What is Stud Hi-Lo?
Stud Hi-Lo, formally known as Seven Card Stud Eight-or-Better, is a split-pot poker variant where half the pot goes to the best high hand and half to the best qualifying low hand. It combines the structural elements of traditional Seven Card Stud—seven cards per player, no community cards, five betting rounds—with split-pot mechanics similar to Omaha Hi-Lo.
The game is frequently called "Stud 8" or "Stud Eight-or-Better" because qualifying low hands must contain five unpaired cards ranked eight or lower. According to the World Series of Poker, this variant has been featured in championship mixed-game events for decades, testing players' ability to think about hands from two perspectives simultaneously.
Stud Hi-Lo represents the "E" in HORSE poker (Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Stud, Eight-or-Better). It also appears in 8-Game rotations alongside other mixed-game formats. Players who master Stud Hi-Lo develop valuable skills for reading exposed boards, tracking dead cards, and managing split-pot dynamics—abilities that transfer across multiple poker disciplines.
Understanding the Low Hand Requirements
The defining feature of Stud Hi-Lo is the eight-or-better qualifying low. A valid low hand must contain five unpaired cards with all ranks at eight or below. Aces count as low (making A-2-3-4-5 the best possible low), but pairs, trips, and higher cards disqualify a hand from low consideration.
Low Hand Ranking System
Low hands are evaluated from the highest card down using the Ace-to-Five (California) lowball system. The hand 8-6-5-3-A beats 8-7-4-2-A because six is lower than seven in the second position. When comparing lows, start with the highest card and work down until one hand is demonstrably better.
The best possible low is A-2-3-4-5, called "the wheel" or "the bicycle." This hand holds special significance because it functions as both the nut low and a five-high straight for the high half of the pot. Holding the wheel often means scooping the entire pot—winning both halves—which represents maximum profit in split-pot games.
Critical for Stud Hi-Lo: straights and flushes do not count against low hands. A hand of A-2-3-4-5 all in hearts remains the nut low (and also makes a flush for high). This differs from some lowball variants where flushes disqualify. Similarly, A-2-3-4-6 of mixed suits is a valid 6-low despite containing no high hand value beyond ace-high.
When No Low Qualifies
If no player makes a qualifying low hand (five unpaired cards eight or lower), the entire pot goes to the best high hand. This occurs more frequently than many new players expect. Boards that pair or develop high cards eliminate low possibilities. Players chasing lows may find their draws dead, wasting bets on half a pot that never materializes.
Tracking dead low cards becomes essential. If you hold A-2-3 and see multiple twos, threes, and fours folded around the table, your low draw becomes significantly weaker. Even making a low becomes less valuable when dead cards reduce your chance of hitting a premium low that avoids being quartered (splitting the low half with another player holding the same low).
The Complete Game Structure
Stud Hi-Lo follows the same dealing and betting structure as standard Seven Card Stud. Each player receives seven cards across five betting rounds, with three cards face-down and four face-up. The main difference appears at showdown, where the pot splits between high and low winners.
Antes and Bring-In
Every player posts an ante before cards are dealt. After the initial three cards (two down, one up), the player showing the lowest door card posts the bring-in—a forced bet smaller than a full small bet. In a $2/$4 game, antes might be $0.25-$0.50 with a $0.50-$1.00 bring-in. The bring-in player can choose to complete to a full small bet immediately.
Betting Streets
Third Street begins after the bring-in, with action proceeding clockwise. Players fold, call, or raise at the small bet level. Fourth Street adds another face-up card, with the player showing the strongest board acting first (unlike Third Street's low-card bring-in). If a pair shows on board, players may bet at the big bet level.
Fifth Street doubles the betting increment permanently for the remainder of the hand. This street represents a critical decision point for drawing hands—the increased bet size changes pot odds calculations. Sixth Street adds a fourth face-up card, and Seventh Street (the river) deals the final card face-down, followed by one last betting round.
