Rules

Seven Card Stud Hi/Low is played exactly like 7 card stud, with one key difference - the lowest hand wins half the pot. The qualifier is that the low hand has to contain 5 cards that are 8 or less (straights and flushes don’t count). Thus, A2345 is the best possible low hand and 87654 is the worst possible low hand. In the event that there is a tie for the low or high hand, that part of the pot is split between the two winning hands. Also, if there is no qualifying low hand, the high hand wins the whole pot.

Basic Strategy

In Stud 8, you want to try and scoop the whole pot. From 3rd street on, your main goal should be winning both the low and high hand. Winning half of the pot is considered ‘escaping.’ When you escape with half the pot, you generally don’t win much. For example, take a three handed pot where you split with another hand. Hence, your profits are ½ of one person’s bets. If you scooped the same pot, your profits would have been both people’s bets, which is four times greater. As you can see, escaping with half the pot really just means you don’t lose money; it’s not a way to make money. Play hands that will give you a chance to win both sides of the pot.

If you are new to stud 8, you should take full advantage of this concept. Many newbies simply call all the way, simply hoping to win half of the pot. This is a recipe for losing because they put in a lot of money, hoping to just escape with a little return.

Starting Hands

Your primary focus should be to start with hands that have a potential to win the whole pot.

Here are examples of excellent starting hands to play.

Trips: (A A A) (5 5 5) (2 2 2) (8 8 8) (J J J)

Trips are a very strong hand to start with; they have a chance of scooping the pot without improvement.

Low straight flush. (4 5 3) (6 4 3) (7 5 3) (8 5 6)

These small straight flush draws have great potential.

Two aces and a low card. (A A 3) (A A 5) (A A 6)

When you start with two aces and a low card you are working for both sides of the pot. Possibly aces up, trips or to manufacture a low hand.

Here are examples of good starting hands.

Three small straight cards (5x 4x 2x) (7x 5x 4x) (8x 7x 6x)

Two small cards with an ace (Ax 7x 2x) (Ax 8x 3x) (Ax 6x 4x)

Aces with a high card (A A K) (A A Jc) (A A 10)

Here are examples of fair starting hands.

Three small straight cards double gap (2x 4x 6x)(7x 5x 3x)(8x 6x 4x)
Three cards to a flush (J 9 A) (K 9 4) (Q 6 8) (A 7 9)

With three cards to a flush you are better off having your up card a low card where players might think you are drawing for low. Then you might get added action if you hit your flush. Because they don’t know where you are. Play these flush draws cautiously.

Large pocket pair with low card (J J/ 3) (Q Q/ 4) (K K/ 5)

The large pocket pair has good value because if you hit trips everyone thinks you missed your low and you might now win a monster pot

High pocket pair (K 9 K) (Q 6 Q) (J 3 J)

These high pairs need to be played with extreme caution. Be willing to dump them if you think someone has them beat. Remember, anytime someone is going for low and catches an ace, the ace either helps their low or gives them a pair of aces.


Selective and aggressive: It is very, very hard to bluff at the lower limits, as people are shooting for both the high and low pots. The key to winning is being selective of the hands you do start with and when you get the premium hands, play them aggressively.

If you hit bad, toss it: You generally should know by fifth street if you plan on calling all the way to the river. This way you don’t invest any big bets into a losing hand. If you have 345 (all of spades), you have a great starting hand. However, if the next two cards are JQ of hearts, your hand just turned into garbage.

Practice Hands:

Of the following hands which one would you fold?

a. A 7 3
b. 9 5 2
c. 4 5c 3
d. A 4 2

All of the hands are playable except hand B.

Which of the following hands are raising hands?

a. 4 3 2
b. 5 5 5
c. A 4 5
d. Ac A 2

These hands are all premium hands. They are all raising hands.

Suppose your hand is K K /3, Mr. Tight was low with a 2 and brought it in for the minimum. Everyone else folded and you are last to act. What is your play?

a. fold
b. call
c. raise

Your hand has deception because of the low up card. The play is C to raise, representing a low draw. You might win here if they fold, or you might hit a King for a monster hand.

Suppose Mr. Reckless was low with the 3 and brought it in for the minimum, Mr. Reckless showing the Kd raises. You are next to act with A A/ 3. What is your play?

a. Fold
b. Raise
c. Call

You have two aces and one low card up. It looks like Mr. Reckless might have a pair of kings. Your best play is B, raise, and try to get it heads up with Mr. Reckless.