In Stud Hi/Lo, half the pot is awarded to the best Hi hand and half the pot is awarded to the best Lo hand. To qualify for a low hand, one must have five unpaired cards Eight or Better (eight or lower). Apr 16, 2014  Cole South sits down with Ivey Poker pro Jonathan Tamayo to discuss the basics of Stud 8 as well as some common mistakes NLHE players make when transitioning to this game.

• Caribbean Stud Poker Strategy

Stud Hi/Lo, or Stud8, is one variation of Stud poker: instead of using community cards, each player is dealt seven cards (four face up, three face down), from which he must make his hand. In Stud8, a player makes two hands, one Hi and one Lo. The Basic Strategy in 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo Poker. The basic 7 card stud Hi/lo poker strategy is to play hands that have a very good chance of winning the entire pot. At times, winners of this game look to take home half the pot and not to lose both the high and low sides. May 16, 2017  Once we cover the basics we get deeper into percentages and ranges of hands that you may want to squeeze value out of. My favorite game because it's fascinating! Check out my Full Contact Poker.

Coming up on Monday, June 24, the much anticipated, five-day $50,000 Poker Players Championship kicks off at the 2019 World Series of Poker. The PPC began back in 2006 (earning its name in 2010), and during its first 13 years no one has been more successful in the event than Michael 'The Grinder' Mizrachi.

Last year Mizrachi captured his third PPC title to go along with the ones he won in 2010 and 2012, breaking a tie with two-time winner Brian Rast. In addition to these three wins in this coveted event, Mizrachi also finished fourth in the 2016 PPC.

The PPC is played six-handed and consists of eight different games in a variety of disciplines: stud (seven-card stud, seven-card stud hi-lo, and razz); Omaha games (pot-limit Omaha, Omaha hi-lo); hold'em (limit and no-limit); and draw (2-7 triple draw).

As the 38-year-old poker superstar prepared to defend his PPC title, I sat down with Mizrachi to discuss the big mistakes amateurs make in these eight different games as well as to gather tips from the Grinder for how to approach each of them.

Since Mizrachi is fresh off capturing his fifth bracelet in Event #27: $1,500 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better, we decided to begin this four-part series with a discussion of seven-card stud and seven-card stud hi-lo.

PokerNews: Congratulations on winning your fifth WSOP bracelet in the seven-card stud hi-lo.

Michael Mizrachi: Thanks, Bernard. It’s pretty incredible. I want to thank my family, friends and fans who were there to support me.

With the PPC coming up, are you excited to defend your title?

Absolutely. I always love playing the Poker Players Championship and I always feel confident when I play in the event.

Let’s begin with the game you just won your fifth bracelet in, seven-card stud hi-lo. What are some of the common mistakes that amateurs make in this game?

Players often are only playing their hand and not looking at their opponents’ cards.

For example, players sometimes play any three lower cards and that is a mistake, especially if someone after is starting with cards lower than you. I see a player might start with 2-7-8 and it seems that an opponent or two has a better starting low draw. The player is potentially drawing behind and they have very little chance at a straight. I would rather play 6-7-8 or 5-6-7 to give a better opportunity at a two-way hand.

Also, players are often drawing to lows or a straight when the cards that they need are exposed. For example, if they have 6-7-8 and two fives and a nine are exposed. This is not a very good drawing hand and they should definitely fold it.

Of course, the opposite is true where if you start with 3-4-5 and couple of fours and a three is shown — now you have a better chance at not pairing these cards and making a low and even a straight. Thus, these up cards makes this hand even stronger.

Those are some of the common mistakes. What other advice can you give players for how to approach seven-card stud hi-lo?

Of course, the optimal starting hands are two-way hands. However, like all poker, seven-card stud hi-lo is a very situational game and you are able to assess situations with more information since numerous cards are face up. Therefore, you have to be paying attention in any stud game all the time. You can never be on your phone. You have to focus 100 percent of the time.

