SEVEN CARD STUD POKER RULES - HI/LO

Seven Card Stud Poker Hi/Lo is a popular online poker game often played in 'brick and mortar' poker rooms as well as home games. Two important things to remember when playing Seven Card Stud Poker Hi/Lo are:

1. There is no declaration of whether a player is going for high or low.
2. Hands must qualify to win the low portion of the pot by having no card higher than an 8.

Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo is played very much the same as Seven Card Stud Poker except that the highest hand(s) wins 50% of the pot and the lowest qualifying hand(s) wins 50% of the pot.

If you run across any concept or rules that seems unfamiliar to you, please visit our Basic Poker Rules page.

Before the Hand | The Hand | The Play | Order of Play | The Showdown

Before the Hand

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Each player must ante.

The Hand

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Seven Card Stud is played with 3 cards being dealt first. If you play until the end the hand, you will finish with 7 cards total, 4 face up and 3 face down.

There are no community cards unless the dealer runs short of cards at the end. In this case, instead of giving each player his/her own card at the end, a community card will be dealt face up that will be used by all players.

The Play

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1. Each player is dealt three cards, two face down ("hole cards") and one face-up ("up card").
2. The lowest card starts the betting with a "bring in". The first betting round proceeds with the lower betting limit. Click here for more on forced bet and low card rankings.
3. The dealer gives each remaining player a 2nd up card
4. The second betting round proceeds with the lower betting limit. However, if any player's two up cards make a pair, then any bettor may make a bet equal to the higher betting limit. From this point on the higher limit is in effect for the entire hand.
5. The dealer gives each remaining player a 3rd up card
6. The 3rd betting round proceeds with the higher betting limit
7. The dealer gives each remaining player a 4th up card
8. The 4th betting round proceeds with the higher betting limit
9. The dealer gives each remaining player a 3rd hold card
10. The 5th and final betting round proceeds with the higher betting limit
11. Showdown

Order of Play

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Action begins with the "bring in" and proceeds clockwise. Subsequent round start with the highest exposed hand and continue clockwise.

The Showdown

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At the Showdown the high hand and the low hand split the pot, if a low hand qualifies. Each player may use any five cards from his/her hand to make a high hand and any five cards to make a low one. It is possible to win both high hand and low hand, even with the same five cards!

Click here for more information on how the pot is split between the high and low hand.

7 Card Stud Poker rules for the Hi/Lo version played Online are the same rules that you will find in brick and mortar cardrooms. Click here for more information on how to play poker and for poker hand rankings.