initial deal, each player has 3 cards – two face-down and one face up. The face up card is called the Door Card. Whoever holds the lowest Door Card must place the Bring-In bet, equal to 50% of the low-end stakes. (i.e. $1/$2 stakes = $.50 Bring In). Should two or more players tie for the lowest Door Card, the lowest suit decides the Bring-In bettor. Suits are ranked lowest to highest alphabetically - Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades.

• Check: A player may Check in no other player has Bet in the current betting round, meaning they will stay in the hand but not place any chips into the pot. Should a player bet after a player has Checked, the player who Checked must at least Call the bet, or Fold.

• Bet: When a player places the first wager into the pot in a single betting round, it is called the Bet.

• Call: When a player matches the previous bet, it is referred to as a Call.

• Raise: When a player bets a higher amount than the previous bet, it is called a Raise.

• Fold: When a player throws in their cards and forfeits the current hand, is it called a Fold.

• All-In: When a player bets all of their remaining chips, it is called an All-In bet. In a Fixed Limit game, players may only go All-In if they have just enough, or not enough, chips to Bet, Call or Raise. All-In bets are kept separate from the main pot because the player may not win a higher amount from any player than his own All-In bet.

General Game Play of 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo

For this walk-through of a 7 Card Stud 8 or Better hand, we’ll be using a Fixed Limit betting structure and $1/$2 stakes. A game of 7 Card Stud 8 or Better begins with each player placing an Ante bet. Three cards are then dealt to each player; the first two face-down Hole Card, the last a face-up Door Card. The lowest Door Card (ties broken by suit) places the Bring-In bet.

The Bring-In bet starts off the first round of betting. The player left of the Bring-In must Bet the low-end stakes of $1, Raise to $2, or Fold. Betting goes on in this fashion until the round comes back to the Bring-In bettor, who must add enough chips to his Bring-In to match the current bet, Raise or Fold. If the Bring-In bettor Calls, and no player has Raised, the betting round ends here.

• 4th Street: A fourth card is dealt to each player face-up. The next round of betting begins. For this betting round and all after, the player with the highest ranking Open hand (face-up cards only) will start off the betting. Like the last round, all bets and raises must be in increments of $1 (low-end stakes).

• 5th Street: A fifth card is dealt to each player face-up, then another round of betting, just like the last.

• 6th Street: A sixth card is dealt to each player face-up. All bets and raises must now be in increments of $2 (high-end stakes), for this and all remaining betting rounds.

• 7th Street: A seventh and final card is dealt to each player, this time face-down. Since the Open hands do not change, the same player who started the last betting round will do so again. (See ‘Possible Dilemmas in 7 Card Stud 8 or Better’ below if there are not enough cards left).

• The Showdown: Assuming the hand did not end with all other players Folding, a Showdown will commence between the remaining players of the hand. Each player combines 5 of his 7 cards to develop the highest possible 5-card poker hand. The highest ranking hand wins half the pot.

Now, each remaining player will attempt to create a Qualifying Low Hand (see ‘Qualifying Low Hand’ rules above). The lowest qualifying hand wins the other half of the pot. Should no player qualify for a low hand, the high hand winner is awarded the entire pot. It is possible for the same player to win the low and high hands, winning the whole pot.

Possible Dilemmas In 7 Card Stud 8 or Better

Not Enough Cards: In a full-table 7 Card Stud 8 or Better game (8 players), if no player Folds before the 7th Street, there will not be enough cards to deal out the rest of the hand. Though extremely rare, this situation is resolved by dealing a single card face-up in the center of the table. This card becomes the 7th card for every player at the table.

• Tie At Showdown: Should an exact tie occur at the Showdown, such as two Ace-High Straights, the winners split the High-Hand pot. If two players have a Flush of matching values (same 5 card values), the highest ranking suit wins. Remember, suits are ranked lowest to highest alphabetically – Club, Diamond, Heart, Spade.

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