7 Card Stud 8/b Rules

7-card-stud-8b7 Card Stud Hi-Lo Poker is very similar to 7 Card Stud Poker except for the fact that it’s a split pot game, meaning the player with the best high hand and best low hand at the showdown wins the pot.

The game begins with antes posted by all the players before any cards are dealt. The amount of the ante will be determined by the table limit and is usually about one-fifth of the small bet. For example, in a $2/$4 hi-lo game, the ante would be around $0.40. The ante is not like a blind, as it does not count towards future betting rounds. It simply serves the purpose of building an initial pot pre-flop.

Once all antes are in the pot, the dealer then gives three cards to each player. The first two are dealt face down and each player handles their own cards, and the third card is dealt face up, so that everyone can see it.

After every player at the table receives their cards, the player with the lowest face card is required to place a small bet, which is the “bring in” and half the size of the small bet, So the bring-in when playing in a $2/$4 game would be $1 but the player does have the option of matching the small bet.

If there are two or more players with the same low card value, then the suits should be used to determine the bring in, in this order: clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades.

After the “bring in” has been posted the action moves around the table in a clockwise manner. Players have the option to call the initial bet or raise higher to an amount that is equal to the small bet. If any of the players in the first betting round completes the bring in, the players left to act must also call the complete bet to continue in the hand.

At any point of the “3rd street” betting round, if any player doesn’t like his cards, he may fold and forfeit his ante bet. When an opponent mucks his cards, it’s important to keep note of any exposed cards that are discarded because they may be needed to make a hand.

4th Street:

The fourth card that is dealt to each player is called “4th street” and another round of betting takes place. After all players have acted on their hands the 5th card is dealt.

5th Street:

The fifth card is dealt out face up to each active player and the next betting round commences.

6th Street:

Next, the sixth card is dealt out face up to each player and another betting round begins. Once all the players have acted, a seventh and final card is now dealt to each player.

7th Street (also called the River):

The seventh card is dealt this time face down to all the players. Another round of betting takes place, and if the hand is checked around or once all bets/raises called the remaining players still left in the hand must turn their cards over to decide which hands win the pot. This is called the “showdown”.

The Showdown 

If two or more players remain in the game they are required to show their cards. If there is no low hand that qualifies, then all of the pot goes to the player with the high hand. If there is a low hand possible then the pot is split between the low and high hand.

High Hands in 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo

If you are familiar with playing 7 Card Stud Hi Only, then you can play with the same mentality with regards to how to win with the high hand. The same five-card poker hand used to determine the winner in 7 Card Stud Hi also applies in the Hi-Lo version of the game. In the event that no player has at least a pair, the hand with the highest ranked card wins the high side of the pot. Remember, the winning high hand scoops the entire pot if there is no qualifying low hand.

Low Hands in 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo

In 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo, a low hand must quality to win half of the pot. A qualifying low hand must have five-cards of 8 or below with no pairs. Furthermore, straights and flushes that count for the high hand do not disqualify a hand from being low.

Because of this, the best possible low hand would be a “wheel”, which is 5-4-3-2-A, whether it’s suited or not. A hand such as A-2-4-6-7 would qualify for the low hand as the five-card poker does not contain any card higher than 8.

When determining the lowest hand possible, the high cards are all that matter. As a result, A-2-3-6-8 would lose to 7-6-4-3-2. If high cards match the second highest cards are compared and so on until you can determine a winner of the low hand.

Betting Options and Rules

7 Card Stud Hi-Lo Poker is usually played with structured betting at a given limit. Players have these betting options available to them in all betting rounds: call, check, bet or raise. A player must bet or raise a set amount, which is defined by each round of betting. For all betting rounds, the betting action is limited to one bet and three raises.

During the first two betting rounds, the betting limit is set to the lower limit of the table stakes. Then in the final three betting rounds, the betting limit doubles to the higher limit. For example, it would increase to $4 in a $2/$4 game.

After the first betting round, the betting action starts with the player showing the highest ranked hand and the action moves clockwise around the table. The action begins in the same manner for all subsequent betting rounds until there is a showdown. Since there is fewer than five face up cards to be revealed by every player, this means that no straights, flushes, or full houses will be counted for this purpose.