7 Card Stud Hi-Lo

Those familiar with the normal Seven Card Stud game should be in good shape for the Hi Lo variation game. Most of the same rules apply, the only difference being that, like all Hi Lo games, there can be two winners at the end of a hand. If no player has five cards ranked eight or less, with aces counting as the lowest card in the deck for a low hand, then no low hand can be made. In this case the game is basically just Seven Card Stud with no rule changes.

The Game:
Here is what a normal sequence in this variation of Seven Card Stud looks like

• All players put in a number of chips of theirs into the pot as an ante. They each then receive three cards only they can use.
• The three cards, like normal Stud, contains two face-down cards and one shown to the table. The one face-up is called the door.
• The player with the lowest door card starts out the first betting round.
• Each player receives another face-up card.
• Another round of betting.
• Each player receives another face-up card.
• Another round of betting occurs, only this time the betting limits are raised like in most poker games.
• Each player receives another face-up card.
• Another round of betting occurs.
• Players receive the seventh, and final card, face-down so that only they can see what it is.
• One last round of betting ends the hand.

Similar to any other poker game, the player with the best five card poker hand is guaranteed at least a share of the victory. If there is a qualifying low hand, the lowest one splits the pot as well. Otherwise there is only one hand that wins and that is the high hand. It is important to note that it is possible to have the best high and low hand and win the entire pot this way/

The Betting Rounds
In every poker game a player usually has four options on what he can do during a betting round. They are listed below.

Fold - Not every poker hand has a good chance of winning the pot in the end. If you don’t feel you can win with your hand then folding is the option that allows you to get rid of your cards without wasting more chips.
Check - Checking is the term that describes the process in which a player can choose to see the next cards without betting. All players must check for this to work.
Call - Calling is when you place the exact amount raised before you to see more cards or end the game.
Raise - When you have a good hand or want to bluff, you will raise and put chips into your pot that other players can call if they would like to.

A typical betting round will not end until every player has called/checked to the next sequence of the hand or folded. If all players but one fold, the player left wins the hand by default.

Betting Note:
Because there is no clear dealer with blinds, the player with the highest face-up card will always start the betting in Seven Card games. The betting then goes in a clockwise order around the table. It is possible for every player at a table to start the betting in one round of a single hand.