Showdown and Pot Division
At showdown, players construct their best five-card high hand and their best five-card low hand (if qualified) from their seven cards. These hands can share cards—the wheel A-2-3-4-5 serves as both the best low and a straight for high. The high half goes to the best standard poker hand; the low half goes to the best qualifying low.
If one player wins both halves, they scoop the entire pot. If different players win high and low, the pot splits evenly. If multiple players tie for high or low, that half splits further. Getting quartered (winning a quarter of the pot) occurs when you split the low with another player while someone else takes the high—often a losing proposition given your betting investment.
Starting Hand Selection
Stud Hi-Lo rewards extremely selective starting hand play. The best starting hands offer potential to scoop both halves of the pot or to make nut-quality holdings in one direction. Marginal hands that can only win half the pot—and might get quartered—should usually be folded.
Premium Starting Hands
The strongest starting hands contain three low cards with an ace. Combinations like A-2-3, A-2-4, or A-3-4 provide multiple paths to the nut low while maintaining straight possibilities for high. Suited combinations add flush potential, making hands like A♥-2♥-3♥ among the best possible starts. These hands can develop into wheels, flushes, and nut lows simultaneously.
Three-card lows with an ace should be raised aggressively, especially when live (few of your needed cards visible on other boards). Position relative to other low hands matters—if several low cards appear on other players' door cards, your low draw faces more competition and quartering becomes more likely.
High-Only Hands
Big pairs (Aces through Jacks) and rolled-up trips play differently in Stud Hi-Lo than in regular Stud. These hands can only win the high half, meaning they're competing for half the pot at best when a low qualifies. Raise to narrow the field and ideally face just one opponent drawing to a low. If multiple low draws stay in, your high pair may take only half the pot while contributing bets that build the low winner's prize.
That said, premium high hands maintain value. Rolled-up trips (three of a kind on Third Street) should still be played aggressively—the hand is strong enough to justify pursuing half the pot. Aces-up or high trips by Fifth Street have excellent high-side equity. The key is recognizing you're playing for half and adjusting bet sizing expectations accordingly.
Hands to Avoid
Medium pairs (8s through 5s) and three-card straights with gaps present problems in Stud Hi-Lo. These hands rarely make nut high or any low. A pair of 7s might develop into two pair or trips, but faces straight and flush competition for high while offering zero low potential. Without scoop possibility, these marginal holdings drain chips across five betting streets.
Three low cards without an ace (like 7-6-3) also deserve caution. While you can make a qualifying low, it won't be the nut low, creating quartering risk. Against aggressive opponents holding A-2-X or A-3-X, your 7-low may split the low half while their ace-high kicker or paired ace takes the high. Playing for three-quarters of a pot is marginally profitable; playing for a quarter is disastrous.
Strategic Concepts for Stud Hi-Lo
Playing for Scoops
The most profitable Stud Hi-Lo hands are those that scoop entire pots. Wheel draws (working toward A-2-3-4-5) represent ideal scenarios—making the nut low and a straight simultaneously. Focus on hands with two-way potential: suited low cards that might make flushes, connected low cards that can straight out while holding the nut low.
Recognizing scoop opportunities during the hand matters as much as starting hand selection. If your A-2-4 develops into A-2-4-5-K-3 with a heart flush draw, you're positioned to win everything. Conversely, if your low draw hits but your high goes nowhere (ending with 8-6-4-3-2-K-J, no pair, no flush), you're fighting for half while potentially getting quartered if another player holds the same low.
Dead Card Awareness
Like regular Seven Card Stud, tracking exposed and folded cards is essential. This becomes doubly important in Stud Hi-Lo because you're monitoring cards for both high and low purposes. If you hold A-2-4 and see three other twos and two fours around the table, your low draw is nearly dead—most of your needed cards are gone. Meanwhile, if you're chasing a flush and four of your suit are visible on other boards, the flush draw becomes worthless.
