7 Card Stud is one of the most popular games played online. Stud is available in almost all poker rooms and in most cases there is a respectable amount of traffic at the tables. The game itself is very challenging and it's not very easy to learn and master. Most players tend to make a lot of strategic mistakes so learning proper 7 card stud strategy can be very profitable. Our 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo Poker Software allows you to boost your poker profits.

This variant of stud poker is usually played with between four and eight players and a standard deck of fifty two cards. Seven Card Stud uses ante rather than a blind. The players have to place the ante into the pot before the cards are dealt to them. This is a compulsory bet and everyone has to place it.

Antes vary depending on the limit of the game you are playing. Usually an ante is between five and ten percent of the games large bet. After the antes are placed, each player receives a card from the dealer till they have three cards each. The first two cards are dealt face down, while the third card is dealt face up. This portion of the hand is called the third street.

The lowest card in your starting hand should be higher than any other card showing around the table. Playing stud-hi means playing high.If all three of your cards are higher than all of the cards showing around the table when you catch your cards, most likely they will. 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo 8-or-better is a game similar to 7-Card Stud. The pot is split between the best high hand and the best qualifying A-5 low hand. 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo Poker Gameplay. A hand begins with all players paying a forced bet, known as an ante. Each player is dealt 2 hole cards and 1 card face-up. A round of betting occurs.

The player with the lowest up card is forced to make a bring in bet. If there is a tie for the lowest card, the tie is broken by suit. Clubs is the strongest, followed by diamonds, hearts and then spades as the weakest. The game proceeds in clockwise motion with each player having the option to fold call or raise.

The next round is the fourth street and the dealer gives each player another face up card. The round starts with the player who has the highest showing poker hand. The game continues to proceed in clockwise motion until all players have acted.

The fifth street play is similar to the fourth street play except that the players receive an additional face up card with play resuming with the player who has the highest showing poker hand. The main difference being that the betting amounts are higher.

The last round of play is called the river and all the players receive one final card face down. Play begins with the player who has the highest ranking poker hand. Once all players have had their chance to play, there is a showdown. The last player to bet or raise must reveal their cards first and then all challenging players can choose to either muck their hand in the event that cannot win, or they can reveal their hand if it is powerful enough to take the pot. The dealer then determines the winning hand and awards the player the pot.

In the last round of play, the dealer gives all remaining players one final card face down. Play begins with the player who has the highest ranking poker hand. Once all players have had the chance to act, there is a showdown. The last player to bet or raise must reveal their cards first and then all challenging players can choose to either muck their hand in the event that cannot win, or they can reveal their hand if it is powerful enough to take the pot. The dealer then determines the winning hand and awards the player the pot.

7 Card Stud Hi-Lo is a poker game that combines the strategies and game play of 7 Card Stud and the possible split pot aspect of Omaha Hi-Lo. The same 7 Card Stud rules apply to 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo with the exception that the pot may be shared between a player holding the high (Hi) hand and a player holding the qualifying low (Lo) hand.

A low hand must have a high card '8 or better' to qualify to be the low hand. That is, to be eligible to win the low, the highest card must be an 8 or lower. Upon a tie with the high card, the hand goes to the player with the next lowest high card. Any hand that is high card 9 or higher cannot qualify as a low hand. In 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo the same player can also win both pots for the Hi & Lo hand when there is no qualifying low hand. The straight ace to five is the best possible low hand with the straight four to eight being the worse possible qualifying low hand. The ace can be used as a high and low card in 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo. Straights and flushes are not considered when evaluating a low hand.

How to play 7 Card Stud Hi Lo:

Betting Rounds

First Round
In 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo, a disc known as the dealer “button” serves to recognize which player sitting at the table is the dealer for that particular hand. After all players have placed their ante they receive their initial cards. The cards are dealt in a clockwise direction from the dealer button. Each player is dealt three cards (two of them face down and one face up). The player with the lowest face up card is known as the 'bring-in' and must make a wager of half the small blind. (For example, in a $4-$8 game, the bring-in is $2). The other players then must decide to match this amount beginning clockwise from the bring-in. If two players are tied for the low card the card rankings are broken by suit, with the order being spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs (in descending order).

Second Round (Fourth Street)
Next, each player is dealt another face up card, known as 'fourth street'. In this round the first person to act is the player whose face up cards, comprise the highest poker value. This player may either check or bet. The bet amount is determined by the value of the face up cards on the table. If there is no pair exposed then the amount will be the small bet (for example, in a $4-$8 game, the bet is $4). However, if there is a face up pair then the amount is the big bet ($8 in the previous example).

Third Round (Fifth Street)
Each player is dealt a third face up card in this round, called 'fifth street'. Starting in this betting round and all subsequent betting rounds all wagers are in the big bet amounts (for example, in a $4-$8 game, the bet is $8). The first person to act is again the player whose face up cards, comprise the highest poker value.

Fourth Round (Sixth Street)

Each player is dealt a fourth face up card in this round, called 'sixth street'. Once again the first person to act is again the player whose face up cards, comprise the highest poker value.

7 Card Stud Hi-lo Odds

Fifth Round (Seventh Street)
Each player is dealt a seventh card called 'seventh street' or the 'river'. This last card is dealt face down. The first person to act on the river is the player whose face up cards, comprise the highest poker value.

7 Card Stud Hi Low Strategy

Showdown
If more than one player remains after the fifth round of betting is completed then there is a showdown and the last player to bet shows their cards first. If no one acted then the player whose face up cards, comprise the highest poker value shows their cards first. Players use five of their seven cards and the player with the best five-card stud poker hand wins the pot. The highest hand wins 50% of the pot and the lowest qualifying low hand wins 50% of the pot. If no low hand qualifies then the highest hand wins the entire pot. In the event of identical poker hands, the pot will be equally divided between the players with the best hands.