Stud Hi-Lo rules: build two hands and divide the pot
Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo gives you two results to read at showdown. A hand can win high, win low, win both, or qualify for low and still receive nothing. The useful habit is to write two separate five-card selections before counting any chips.
Mara has put out two trays for the lesson. The HPD spade wants to claim both immediately. We will make it show its work: first the cards, then the winners, then the payout. All examples use imaginary chips and can be solved with paper and a deck.
Choose your starting point
Start with the eight-or-better profile if the name is unfamiliar. Use the street walkthrough to settle who acts first. For showdown practice, go straight to six exact-card exercises. Each answer opens separately, followed by a table checklist you can reuse.
This lesson uses eight-or-better
The game here is fixed-limit Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo eight-or-better, also called Stud/8 or Stud Eight. Each player normally finishes with seven personal cards. Choose any five for high and any five for low; those selections may overlap or be identical. There is no rule requiring two hidden cards or three exposed cards.
High uses ordinary poker rankings. Low needs five different ranks, all eight or lower, with ace low. If nobody qualifies for low, high receives the whole pot. A low that merely qualifies has not necessarily won. Winning both halves is a scoop.
The dealing and betting examples follow the PokerStars Stud Hi-Lo profile. The odd-chip examples below explicitly use the 2026 WSOP live-action rule. Check the table rules before applying either profile elsewhere, especially for betting caps, tied boards and indivisible chips.
Keep the neighboring games separate
- Seven-Card Stud High awards the pot to high. Its familiar paired-fourth-street larger-bet option does not carry into this Stud/8 lesson.
- Razz awards the pot to the best ace-to-five low without an eight qualifier. Its highest door card brings in, and its lowest exposed hand starts later rounds. Stud/8 reverses those action-order directions.
- Omaha Hi-Lo also splits high and eight-or-better low, but each five-card hand must use exactly two hole cards and three community cards. Stud/8 does not use that construction.
A table called Stud Hi-Lo Regular is another profile. In the WSOP rules, it has no low qualifier, the high card brings in and the low exposed hand leads later streets. The word “Regular” therefore changes more than the name. Do not silently apply the exercises here to that game.
Read your seven cards before choosing five
At an ordinary Stud/8 showdown, you have three hidden cards and four exposed cards. In a hand history, parentheses often mark hidden cards. For example, (A♣ 2♦) / 3♠ 4♥ 6♣ 8♦ / (K♠) contains seven cards belonging to one player. That player can make 6♣ 4♥ 3♠ 2♦ A♣ for low, mixing hidden and exposed cards freely.
An opponent’s exposed ace belongs to that opponent. You can use it as information, but you cannot put it in your own hand. There is normally no shared board, and there are no discard-and-replace rounds. PokerStars has a rare deck-shortage procedure using a shared final card; that exception does not turn the usual game into Omaha.
Seven cards contain 21 possible five-card selections. You do not need to list all 21 at the table. Check the likely high categories, then set high aside and build low from the smallest distinct eligible ranks. An unused king cannot become a sixth kicker. A second ace cannot stand in for a missing low rank.
Follow the streets and the exposed high hand
| Street | Cards received | First action and bet size |
|---|---|---|
| Third | Two down, one up | Lowest door card brings in; small-bet level |
| Fourth | One more up | Best exposed high hand; small-bet level |
| Fifth | One more up | Best exposed high hand; big-bet level |
| Sixth | One more up | Best exposed high hand; big-bet level |
| Seventh | One down | Best exposed high hand; big-bet level |
The door card is the first exposed card. For the PokerStars bring-in, ace counts high and equal ranks are ordered clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades, lowest first. Action then moves clockwise. From fourth street onward, compare exposed high hands, including pairs, rather than hunting for the lowest low draw.
Try a four-seat teaching table, clockwise from the dealer: Nora, Eli, Tessa and Max. Their door cards are 4♥, A♦, 4♣ and 9♠. Tessa brings in because 4♣ is below 4♥ by suit. The next turns are Max, Nora and Eli. The ace does not bring in merely because it can be low at showdown.
Suppose the agreed teaching structure is 10/20, with a 1-chip ante and a 3-chip bring-in. Tessa may bring in for 3 or open for the full small bet of 10. If she puts in 3 and somebody completes to 10, Tessa needs another 7 to call. The ante is separate from that street’s wager.
