This is a popular kind of poker, also known as Seven-Card Hi-Lo.

About the game

7 Card Stud 8 or Better is played with a single deck of 52 cards, excluding jokers.

Round 1:
All players begin a new game by posting the “ante”: This is a preset amount which is put in the pot before dealing the cards. The amount of money in the ante does not follow any particular rule and depends on the size of the game. The ante amount for a $1/$2 table may be for example $0.25, or for a $3/$6 table the ante is $0.50. The online casino should make the precise amount clear. Seven Card Stud 8 or Better poker is so-called because players receive 7 cards: 3 “down” cards and 4 “up” cards. The up card is also known by alternative names: the “door card” or “third street.”

Once the antes are placed, round 1 begins with each playing receiving 3 cards – 1 up card and 2 down cards. A “bring in” bet starts the game, beginning with the lowest up card. If more than one player holds the same lowest up card, suit order determines which player “brings it in” in this order: clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades.

In each round of betting, each player can make one bet and 3 raises. For the game to continue, players act on what they’ve been given in each round of betting. There is an exception to this if a player is “all in” (see below for more information on “All In”)

Round 2:
Once round 1 is finished, each player remaining in the game (all those who didn’t fold on 3rd street) receives another card. We call round 2 of betting 4th street. From this point, the game begins with the highest hand showing, by betting or checking. Once this bet has been placed, other players can call, raise the bet, or decide to fold.

Round 3:
For those left in the game, 5th street awaits. Players left in the pot are each dealt another card, also face-up. Just like in the last round, the highest hand kicks off the action by checking or betting. There is a key difference between the 1st two rounds and the later rounds: from round 3 (5th street) the betting limits switch to the table’s higher number from the lower number. So, if you’re playing at a $5/$10 table, you may only bet $5 in the 1st two rounds, but from round 3, you can start betting $10.

Round 4:
Ok, so now you’re on 6th street. The game continues in the same way as in round 3. Betting limits are still on the higher number for the table.

Round 5:
This is the last round, and so play is changes slightly. This time, the last card is dealt face down rather than face up. This face down card is sometimes called 7th street, but is more commonly known as the “river”.

Standard rules of Seven Card Stud 8 or Better

Each player is allowed a maximum of 4 bets, comprising 1 bet and 3 raises, during each betting round. As we’ve already seen, players have to take action according to what they’re dealt in every round of the game in order to continue playing. The exception to this rule occurs when a player is “all in” (see below).

The last raise of a round is called a “cap”, because no further raises can be made, betting is said to be capped. Once this happened, players can only choose to call or to fold. A player can fold at any stage during the game. Once a player has chosen to fold, this person is no longer part of the game and therefore no longer has any rights over pots on the table.

An alternative option is checking, meaning that the player skips his/her turn without betting. However, depending on the action of the preceding player in the hand, this option may be unavailable. The player must equal the amount of the bets that other players in the hand have placed in each round.

Only the chips in play at the start of each hand can be used throughout the hand – this rule is referred to as playing by “table stakes”, which is usual for poker. Obtaining extra funds from the cashier during a game is therefore not allowed.

“All in”: The “all in” rule states that a player cannot be forced to forego a hand because of insufficient chips to call a bet. This is an application of the table stakes rule and allows exceptions to betting values. The all in rule works as follows: A player lacking enough chips to call a bet is said to be “all in”, which means he/she is eligible for a share of the pot proportional up to the time of his/her last wager. The other players now place in a “side pot”, which the “all in” player cannot join.

The main pot contains bets from all players and remains in the centre of the table – the all in player still has rights over this main pot. However, only the other players have rights over the side pot which holds new bets. The next winning combination takes the side pot.

Winning hands

A particular feature of Seven Card Stud 8 or Better is that the pot is split into “high” and “low” sides. If there is an odd number of chips, the leftover chip goes into the high side. The best hand automatically wins the high side of the pot, so there’s no need to qualify. The best hand could also win the low side of the pot too, but this is where it gets a little more complex. Players have to qualify to be in with a chance of winning the low side of the pot, hence the name of the game, Seven Card Stud 8 or Better.

Once the final round of betting is over, the best hand takes the high side of the pot. Importantly, a player who bets without being called during the hand can also win the pot. A player’s hand is determined by the best 5 cards out of 7. There are two possibilities for making up these 5 cards:

• 5 cards from the 7 dealt.
• 1 “board card,” (or community card) and 4 of the cards dealt.

If 2 or more hands tie for the high side of the pot and there are an odd number of chips, the player with the highest card is given the odd chip. If both players have cards of the same value, suits take the following order of value: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs.

Qualification to win the low side of the pot requires a 5 card hand with values from ace (lowest value) to 8. The ideal low hand would be ace-2-3-4-5 – this hand is known as the “bicycle” or the “wheel”. The player with the lowest high card has the winning low hand. Therefore, a hand including ace-2-4-6-8 will be beaten by a hand of 2-4-5-6-7. In the event that 2 or more players hold the same high card, then the winner of the low side of the pot is the player holding the 2nd lowest (or if needs be 3rd, 4th or 5th lowest) card. To see the ranking of cards which determines the winning combination, please click here!

If players are tied for the low side of the pot and there is an odd number of chips, the player with the lowest card is given the odd chip. If both players have cards of the same value, suits take the following order of value: Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts and Spades.

Useful tips to keep in mind

When qualifying for the low side of the pot, straights and flushes do not count against your hand. You are allowed to use different cards from your hand when contesting the high and low sides of the pot, but you may also use the same cards for both sides.

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