Seven Card Stud

The basic principles and strategies for limit Seven Card High Low Stud Poker shown here are those that are generally recommended by the experts on the game. A good understanding of these basics is needed for all levels of competitive play.

In this poker game the high hand winner must split the pot with the player with the best qualifying low hand. There is always a high hand winner but not always a low. For a hand to qualify for low, it must have five denominations no higher than an eight. Any five of your seven cards may be played for high and any five can be played for low.

Aces are played both high and low. Straights and flushes do not disqualify a hand for low, so a player ending with 5 4 3 2 A would have an unbeatable low hand and a 5 high straight to play for high. This hand would have an excellent chance of winning both ways.In this example, the player could also have another hand that is higher than the 5 high straight to play for high.

The most important thing to keep in mind in split pot games is the big profit difference between winning half the pot and "scooping" it all. Beginners tend to think that winning two split pots is equal to winning one full pot. Not so at all from a profit point of view! Scooping the pot usually builds a healthy addition to your stack of chips. Getting half often puts you barely ahead of where you were before you started playing the hand.

Winning Seven Card High Low players often have to settle for half, occasionally lose both high and low, but ALWAYS play only hands that have a good chance of winning it all. They never play for one side only unless they have an almost or certain unbeatable one way hand or have a probable "escape" on seventh street already made.

The second most important thing to do in Seven Hi/Lo is to get out EARLY when it looks like you don't have the best probable scoop hand! As soon as hands that start out with good possibilities for both high and low, turn into probable losers for either end, they should be folded unless they are almost certain winners for half of the pot. This also applies to strong high hands that are not an almost certain high end winner, that will probably have to split with a low.

7 Card Stud is a limit game. Initially every player posts an Ante. Each player is then dealt one card at a time until every player has 3 cards. The first 2 cards are dealt face down (hole cards) and the 3rd card (door card) is dealt face up.
There are five rounds of betting in 7 Card Stud. The first two rounds use the lower limit bets and the last 3 rounds use the higher limit bets. The exception to this is if a player holds a pair or better on 4th Street as seen below.

First round of Betting: "3rd Street"

Betting starts with the player holding the lowest Door Card. This first bet is known as the "Bring in". If two players hold the same value Door Card then the Bring in is decided by suit (clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades). Each player has the option to call, raise or fold.

Second round of betting: "4th Street"

Every player still involved in the pot is dealt another card face up. Betting on this round begins with the player holding the two strongest up cards. If a player holds a pair they can make a double bet. Betting then continues around the table as normal.

Third and fourth round of betting: "5th and 6th Street"

Every active poker player still involved in the pot is dealt another up card. The player with the strongest up card combination starts the betting on this round. From this point onwards all bets are Big bets.

Fifth round of betting: "The River"

Each active poker player still involved in the pot is dealt one final card face down. So, each player now holds 4 up cards and 3 down cards. Again betting begins with the player holding the 4 strongest up cards and continues clockwise around the table.

Showdown:

Once all betting is complete players reveal there down cards and the player with the best 5 card hand wins. The player who made the last bet reveals his/her hand first. In the case of players holding the same winning hands normal split pot rules apply.