Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo is exactly the same as
Seven Card Stud except that it is a split pot game. In split pot poker games the pot is shared equally between the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand. If there is no qualifying low hand then the high hand may win the entire pot, but remember there is always a high hand, even if it is just an unpaired ace.
A qualifying low hand, entitling a player to a shot at half the pot, must contain five cards up to and including the 8. None of the cards must be paired, but they can appear as a straight or a flush. For example: A-2-2-3-4 is not a qualifying low hand, but A-2-3-4-5 and Ac-3c-5c-6c-8c are. These are the best sorts of hands to have in split pot games because they allow you a shot at winning the high half and the low half of the pot.
The best hands in hi/lo games are those which can win both halves of the pot. Here are a few examples of good starting hands in Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo: Ac-2c-3c, Ac-As-2s, A-2-3, As-3s-4s. Note that all the best Hi/Lo starting hands have an ace in; aces can be used in both high hands and low hands, making them almost two cards in one.
Example Hand:
$10-$20 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo - $3 antes
Player A: As-2d (hidden) 5s (exposed)
Player B: Ks-Kh (hidden) 4h (exposed)
Player C: Jd-Th (hidden) 9d (exposed)
Player D: 9c-Ks (hidden) 2h (exposed)
Player E: 4c-3d (hidden) 3s (exposed).
Player D has the lowest exposed card so is forced to bring in or raise the bet to $10. He has a very weak hand and just brings in for requisite $5.
Player E also has a fairly weak hand, but he does have a pair and a shot at a good low hand if he hits an ace and another two low cards. He calls.
Player F has a strong hand. He has a pair of aces and a low suited card. He has a shot at both the high and low halves of the pot and he decides to raise to $20.
Player A has quite a good hand. He has a very good shot at the low, and his two spades are relatively strong given he can see only one other exposed spade. He calls the $20.
Player B has a pair of kings but no shot at the low hand. He can only win the high half of the pot but judging by the other player’s exposed cards he thinks he has a good shot at it and he calls.
Player C has a shot at a straight draw but no shot at the low hand. Under the circumstances his hand is not strong enough and he folds.
Player D folds before almost before Player C had put his cards in the muck. He has a very weak hand, with no pair, no ace and no draw to a low hand.
With his low pair and weak draw to a low hand Player E should probably fold but he thinks there is enough money in the pot to justify a call. He calls.
(The pot now contains $103)
FOURTH STREET
Player A: (As-2d) 5s-2s
Player B: (Ks-Kh) 4h-Ac
Player C: Folded
Player D: Folded
Player E: (4c-3d) 3s-7c
Player F: (Ac-Ah) 6h-5h
Player B opens the betting as he has the highest visible hand (Ac-4h). However he does not fancy betting with this hand from first position, and he checks.
Player E also checks. The 7c was not a great card for him, although it was not terrible. He was hoping for an ace, but he now thinks there is probably only one left in the deck at most and things are not looking good. (He can make this deduction because he can rightly assume that Player F would almost certainly have an ace in order to open with a raise, and it is highly likely that either Player A or Player B also had one as they both called with low exposed cards. Now Player B has been dealt an exposed ace that means there is at most one ace left in the pack).
Player F bets $20. The 5h was a great card for Player F. Now he has top pair, a draw to a straight, a draw to a flush, and a draw to a very good low hand.
The 2s was an ok card for Player A. It has given him a flush draw and a low pair, but he would have preferred a three or a four; even a six or seven would probably have been better. Nevertheless he likes his chances and calls.
Both Player A and Player F have two suited cards exposed, and Player B knows that his chances of winning even the high hand are diminishing. Still, he wants to see a fifth card and he calls.
Player E folds his hand in a hurry. He is only getting 8-1 on his money to call, and given he needs two perfect cards to make a half decent hand he is not getting value.
(The pot is now $163)
FIFTH STREET
Player A: (As-2d) 5s-2s-7d
Player B: (Kd-Kh) 4h-Ad-4d
Player C: Folded
Player D: Folded
Player E: Folded
Player F: (Ac-Ah) 6h-5h-3h
Player B opens the betting again with the highest exposed hand. Again he checks – he wants to stay in as cheap as he can, and in the back of his mind he knows he should have folded already.
Player F just keeps hitting perfect cards. Now has four cards to the nut flush, and only needs one card to make what will probably be the best low hand. He bets $40.
Player A is not sure about his hand anymore and thinks Player F could have him beaten already with A-2 in his down cards. Still, he calls anyway, hoping against hope that a three or four on Sixth Street could win him the low pot.
Player B calls. This was the best he could hope for – no re-raises and he gets to see the sixth card for the minimum bet. He’s digging himself in now and praying his two pair might be good for the high pot.
(The pot is now $283)
SIXTH STREET
Player A: (As-2d) 5s-2s-7d-8s
Player B: (Kd-Kh) 4h-Ad-4d-Qd
Player C: Folded
Player D: Folded
Player E: Folded
Player F: (Ac-Ah) 6h-5h-3h-6s
Player F now has the highest hand visible (a pair of sixes) and he opens the betting. For once he has not been dealt a great card and he checks, not wanting to be re-raised before he has a strong made hand.
Player A has made a low hand, and is buoyed by the apparent sign of weakness in Player F’s check. He now bets out.
Player B is also feeling a little better now. He is beginning to think he might be up against two players going for the low hand and he now has a diamond flush draw to go with his two pair. He calls for $40.
Player F has no hesitation in calling. He is fairly certain he is behind at this point but he is getting great odds to call and is confident that if he hits a card like the 2h he will win both the high and low halves of the pot.
(The pot is now worth $403)
SEVENTH STREET (THE RIVER)
Player A: (As-2d) 5s-2s-7d-8s (3c)
Player B: (Kd-Kh) 4h-Ad-4d-Qd (4s)
Player C: Folded
Player D: Folded
Player E: Folded
Player F: (Ac-Ah) 6h-5h-3h-6s (8h)
Wow! Every player has hit his dream card. Player F opens the betting with a $40 bet. Player A has hit his dream card, and thinks he probably has the low pot in the bag, but Player F’s bet has scared him: if his down cards are A-2 then he has got him beat. For this reason he just calls.
Player B has hit a miracle card. He is now guaranteed half the pot (with the 4h in his hand Player F would have to have the spectacularly unlikely holding of 9h-8h-7h to beat him) and he raises to $80.
Player F is delighted to see the re-raise. He thinks he is almost certain to have at least one half of the pot won, and is hoping he might just scoop the lot. He re-raises a further $40.
Player A is now in difficult territory. If he calls there is a chance Player B will riase again, so calling here might end up costing him two bets. But if he folds what would be the winning low hand that might be even more costly. There is already over $600 in the pot and it will cost him a maximum of $80 to get to showdown.
Player B puts in the final bet, bringing up the capped limit (in many fixed limit games there is a cap of one bet and three raises per betting round).
Both Player F and Player A call.
(The pot is now $803)
SHOWDOWN
When the cards are turned over Player F slams his hands on the table in disgust. He can’t believe it!
Player B’s full house, 4’s full of kings, is good enough to beat Player F’s ace high flush while Player A’s low hand (A-2-3-5-7) is better than Player F’s low hand (A-3-5-6-8).
Player A and Player B split the pot, while Player F wins nothing, despite having a great shot at both low and high!