7 Card Stud Hi/Lo (Also known as Stud 8):
Play proceeds like 7 Card Stud, except half the pot goes to the best
poker hand, the 'high' hand, while the other half goes to the 'low' hand,
the lowest ranking hand that has no higher card than an 8. A low-hand must
have five cards separate in rank all lower than 8 to qualify. Your low
hand can be a straight or a flush, but all cards must be 8 or lower, and
different in rank.
Examples:
This counts as a low hand: 8, 7, 5, 3, Ace
This does not count: 8, 8, 6, 4, 2. You cannot have any pairs in your
low hand. All 5 cards must be different.
This counts as a low hand: 5, 4, 3, 2, Ace. This, also called 'The
Wheel,' is actually the best low hand to have, as it also makes an
ace-high straight, which can win the high pot. Winning both pots is called
'scooping,' and making hands that can 'scoop' is in your best interest in
Stud Hi/Lo.
This does not count: 9, 6, 4, 3, 2. All 5 cards must be 8 or lower. The
9 disqualifies this hand from low.
You can still win with a regular poker hand like three of a kind, but
if you do not have a low hand that is lower than any other low-hands in
play, you only win half of the pot. The best low-hand wins the other half.
However, if there are no eligible low hands among the remaining players,
the player with the best high hand wins the entire pot.
Stud
Hi/Lo (Stud 8) Strategy ==>>
Razz:
Like 7 Card Stud, players receive 7 cards and betting rounds proceed as
in 7 Card Stud. However, players are trying to make the lowest hand
possible. Pairs and three of a kind are bad in Razz, while trash like 6,
4, 3, 2, Ace are one of the best Razz hands (the aforementioned hand is
called six-high, because its highest card is a 6. The Ace is considered a
low card in Razz).
Razz is considered more of a game of drawing and luck than regular
Stud, because you need at least 5 cards to make a hand. You can receive 3
or 4 good low cards to start and be ahead of others, then receive 3 high
face cards and be left with a trash hand that won't win. This is unlike
Stud where you can start with a made hand, for example receiving two Kings
or two Aces in your first 3 cards.
Unlike the low-hands in Stud Hi/Lo, cards higher than 8 are eligible
for your low hand, and though it's unlikely, hands can be won with
Jack-high and Queen-high. But most winning hands in Razz are 7-high or
lower.
7 Card Stud skills can build poker skills
Many players play Texas Hold'Em exclusively, but learning a different
game not only diversifies your poker ability, but can give you knowledge
that will help your Hold'Em game and skills in other games as well.
