7 Card Stud High Low Strategy

7 Card Stud High Low split is a fun change of pace game, especially if you are predominately a holdem player. In addition, it can be a very profitable variation of poker as there are very few good 7 Card Stud high low players. With a solid understanding of the rules and a little practice, you will always be able to find games, especially online, filled with poor players.

Much like any variation of poker in which the high and low hand split the pot, 7 Card Stud high low is a game where the majority of your profit will come from pots that you scoop (win both the high and low pot or the high pot when there is no low). Unlike Omaha/8, you will not always know if someone has a low and you will rarely need the best possible low hand to win that half of the pot. In most games, any qualifying low hand with any chance at high is in good shape at the showdown.

The best starting hands are three un-paired low cards, preferably suited, in addition to the high hands listed in the 7 Card Stud section. The hands that most often scoop the pot are straights and flushes that also qualify for low.

One situation to look for and capitalize on is when you have a made low hand with two opponents in the pot, if you can get one of them to bet and raise with you, you can increase your half of the pot dramatically. That being said, make sure you aren’t the third party in a raising war when you are just drawing to half the pot. In all high low split games, it is a losing proposition to chase half the pot. If your opponents allow you to draw to any hand that has a chance to win both halves of the pot cheaply, by all means do so, but do not get involved in raising wars without a made hand.

The last thing you should be aware of when playing 7 Card Stud high low is the value of hands. Remember in Omaha and Omaha/8 you will often need the best possible hand to win the pot. In 7 Card Stud high low you will win the high pot many times with hands as weak as two pair to go along with your low hand. This is not to say that you should be confident that you would win very often with a weak hand if you don’t have a low hand.

In closing, I do best when concentrating on low hands and allow myself to be pleasantly surprised when I am able to scoop a pot with two pair or trips for a high. Most of the hands I lose money on are ones I should have folded. Just like the other popular variations of poker, concentrate on playing 30% or less of your starting hands and you will be far ahead of most of your competition.