Dead card tracking affects both continuation and aggression. When your draws are live, bet and raise to charge opponents and build pots you're likely to win. When key cards are dead, check and fold to minimize losses on hands that can't develop profitably.
Avoiding Quartering
Getting quartered—splitting the low half while another player takes the high—represents one of Stud Hi-Lo's biggest money-losing scenarios. You invest bets across five streets, win a quarter of the pot, and net a significant loss. Recognizing quartering danger and folding marginal lows protects against this outcome.
Quartering risk increases when multiple players show low boards. If two opponents hold A-X-X with low door cards while you have 6-5-4, your eventual low may tie with one of theirs while the other wins high. Playing the nut low draw (holding A-2) reduces quartering risk because your low rarely ties—only against another A-2 does the problem arise.
Freerolling Concepts
A freeroll occurs when you've locked up one half of the pot and are drawing to win both. If you hold the nut low (A-2-3-4-6) with no high hand, but your opponent shows a pair of Kings for their high while you still have straight or flush draws, you're freerolling. You can't lose, but you might win everything. These situations justify aggressive betting—charge your opponent while drawing to scoop.
The research on game theory from Games and Economic Behavior demonstrates that split-pot formats create unique equilibria. Understanding when you're freerolling versus when opponents are freerolling against you shapes optimal betting decisions throughout the hand.
Street-by-Street Strategy
Third Street: Setting Up the Hand
Third Street decisions establish the hand's trajectory. With premium low hands (A-2-X, A-3-X), raise to narrow the field and isolate against one or two opponents. Against high-only hands, your low draw represents guaranteed equity if it hits. Against other low draws, raising builds a pot you're favored to split at minimum.
High pairs should raise aggressively but recognize they're playing for half. If multiple low cards show on other boards, your pair faces splitting pots even when you win your half. Sometimes the correct play is calling with high hands to keep pots smaller when quartering becomes likely.
Fourth and Fifth Streets: Commit or Fold
Fourth Street continues hand development at the small bet. Catching good (another low card or pair improvement) justifies continued play. Catching bad (pairing or bricking) warrants reevaluation. The double bet size on Fifth Street creates commitment decisions—continuing past Fifth Street typically means seeing the hand through to showdown.
For low draws, Fifth Street determines viability. If you hold four low cards by Fifth Street, pot odds usually justify seeing Sixth and Seventh. If you've only made three to a low with two cards remaining, mathematics favor folding to aggressive betting—you need two specific cards while others may already have completed lows.
Sixth and Seventh Streets: Showdown Preparation
By Sixth Street, most hands are defined. Completed lows bet for value; busted low draws fold unless converting to high hands. High hands evaluate whether low possibilities exist—if the board shows no low cards anywhere, your high hand takes the entire pot. If multiple qualified lows appear likely, consider checking and calling rather than building pots you'll split.
Seventh Street (dealt face-down) creates final betting opportunities. Bluffing works occasionally—a player who showed low cards throughout might represent completing a straight that isn't there. Value betting completed scoops extracts maximum chips. Crying calls with made lows that may be quartered prevent missed value but accept the quarter-pot risk.
Stud Hi-Lo in Mixed Games
Stud Hi-Lo appears in HORSE rotations and 8-Game formats, making it essential knowledge for serious mixed-game players. The Card Player strategy archives emphasize that mixed-game success requires competence across all included variants—weakness in any single game allows skilled opponents to exploit you during those rounds.
Transitioning from Razz
In HORSE, Razz (the "R") plays immediately before Stud Hi-Lo (the "E"). Both games reward low-card starting hands, but the strategic differences are substantial. In Razz, the best low wins everything—there's no high half. Hands like 8-7-6 have value in Razz but struggle in Stud Hi-Lo where they might make a qualifying low that gets quartered while losing the high.