On fourth street Nora shows 4♥ 4♠, Eli A♦ K♥, Tessa 4♣ 8♦ and Max 9♠ Q♥. Nora’s pair beats every unpaired exposed hand, so she acts first. She can check or open for 10. The pair does not let anyone open for 20 in this Stud/8 profile.
On fifth, give Nora 2♦, Eli A♠, Tessa 5♣ and Max Q♠. Eli now shows a pair of aces and acts before Max’s queens or Nora’s fours. The betting unit is now 20 because it is fifth street. Recheck the exposed hands on sixth. A normally dealt hidden seventh card does not change which board leads if the same players remain.
For tied exposed boards, the WSOP live-action rule gives first action to the tied player first clockwise from the dealer. That is a positional tiebreak for taking a turn. It does not make that player’s eventual showdown hand stronger.
Read a low from its largest card downward
Make a low in two passes. First ask whether five distinct ranks are available at eight or below. Then arrange those five from largest to smallest and compare them in that order. Straights and flushes do not hurt low. They still matter when you evaluate the same cards for high.
For example, 8-6-4-2-A beats 8-7-3-2-A. Both begin with eight, but six beats seven at the next comparison. The second hand’s three cannot repair that loss. Adding all five ranks together would give the wrong method, even when it happens to produce the right answer.
A wheel, 5-4-3-2-A, is the best low. It is also a five-high straight for high, and five suited wheel cards would be a straight flush. You must still compare your high hand with the other players’ high hands. Owning the best possible low does not promise a scoop.
Pairs need a little care. A♣ A♦ 2♠ 4♥ 6♣ 8♦ Q♠ contains a pair, yet it can produce a legal low by leaving one ace and the queen out. A♣ A♦ 2♠ 4♥ 6♣ Q♦ K♠ cannot: it has only four distinct low ranks. Count ranks, not the number of low-looking cards.
Divide the pot before dividing the winners
Use the amount actually available to award. These exercises assume no rake or other deductions. If a low qualifies, put half in a high column and half in a low column. Find the winners of each column separately. If several players tie a column, split only that column among them.
| Situation in a 240-chip pot | Awards |
|---|---|
| One player wins high and low | 240 to that player |
| Different players win each half | 120 each |
| One player wins high and ties low with one other | 180 and 60 |
| One wins high; two others tie low | 120, 60 and 60 |
| Nobody qualifies for low | 240 to the high winner |
Receiving 60 is a quarter of the pot, even if you tied the best low. It is also a gross award, not profit. If you contributed 90 and receive 60, the hand cost you 30. That is why a payout explanation should show contributions when it discusses results.
With all-ins, make separate ledgers for the main pot and every side pot. A player who can contest only the main pot cannot win a later side pot. Evaluate high and qualifying low again among the eligible players in each pot. A better low sitting outside that side pot does not take its low half.
Six exact-card exercises
Every row below shows one player’s complete seven-card holding. Cards are not community cards, and each exercise is a fresh deal. Suits are written as ♣ clubs, ♦ diamonds, ♥ hearts and ♠ spades. Everyone shown is live at showdown and eligible for the whole stated pot unless the exercise says otherwise.
1. One player, two different constructions
The pot is 120. Write Nora’s best high and best low, then compare both with Eli. Must Nora use her wheel for high?
| Player | Seven personal cards |
|---|---|
| Nora | A♥ 2♥ 4♥ 6♥ 8♥ 3♣ 5♦ |
| Eli | K♣ K♦ Q♣ Q♦ 9♠ 9♥ J♠ |
Open answer 1
Nora’s high hand is A♥ 8♥ 6♥ 4♥ 2♥, an ace-high flush. Her low is 5♦ 4♥ 3♣ 2♥ A♥, the wheel. Those are different five-card selections from the same seven cards.
Eli’s best high is K♣ K♦ Q♣ Q♦ J♠, kings and queens with a jack. The two nines are left out; seven-card poker does not award a special three-pair hand. Eli has no qualifying low.
Nora wins 60 for high and 60 for low, taking all 120. Her wheel is a legal high straight, but the flush is stronger. Choosing a low first must not hide a better high hand.
