7 Card Stud Hi Lo is very similar to 7 Card Stud, except the pot is split between a high hand (the same as in 7 Card Stud) and a low hand (which is based on five cards that start at eight or below - see our Rank of Hands page for more information).
The game of 7 Card Stud Hi Lo is a very interesting game, but be warned it can be a very hard game to master and it will require a lot of skill, patience and a full understanding of the rules.

 

Before a game starts, each player must post an 'ante', a mandatory amount that ensures there is some money in the pot. In stud poker games, there are no community cards. Instead, the dealer begins by dealing clockwise until each player has three cards. The first two cards are dealt face down ('hole' cards), the third face up (the 'door' card).

 

7 Card Stud is divided into five rounds of betting, and the betting moves clockwise around the table.

If two or more players tie by holding equally-strong winning five-card hands, the pot will be split between the tying players. If there is an odd chip, it will be given to the winner of the high hand. At PartyPoker.com the value of the odd chip is 1 cent.

 

Opening the Betting - The player with the lowest up card is forced to make a bring in bet. If there is a tie for the lowest card, the tie is broken by suit. Clubs is the strongest, followed by diamonds, hearts and then spades as the weakest. The game proceeds in clockwise motion with each player having the option to fold call or raise.

 

Third Street - Once the bring-in bet has been made, each player (starting with the player to the left of the bring-in) can fold, call, or raise to the betting limit.

 

Fourth Street - The next round is the fourth street and the dealer gives each player another face up card. The round starts with the player who has the highest showing poker hand. The game continues to proceed in clockwise motion until all players have acted.

 

Fifth Street - The fifth street play is similar to the fourth street play except that the players receive an additional face up card with play resuming with the player who has the highest showing poker hand. The main difference being that the betting amounts are higher.

 

Sixth Street - Everyone is dealt another up card. The player with the highest combination of up cards starts the betting.

 

Seventh Street or The River - The last round of play is called the river and all the players receive one final card face down. Play begins with the player who has the highest ranking poker hand. Once all players have had their chance to play, there is a showdown. The last player to bet or raise must reveal their cards first and then all challenging players can choose to either muck their hand in the event that cannot win, or they can reveal their hand if it is powerful enough to take the pot. The dealer then determines the winning hand and awards the player the pot.

 

The Showdown - If there is more than one player left in the game, there is a showdown. During the showdown, the players reveal their cards and the highest hand wins half the pot, and the lowest low hand wins the other half. The same player can have both the best high and low hands, or, if none of the players has a low hand, then the highest hand wins the entire pot.