The transition from Razz mindset to Stud Hi-Lo mindset trips up many players. Suddenly, those 7-6-5 type hands need reevaluation. Ace-high starting hands matter more in Stud Hi-Lo because the ace provides both nut low potential and high hand value. Players who dominate Razz by playing marginal lows often leak chips when the game switches to Eight-or-Better.
Transitioning from Stud High
Players coming from regular Stud (the "S" in HORSE) face different challenges. Their instinct to value high pairs and rolled-up trips needs modification. Yes, these hands remain strong, but they compete for only half the pot. Aggressive play with pocket Kings is correct in Stud high; in Stud Hi-Lo, the same aggression may build pots that split away half your equity.
The key adjustment involves hand selection discipline. Hands that are borderline playable in Stud high—medium pairs, three-gappers to straights—become clear folds in Stud Hi-Lo. The split-pot dynamic rewards extremes: premium high hands (rolled-up big pairs) or premium low draws (ace-deuce-x). Middle-ground hands get ground down by opponents who are drawing to nuts in one direction or another.
Reading Mixed-Game Opponents
Mixed-game specialists develop tendencies across variants. Some players tighten dramatically during Stud Hi-Lo because they dislike split-pot formats. Others loosen up, playing too many marginal lows. The Two Plus Two poker forums discuss exploiting these tendencies—targeting players who over-value non-nut lows or who fold too much when low possibilities appear.
Observing opponents during Stud Hi-Lo rounds reveals information useful in other games too. A player who chases marginal lows likely chases marginal draws in Omaha. Someone who folds aggressively when their Stud Hi-Lo board looks weak probably plays scared in general. Mixed games reward holistic opponent modeling across all variants.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Stud Hi-Lo newcomers—and even experienced players—fall into predictable traps that cost significant chips over time. Recognizing these patterns helps avoid expensive errors.
| Common Mistake | Why It's Costly | Correct Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Playing non-nut lows aggressively | Leads to quartering when multiple lows qualify | Only raise with A-2-X type hands that make nut lows |
| Ignoring dead cards | Chasing draws that can't complete | Track all exposed cards, especially low ranks |
| Overplaying high-only hands | Building pots you can only win half of | Reduce aggression when low hands are likely |
| Calling with busted low draws | Throwing away bets on dead hands | Fold when your low can no longer qualify |
| Forgetting high hand value | Missing scoop opportunities | Value wheel draws that also make straights/flushes |
Perhaps the most expensive mistake involves chasing half pots with second-best hands. If you hold 7-6-5-4-2 as your low and an opponent clearly holds A-2-X, your "made" low is second-best. Calling bets with second-best lows—especially when someone else wins the high—results in getting three-quartered: you win a quarter of the pot after contributing significantly more. These accumulated small losses devastate long-term results.
Advanced Concepts
Counterfeiting and Protection
Counterfeiting occurs when a card you already hold appears again, weakening your hand. If you hold A-2-4-5-7 for a 7-low and catch another 2, your low becomes A-4-5-7-2-2—but now you have a pair, disqualifying the low entirely. The two in your final hand pairs the two you already held, destroying your low draw.
Protection against counterfeiting involves smooth low cards. A-2-3-4-5 cannot be counterfeited because even if you pair one of those cards, the remaining five cards still make the wheel. Holdings like A-2-5-6-8 are more vulnerable—pairing any non-ace card forces you to use both the pair and other cards, often preventing qualification.
Equity Distribution Thinking
Advanced Stud Hi-Lo players think in terms of equity distribution. Against a single opponent, you're not asking "who wins?" but "what percentage of the pot do I expect to win on average?" A player holding the nut low draw with no high potential has roughly 25% equity if their opponent has a strong high hand but no low possibility—they'll win half the pot when the low comes in, zero when it doesn't.
Multiway pots complicate equity calculations. Three players with equal chances at winning high and low each have approximately 33% equity—but the actual distribution depends on quartering and scooping possibilities. A player with a made low and flush draw might have 60% equity against two opponents holding high pairs. These calculations inform bet sizing and continuation decisions.