2. A pair in seven cards, and a close low
The pot is 80. Does Nora’s pair prevent a low? Which low wins, and who receives the high half?
| Player | Seven personal cards |
|---|---|
| Nora | A♣ A♦ 2♠ 4♥ 6♣ 8♦ Q♠ |
| Eli | A♥ 2♦ 3♠ 7♣ 8♣ K♦ Q♥ |
Open answer 2
Nora makes 8♦ 6♣ 4♥ 2♠ A♣ for low. Either of her aces can fill the ace position, but not both. Eli makes 8♣ 7♣ 3♠ 2♦ A♥. Eight ties eight; Nora’s six beats Eli’s seven.
For high, Nora has A♣ A♦ Q♠ 8♦ 6♣, a pair of aces. Eli has A♥ K♦ Q♥ 8♣ 7♣, ace-high with no pair. Nora wins high too.
Nora receives 40 plus 40, or 80. Eli receives zero. A qualifying low is a ticket to the comparison, not a guaranteed share.
3. Nobody reaches the low qualifier
The pot is 100. Is half of it reserved for the player with the less bad low? Find the winning five-card high.
| Player | Seven personal cards |
|---|---|
| Nora | A♠ A♦ K♣ K♥ 9♣ 4♦ 2♠ |
| Eli | Q♠ Q♦ Q♣ J♥ 7♦ 6♣ 3♥ |
Open answer 3
Neither player has five distinct ranks at eight or below. Nora has only A, 4 and 2; Eli has only 7, 6 and 3. No low qualifies, and there is no low half to award.
Eli’s high is Q♠ Q♦ Q♣ J♥ 7♦, three queens with jack-seven kickers. It beats Nora’s A♠ A♦ K♣ K♥ 9♣, aces and kings with a nine.
Eli receives all 100 and Nora receives zero. This is where importing Razz logic would produce a wrong payout: Stud/8 does not reward the best nonqualifying low.
4. The best low is tied, so each gets a quarter
The pot is 240. Nora has a flush and a six-low. Eli has the same low ranks. Can either claim 120 for low?
| Player | Seven personal cards |
|---|---|
| Nora | A♠ 2♠ 3♠ 4♠ 6♠ K♣ K♦ |
| Eli | A♥ 2♦ 3♣ 4♦ 6♥ Q♣ J♦ |
| Tessa | 5♣ 5♦ 5♥ 9♠ 9♥ 10♣ J♣ |
Open answer 4
Tessa’s 5♣ 5♦ 5♥ 9♠ 9♥ is a full house, fives full of nines. It beats Nora’s ace-high spade flush. Tessa receives the 120-chip high half and has no qualifying low.
Nora’s 6♠ 4♠ 3♠ 2♠ A♠ and Eli’s 6♥ 4♦ 3♣ 2♦ A♥ are equal lows. The spades do not make Nora’s low better or worse. They divide the 120-chip low half into 60 each.
Final awards are Nora 60, Eli 60 and Tessa 120. The sum is 240. Nora’s attractive two-way holding does not win high against a full house, and the low tie leaves her with one quarter.
5. Tie high, win low, take three quarters
The pot is 200. Both players have an A-K-8-6-4 flush. Do the suits settle high, and can both players make low?
| Player | Seven personal cards |
|---|---|
| Nora | A♥ K♥ 8♥ 6♥ 4♥ 2♣ 3♦ |
| Eli | A♣ K♣ 8♣ 6♣ 4♣ Q♦ J♠ |
Open answer 5
High is tied. Nora uses A♥ K♥ 8♥ 6♥ 4♥ and Eli uses A♣ K♣ 8♣ 6♣ 4♣. Hearts do not outrank clubs for the poker result. Each receives 50 from the 100-chip high half.
Nora also makes 6♥ 4♥ 3♦ 2♣ A♥ for low. Eli has only four distinct eligible ranks, A, 8, 6 and 4, so he does not qualify. Nora alone receives the 100-chip low half.
Nora receives 150 and Eli 50. This is the mirror of winning high while tying low: one full half plus half of the other half is three quarters.
