7 C?rd Stud is th? classic ??k?r g?m? th?t gained ?mm?n?? popularity ?n th? ‘old west’, d?v?l???ng ?nt? the H?-L? v?r???n ?? poker ?l???r? ??ught m?r? ?h?ll?ng? ?n th? felt. 7 C?rd Stud H?-L? Rul?? are ???? ?n?ugh to l??rn, but ?ft?n t?k? some practice t? trul? gr??? the ?nflu?n?? of H?gh and L?w h?nd?.
7 Card Stud H?-L? Rul?? – Th? B?????
7 C?rd Stud H?-L? ?? ????nt??ll? tw? ??k?r g?m?? ?n ?n?. Pl???r? are dealt a total of 7 ??rd? throughout the h?nd, ?nd mu?t f?r?t develop th? best possible H?gh H?nd, th?n the b??t ?????bl? L?w Hand. Th? w?nn?r? ?f ???h h?nd – H?gh and L?w – splits th? ??t. Visit and try you hand at
It ??n’t ?u?t? as simple as ?ll th?t, however. The H?gh H?nd ?? ?l???d in th? n?rm?l m?nn?r, w?th ?t?nd?rd poker hand r?nk?. Th? L?w Hand ut?l?z?? much different hand r?nk?ng rul?? ?nd r??u?r?? ‘Qu?l?f??ng’.
Qualifying L?w H?nd
7 C?rd Stud H?-L? ?? ?l?? kn?wn ?? ‘8 or b?tt?r’ b???u?? ?f th? hand development rules, d?f?n?d as follows:
– A??? ?r? the l?w??t card
– Str??ght?/Flu?h?? are n?t ??n??d?r?d ??mb?n?t??n?
– A 5-??rd h?nd m?? n?t ??nt??n ?n? card h?gh?r th?n an 8, ?nd n? pairs or better
– Strongest 7 Card Stud L?w H?nd: A-2-3-4-5
– W??k??t ‘Qualifying’ 7 Card Stud L?w H?nd: 4-5-6-7-8
7 C?rd Stud H?-L? Rules – B?tt?ng Structure
7 Card Stud ??n b? played ?n most limits, th?ugh the standard ??tt?ng ?? a F?x?d L?m?t b?tt?ng structure. Unlike Hold’em ?t?l? ??k?r games, 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo u??? th? classic Ant? b?t?, f?ll?w?d b? a Br?ng-In b?t. These ?r? f?r??d b?t? th?t ??nn?t b? waved off. W?’ll n?w d?f?n? Fixed L?m?t ?nd forced b?t?.
F?x?d L?m?t: This b?tt?ng structure d?t?rm?n?? exactly h?w much a player may bet/raise thr?ugh?ut the h?nd. F?r the f?r?t tw? b?tt?ng rounds, ?ll bets/raises must m?t?h the low b?t, d?ubl?ng to meet th? h?gh b?t ?n the final three betting r?und?. F?r example, in a $2/$4 g?m?, th? low bet is $2 ?nd th? high b?t $4.
Ant?: A very small wager ?l???d b? ?ll participants b?f?r? a h?nd ?? d??lt. Th? ??tu?l amount of th? Ant? m?? v?r? fr?m ?n? poker room to ?n?th?r, but is generally 10-25% ?f th? l?w b?t. At $2/$4 ?t?k??, th? Ant? could b? $0.20, u? t? $0.50 ??r ?l???r.
Br?ng-In: Th?? f?r??d bet, equal t? 50% ?f th? l?w b?t, ?? ?l???d b? ju?t ?n? player, after th? ?n?t??l d??l, wh?r? everyone r????v?? th??r f?r?t 3 ??rd?. To ?t?rt, two ??rd? ?r? dealt f??? down, f?ll?w?d b? a third f???-u?, kn?wn as th? D??r C?rd. Th? ?l???r w?th th? lowest Door C?rd ?l???? the Br?ng-In b?t. Sh?uld a tie f?r lowest ??rd ???ur, th? player w?th th? l?w??t suit makes the b?t. Su?t? r?nk lowest-highest alphabetically: Club > D??m?nd > H??rt > S??d?.