Imagine in hold’em if a card was accidentally exposed and the dealer showed everyone except you. It would be a huge disadvantage. Well, in stud, there are multiple “exposed” cards every street and the player that remembers the most cards has a huge advantage.

Therefore, if no players have a low possible draw, the previously discussed low hand of 2-7-8 that I said to fold, suddenly becomes playable. This is all dependent on the situation and if you are paying close attention to every opponent’s hand.

Also, if I have a big pair, I often like to reraise in order to isolate and get heads-up against a potential low hand to chop with them. Then, hopefully, my opponent doesn’t make a low and I can scoop the pot.

Another piece of advice if you have a big hand, would be to flat on fourth street in order to get them to put another bet on fifth street so you can raise to get an extra big bet in. Limit games are all about getting an extra bet and this is an excellent way to do this.

Finally, if you are guaranteed the high or low, and two other players are fighting for the other half, you sometimes may want to flat instead of raising to keep them both in. They will fight for half the pot and keep putting in bets, where you are guaranteed the other half and will make additional chips.

Let’s switch to seven-card stud, which is a 'high-only' game. What are some mistakes that amateurs make in seven-card stud?

A lot of players are calling with low pairs. I wouldn't play with anything less than sixes, but again it depends on situation and the up cards. If there are a lot of higher cards to my pair, especially if someone has already brought it in, I may just fold. But if there are a lot of lower cards, I may raise.

Also, players try to bluff on seventh street and when their opponent has called them down on every street, their opponent will rarely fold. In limit, they will always be getting the right price to call.

What other advice can you share for seven-card stud?

If I enter the pot, I’m always raising or three-betting. I’m super-aggressive and try to limit the field. Many players are not aggressive enough.

I like playing three cards of the same suit and I love the wired pairs.

Also, you can sometimes rep hands that you don’t have based on your up cards. If you bet the cards like you have it, your opponents can believe you and fold.

* * * * *

Next time, we will move on to discuss the 'low' games in the 8-game mix — razz and 2-7 limit triple draw.

Finding a trustworthy room to play online poker can be a monumental burden. That's all the more true if you're just looking for a place to play poker for free. We've listed five of the best play-money poker sites to enjoy and help hone your skills.

• Tags

  cash game strategytournament strategyWSOP2019 WSOPWorld Series of PokerMichael Mizrachimixed game strategymixed gamesseven-card studseven-card stud hi-lostarting hand selectiondrawing hands

• Related Tournaments

  World Series of Poker

• Related Players

  Michael Mizrachi

Quick Jump

Stud Hi-Lo is one of the most popular games at various poker sites, US as well as international, thanks to its split pot structure. Awarding half the pot to a low hand and half to a high hand means this game is extremely action packed. In fact, if you’re of a somewhat nervous disposition, then Stud Hi-Lo probably isn’t the poker variant for you. However, if you’re slightly skittish and have a dual personality, then this game will be perfect.

Operating along the same lines as Stud poker, but with a subtle twist, Stud Hi-Lo is gradually becoming the preferred format for some of the top online poker pros in America. Before we go any further, however, we feel it’s important to point out that Stud Hi-Lo isn’t for the fainthearted. Although the mechanics of the game are fairly simple once you’d got to grips with them, the amount of concentration it takes to understand its dynamics aren’t necessarily suitable for beginners.

During your first few sessions of Stud Hi-Lo poker you’ll probably find that you’ll struggle to keep up with the action. Thus, when you do decide to make the jump into one of these games, you should already have a developed poker strategy. Because of this, we recommend playing some Texas Hold’em or Stud Hi at one of our suggested top USA poker sites before you delve into the matrix of this split pot variant.

Five Things You Need to Know about Stud Hi-Lo:

1. Stud Hi-Lo poker uses a split pot format. Half the pot is award to the winning low hand and half the pot is given to the winning high hand.
2. If there is no qualifying low hand (an eight low minimum) then the best high hand scoops the pot.
3. Stud Hi-Lo doesn’t involve community cards.
4. In the event of the deck running out of cards, a single community card can be dealt.
5. We recommend honing your skills at the Stud table before indulging in a few sessions of Stud Hi-Lo at a top USA poker sites.