6. The main pot and side pot have different low winners
Nora is all-in for 50. Eli and Tessa each contribute 100 in total. No other chips or deductions are involved. Build the main and side pots, then allocate each separately.
| Player | Seven personal cards | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Nora | A♠ 2♣ 3♦ 4♥ 5♠ 9♣ 10♦ | 50 |
| Eli | K♠ K♦ K♣ Q♠ Q♥ 8♦ 7♣ | 100 |
| Tessa | A♥ 2♥ 3♥ 6♥ 8♥ J♦ 10♣ | 100 |
Open answer 6
The main pot is 150: 50 from each player. The remaining 50 from Eli and 50 from Tessa form a 100-chip side pot that Nora cannot contest.
In the main pot, Eli’s K♠ K♦ K♣ Q♠ Q♥ full house wins high, taking 75. Nora’s 5♠ 4♥ 3♦ 2♣ A♠ wheel wins low, taking 75. Tessa’s flush loses to Eli’s full house, and her eight-low loses to Nora’s wheel.
In the side pot, compare only Eli and Tessa. Eli again wins high and receives 50. He has no low, while Tessa’s 8♥ 6♥ 3♥ 2♥ A♥ qualifies and wins the side pot’s 50-chip low half.
Totals are Nora 75, Eli 125 and Tessa 50, adding to 250. Against contributions of 50, 100 and 100, their net results are +25, +25 and -50. Those net results sum to zero. Nora’s wheel cannot reach into a side pot she did not fund.
Odd chips need an explicit house rule
The 2026 WSOP live-action Stud/8 rule gives an indivisible chip to high when splitting high against low. For a tie within either half, its rule awards that half’s odd chip to the tied player with the highest card by suit, considering only the five cards used for that hand. This settles a leftover chip, not the poker-hand tie.
Keep the exercise 4 cards but make the pot 101 one-chip units. Tessa gets the high half of 51. The low half is 50, so Nora and Eli get 25 each. The 101st chip belongs to high under this named rule.
Now keep the exercise 5 cards and use a 102-chip pot. High is 51 and low is 51. Nora gets the entire low 51. The tied high half cannot split evenly: Nora’s A♥ is above Eli’s A♣ by suit, so the WSOP rule gives her 26 of high and Eli 25. Totals are Nora 77 and Eli 25. Do not turn the hearts into a claim on the whole high half.
These examples use one chip as the smallest available unit. A room’s denomination policy may allow change before the pot is split. Ask which odd-chip rule applies; do not assume a button-game rule or an online room’s implementation matches this live-action example.
What the exposed cards can tell you
Your first task is accounting. Keep track of low ranks and suited cards that have appeared, including cards belonging to players who folded. An exposed 5♦ is unavailable to your hand. A hidden five may or may not be in play; do not count it as known.
Here is a useful hard limit. At the end of fifth street you have five cards. If they contain only two distinct ranks at eight or below, the two remaining personal cards can add at most two new low ranks. You cannot reach five, so you cannot make a qualifying low in an ordinary seven-card deal. With three distinct low ranks you still need two different missing low ranks; two more aces would not do it.
A low-looking exposed board does not prove a made low. Someone showing 2♣ 4♦ 6♥ 8♠ could hold three kings underneath and have only four eligible low ranks. Conversely, a player showing K♣ 4♦ 6♥ 8♠ can qualify if the hidden cards supply enough distinct low ranks. Read what is visible, then keep uncertainty attached to what is hidden.
This is a rules lesson rather than a starting-hand chart. The pot sizes, opponents’ ranges and remaining unseen cards would matter for a betting decision. Knowing that you are drawing only to one half is useful; it is not enough on its own to prove a call, raise or fold.
A checklist for the next hand
- Read the full game name. Confirm Stud/8 eight-or-better, the betting structure and the low qualifier.
- Check the ante, bring-in, small bet, big bet and raise cap before the deal.
- On third street, find the lowest door card with ace high; use the stated suit rule if its rank is tied.
- On later streets, compare the exposed high hands. A low draw does not get first action just for looking low.
- Keep fourth street at the small-bet level, even with an exposed pair. Move to the big bet on fifth.
- Choose five cards for high. Start again for low, using five different eligible ranks from your own holding.
- At showdown, compare low from its largest rank downward and split tied high and low halves separately.
- List side-pot eligibility before awarding chips. Confirm the room’s odd-chip procedure and check that the ledger totals match.
For a paper drill, replay exercise 6 and write only the eligible names above each pot. Then hide the answers and rebuild the awards. If you can explain why Tessa wins low in one pot and loses it in the other, you have the central split-pot habit.