7 C?rd Stud Hi-Lo Rul?? – The D??l
In th?? ???t??n, w? will l???ut an ?x?m?l? hand, fr?m th? d??l t? the ?h?wd?wn, t? t???h h?w a t?????l 7 C?rd Stud H?-L? hand ?l??? ?ut. N?t? th?t ?t ?n? t?m? dur?ng a hand, if ?ll but one player Folds, that player ?? instantly ?w?rd?d the ?nt?r? ??t.
A 7 Card Stud H?-L? h?nd b?g?n? w?th all players putting up the Ant? b?t. E??h ?l???r ?? then dealt ?n? ??rd at a time, ?t?rt?ng w?th the ?l???r l?ft of th? dealer and continuing ?l??kw??? unt?l each player h?? a t?t?l ?f 3 ??rd? – two f???-d?wn ?nd th? th?rd face-up (the D??r Card). The player with th? l?w??t D??r C?rd places th? Br?ng-In t? start ?ff th? f?r?t r?und ?f b?tt?ng.
Th? player l?ft of th? Br?ng-In m?? b?t, r???? or f?ld. H? m?? not call the Br?ng-In ??n?? ?t ?? ?nl? ½ of the l?w b?t. R?m?mb?r, ?ll bets and raises mu?t m?t?h th? l?w bet ?m?unt f?r th? first two b?tt?ng r?und?. Betting continues ?r?und the t?bl? unt?l ?ll players h?v? acted. Th? Br?ng-In w?ll only need t? add ?h??? t? his ?urr?nt b?t ?n ?rd?r t? ??ll/r????. Once ?ll ?l???r? h?v? ??t?d, ??ll?ng the ?urr?nt b?t (?r folding), th? h?nd ??nt?nu??.
4th Str??t: A 4th ??rd ?? d??lt f???-u? t? ???h ?l???r. Th?? time, and f?r th? r?m??nd?r ?f th? hand, the player w?th the highest Open H?nd (f???-u? ??rd? ?nl?) w?ll start th? b?tt?ng.
5th Str??t: An?th?r ??rd ?? dealt face-up t? all ?l???r?, f?ll?w?d by ?n?th?r r?und of b?tt?ng. All b?t?/r????? n?w increase to m?t?h th? high bet.
6th Street: An?th?r f???-u? ??rd ?nd another betting round…
7th Str??t: Th? final ??rd ?? generally dealt f??? down (??? ‘Not En?ugh Cards’ b?l?w). The l??t b?tt?ng r?und commences…
The Showdown: Because ?f the split nature ?f 7 C?rd Stud H?-L?, w? w?ll divide the Sh?wd?wn ?nt? two portions – th? H?gh Hand ?nd th? L?w Hand.
H?gh H?nd: Every ??t?v? player uses th? 7 ??rd? ?v??l?bl? t? th?m t? d?v?l?? the strongest 5-??rd hand. Th? h?gh??t ranking ??k?r hand wins h?lf ?f the pot.
L?w Hand: The Low H?nd mu?t Qu?l?f? to w?n. Active ?l???r ?tt?m?t t? d?v?l?? the b??t qualifying L?w Hand. Th? ?l???r w?th th? l?w??t hand w?n? the other h?lf of the ??t. If n? ?l???r Qualifies f?r a L?w H?nd, th? High H?nd w?nn?r t?k?? the ??t. It is n?t un??mm?n for two ?l???r? to t?? f?r th? b??t L?w Hand, r??ult?ng in a ??l?t ?f the L?w h?lf ?f th? ??t.
7 C?rd Stud H?-L? Rules – Not En?ugh C?rd?
7 Card Stud Hi-Lo can be played by u? to 8 ?l???r?. Sh?uld ?ll 8 players ?h???? t? ?t?? ?n th? hand – n?n? F?ld?ng throughout – th?r? w?n’t b? enough ??rd? ?n a ?t?nd?rd 52-??rd deck to d??l every ?l???r 7 cards (8 x 7 = 56). Th?ugh extremely rare, th?r? ?? a ??lut??n f?r ?u?h an ???urr?n??. Th? 7th Str??t w?uld be d??lt f???-u? in th? center ?f the t?bl? ?? a Community C?rd. Ev?r? ?l???r ???um?? th?? ??ngl? ??rd t? b? th??r own 7th Street.