The Basics of Stud Hi-Lo Poker

Stud Hi-Lo is a limit poker game and when it comes to betting, it’s virtually identical to Stud Hi. In contrast, this variant is almost a complete opposite to popular poker games in the United States such as Texas Hold’em. The first major difference is that the forced bets are known as antes and they don’t follow the same pattern as the “small blind” and “big blind” that you find in games such as Hold’em.

To stimulate action, Stud Hi-Lo games start with each player at the table putting in an ante which is equivalent to the minimum table stakes, e.g. a $2/$4 game will usually have a $0.30 ante. After this, players are dealt their first three cards (two face down and one face up) and the player with the lowest up card is forced to pay the “bring in”. The size of the bring-in can be the size of the ante or the full size of the table’s lowest stake, e.g. in a $1/$2 game the bring-in can be $1.

Once this round of betting has been completed, the remaining players are dealt a fourth card face up and the player with the highest value card is the person who leads the betting. *Note, unlike seven card stud, there is no double-sized opening bet allowed if a player makes a pair on Fourth Street.

This pattern continues as a fifth and sixth card are dealt and only changes on the river (the seventh card), when the card is placed facedown on the table. The first player to bet in this final round is the one with the highest value cards on display. After Seventh Street has been dealt the remaining players must expose their card, unless one player forces everyone else to fold.

The Rules of Stud Hi-Lo Poker

In Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo, the low hand is played with an eight or better qualifier. This means that a low hand must contain an eight-low. If there is no qualifying low hand, the high hand wins the entire pot.

As with Omaha Hi-Lo, Stud Hi-Lo across all poker sites in the US uses the Ace to Five hand ranking system. This means that straights and flushes do not count against a hand and Aces are always low. Moreover, the highest card in your five-card hand will determine the strength of your low hand. For example, 8, 6, 4, 2, A will be known as an “eight low” and would lost to 7, 6, 4, 2, A (a seven low). To give you a better idea of how low hands look, here are ten of the top Stud Hi-Lo hands ranging from weakest to strongest:

*Note: a low hand is always ranked from its highest card downwards. *

If there is more than one remaining player when the final betting round is complete the last bettor or raiser shows his or her cards first. If there was no bet on the final round, the player in the earliest seat shows his or her cards first.

The player with the best five-card hand for the high wins half the pot, and the player with the best hand for low wins the other half of the pot. In the event that no hand qualifies for low, the best hand for high wins the entire pot. In the event of two or more players have the same high or low hands, the pot halves will be split accordingly.

Additional Stud Hi-Lo Rules:

• In the case of ties during the bring-in, the first person to act is decided by card suit. Suits are ranked in alphabetical order: clubs (lowest), diamonds, hearts and spades (highest).

• If the player with the lowest card showing on Third Street is all-in for the ante and they are consequently unable to make the required bring-in bet, the bring-in moves clockwise to the next player at the table.

• Stud games are played with eight players and because it’s possible to run out of cards before Seventh Street is dealt (because there’s only 52 cards in the deck), a single community card can be dealt face up to help determine a winning hand.

Biggest Winners in Stud Hi-Lo History

The biggest winners in Stud Hi-Lo history usually emerge from the WSOP that is held in the United States, so let’s take you through some of the most famous champions from recent years and show you the level it’s possible to reach when you play this game at our recommend US poker sites:

• Frank Kassela – 2010 $10,000 WSOP Stud Hi-Lo Champion – $447,446
• Eric Rodawig – 2011 $10,000 WSOP Stud Hi-Lo Champion – $442,183
• Adam Friedman – 2012 $5,000 WSOP Stud Hi-Lo Champion – $269,037
• Mike Matusow – 2013 $5,000 WSOP Stud Hi-Lo Champion – $266,503
• George Danzer – 2014 $10,000 WSOP Stud Hi-Lo Champion – $352,696

Caribbean Stud Poker Strategy

Comments are closed.