7 Card Stud Hi-Lo Rules

7 Card Stud Hi-Lo plays out the same as regular Seven Card Stud, but at the end of the game the pot is split amongst the player with the highest hand and the player with the lowest hand. This is known as a split pot game, and is normally played eights or better.

The 'High' hand:

In Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo, a 'high hand' is simply a regular 5 card poker hand, the highest of which wins that half of the pot.

The 'Low' hand:

A 'low hand', as the name implies, is just that - the lowest possible hand, which takes the other half of the pot. While it's somewhat self explanatory, there are some rules as to what constitutes a low hand:

A low hand must consist of 5 cards that are each valued 8 or lower. (thus the name '8's or better')
A low hand cannot contain any pairs. (that doesn't mean you can't have a pair in your seven cards, just that you cannot have a pair or better in your 5 cards played as a low hand.)
Straights and flushes do not count in a low hand.

When a player does not have 5 cards that are 8 or lower, they do not 'qualify' to play a low hand. If at the end of the hand, no remaining players qualify for a low hand, the entire pot goes to the player with the highest hand rather than being split.

That makes the best possible low hand A,2,3,4,5. If they're all suited it's still the lowest hand, despite the fact that as a high hand it plays as a straight flush (remember, flushes and straights do not count as low).

Playing for both sides:

You can play any 5 cards from your 7 available cards as your high hand, and any 5 cards as your low hand. They can be the same cards, or they can be different for each hand.

In the above example, an A,2,3,4,5 of the same suit is both the lowest hand possible (known as the 'wheel') and a straight flush for high, both using the same cards.

As a different example, a Seven Card Stud hand such as: A♠, A♦, 2♥, 4♠, 5♣, 6♥, K♣ would play a different 5 cards for high hand than those for low, played respectively like so:

High Hand: A♠, A♦, 5♣, 6♥, K♣
Low Hand: A♠, 2♥ 4♠, 5♣, 6♥

When a player wins both the high hand and the low hand they take the entire pot. This is often referred to as 'sweeping the pot'.

Finding a game...

7 Card Stud Hi-Lo is found at the majority of online poker rooms (though there are some that only offer straight-up seven card stud). You're better off playing at a busier room nonetheless, because some rooms don't have many stud players despite their offerings, so it can be hard to find a game at smaller venues.

Party Poker or Pacific Poker are two safe bets if you're looking to find low to mid-level stud games, or check the poker room directory for a list of other recommended places to play.