Jamming for Three-Quarters
A specialized tactic involves jamming (raising aggressively) when you hold the nut low and believe you can quarter another low draw. If you have A-2-3-4-7 for a nut 7-low and two opponents appear to have high hands and low draws, your jam wins half the pot (the low half) while the other low draw either folds or ties. If they tie, you split the low half but caused them to invest heavily for a quarter.
This tactic only works when your low is demonstrably better (nut or near-nut) and at least one opponent holds a weak low draw. Against players who only chase nut lows, jamming fails—they hold the same low you do, resulting in quartering yourself. Opponent reading becomes critical for these spots.
Responsible Gambling Note
Stud Hi-Lo, like all poker variants, involves financial risk when played for real money. The split-pot format creates additional variance because half-pot wins occur frequently, requiring larger sample sizes to realize edge. Players should set bankroll limits appropriate for fixed-limit split-pot games and recognize that short-term results fluctuate significantly.
If gambling becomes problematic, resources are available through the National Council on Problem Gambling at 1-800-522-4700. Poker should remain a recreational activity within affordable limits, not a financial obligation or stress source.
Frequently Asked Questions
What qualifies as a low hand in Stud Hi-Lo?
A qualifying low hand must contain five unpaired cards ranked eight or lower (8-7-6-5-4 or better). Aces count as low, so the best possible low is A-2-3-4-5 (the wheel). Straights and flushes do not disqualify low hands. If no player makes a qualifying low, the entire pot goes to the best high hand.
What is scooping in Stud Hi-Lo?
Scooping means winning both the high and low halves of the pot. This is the most profitable outcome in split-pot games. The wheel (A-2-3-4-5) is ideal for scooping because it's both the nut low and a straight for high. Playing scoop-oriented starting hands maximizes expected value.
How does Stud Hi-Lo differ from Omaha Hi-Lo?
Both are split-pot games with the same eight-or-better qualifying low requirement. The key differences are structural: Stud Hi-Lo has no community cards (each player gets seven individual cards), uses antes instead of blinds, and typically plays fixed-limit. Omaha Hi-Lo uses four hole cards with five community cards and often plays pot-limit.
Why is Stud Hi-Lo part of HORSE and 8-Game?
Stud Hi-Lo (the "E" in HORSE stands for Eight-or-Better) tests different skills than other poker variants. It requires tracking dead cards, reading split-pot dynamics, and understanding when low hands are live or dead. Mixed games include it to challenge players across multiple poker disciplines and reward well-rounded poker knowledge.
What does "getting quartered" mean?
Getting quartered means winning only a quarter of the pot—typically by tying for the low half while another player wins the high. You split the low half (25%) while contributing bets that built the entire pot. This usually results in net losses for the hand and should be avoided by playing nut low draws rather than second-best lows.
Should I always play A-2-X starting hands?
A-2-X represents a premium starting hand, but context matters. If multiple other low cards show on opponents' boards, your A-2 faces more quartering competition. If your X is a high card like a King, you lack flush or straight potential. Suited, connected A-2-3 or A-2-4 plays better than unsuited A-2-K. Also consider how many aces and twos are visible—dead cards reduce hand value.
Tools for Stud Hi-Lo Players
While dedicated Stud Hi-Lo calculators are rare, several of our poker tools support split-pot analysis and probability calculations useful for this game:
- Poker Odds Calculator - Understand pre-flop probabilities applicable to starting hand selection
- Pot Odds Calculator - Calculate whether chasing draws (high or low) is mathematically justified
- Expected Value Calculator - Evaluate betting decisions considering split-pot outcomes
- Outs Calculator - Count outs for low completion or high hand improvement
For more mixed-game strategy resources, explore our guides to Razz, Omaha Hi-Lo, and HORSE poker—all variants that share strategic concepts with Stud Hi-Lo.