7 Card Stud Hi/Lo Rules

7 card stud hi lo is a technically demanding poker game where the best poker hands for the high and low split the pot at showdown. In 7 card stud hi lo poker, players are dealt 7 cards throughout the course of the hand, but only the best five-card hand possible for each player is used to determine the winner. Visit our poker hand rankings page to see the ranking of hands for 7 card stud hi lo. Note that 7 card stud hi lo is played with an "8 or better" qualifier, which means that a hand must be, at worst, an 8 for low to be eligible to win the low portion of the pot. (Low hands in seven card stud high low are determined in the same way they're determined in Omaha 8 or better.

Rules for Playing 7 Card Stud Hi Lo Before a game of 7 card stud hi lo begins play, all stud players ante a nominal amount. Each player is dealt two hidden hole cards and one exposed card. The player with the lowest exposed card is the "bring-in", and is forced to make a wager of either a half a small bet or a full small bet (for example, either $1 or $2 in a $2/$4 stud high low game). Action continues clockwise around the poker table until betting is complete for the round.

Rule Note: For the purposes of determining the bring-in in 7 card stud hi lo, ties in card rank are broken by suit, with the order being spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs (in descending order).

Each poker player now receives an exposed card, called "Fourth Street". The first player to act is the individual whose exposed stud cards have the highest poker value. By rule, this player may either check or bet. If no player shows a pair amongst his or her exposed cards, the bet will be a small bet ($2 in a $2/$4 game). If any player shows a pair, the betting can be opened for a big bet ($4 in a $2/$4 game).

Each player now receives another exposed card, called "Fifth Street". Again by rule, the first player to act is the individual whose exposed poker hand have the highest poker value.

Rule Note: Starting on Fifth Street and for the rest of the hand, all bets are in big bet increments ($4 in a $2/$4 game).

Each poker player now receives another exposed card, called "Sixth Street". Again, the first player to act is the individual whose exposed cards have the highest poker value.

Each player now receives a seventh and final card (hence the name 7 card stud), which is dealt face-down and known only to the player to whom the card is dealt. The first player to act is the individual whose exposed cards have the highest poker value.

If there is more than one remaining player when the final betting round is complete in 7 card stud hi lo, the last bettor or raiser shows his or her cards. If there was no bet on the final round, the player whose exposed cards have the highest poker value shows his or her cards first.

Showdown - Determining the Hi and Lo Winner The player with the best five-card hand for the high ("Hi") wins half the pot, and the player with the best hand for low ("Lo") wins the other half of the pot. In the event that no hand qualifies for low, the best hand(s) for high wins the pot. Remember that in 7 card stud hi lo, the "8 or better" is still a requirement in order to win the low, so a player must have an unpaired five-card hand that consists of all cards less than or equal to the value of 8. Otherwise, there is no low if no player can meet this hand requirement. After the pot is awarded to the high and low hands, a new online game of 7 card stud hilo poker is ready to be played again.

If you are familiar with stud poker, the most popular being seven card stud, then you should be able to pick up 7 card stud hi lo fairly quickly. If you are unfamiliar with stud poker or seven card stud, we recommend you try that poker game out first to get a feel for how the game is played.

Finally, if you like to play other Hi Lo variants, we recommend you check out Omaha Hi Lo, which is a very popular poker game as well. Both games are a nice change of pace from the amazingly popular Texas Holdem game.