Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo (8-or-Better)

Objective

Win chips by holding the best high hand, the best qualifying low hand, or both at showdown. The pot splits between the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand. A single player may scoop by winning both.

The Basics

Stud Hi-Lo combines the seven-card stud deal structure with the split-pot mechanics of 8-or-Better. Each player receives seven cards (two down, four up, one down) and uses any five to make their best high hand, their best qualifying low hand, or both. A low hand qualifies if it contains five unpaired cards all ranked 8 or below. Aces count as low for the low hand.

Setup

No blinds. Each player antes. Each player is dealt two hole cards face down and one card face up. The player with the lowest exposed card posts the bring-in.

Betting Rounds

1. Third Street — 2 down, 1 up. Lowest upcard posts bring-in. Action clockwise.
2. Fourth Street — One card dealt face up. Best exposed hand acts first.
3. Fifth Street — One card dealt face up. Same action order. Big bet applies from here.
4. Sixth Street — One card dealt face up. Same action order.
5. Seventh Street (the River) — Final card dealt face down. Same action order.

Bet Sizing

• Third and fourth street use the small bet.
• Fifth, sixth, and seventh street use the big bet (2× small bet).
• Bring-in is a mandatory partial bet; first to act may complete to the full small bet.
• Maximum four bets per street in multi-way pots; unlimited heads-up.

Key Rules

• A player uses any five of their seven cards for the high hand, and any five (which may overlap or differ) for the low hand.
• Low hand requires five unpaired cards ranked 8 or below. Aces count low. Straights and flushes are ignored for low.
• If no player has a qualifying low hand, the entire pot is awarded to the best high hand.
• Exposed upcards are public information and affect the available deck for all players.
• If the deck runs short, the final card may be dealt as a single community card face up in the center.

Common Mistakes

• The bring-in is posted by the player with the lowest upcard (same as Stud Hi, opposite of Razz).
• A player's five-card low hand and five-card high hand may be constructed from different card combinations — they are evaluated independently.

At the Table

Seven cards dealt (2 down, 4 up, 1 down). Best 5-card high hand and best qualifying low hand each win half the pot. Any five of the seven cards used independently for each direction.