| 7
Card Hi Lo Qualify Eight Poker - Seven High Low Rules,
Strategy Tips |
Seven
Card High Low Stud Poker is a challenging game because it's not
very easy to learn and master. . The help along these lines here
is basically from those that are generally accepted as seven
hi lo experts . . I think that when you learn the ropes, you
will like having an edge against most other players in the game.
|
 |
Limit
Seven Card High Low Qualify Poker - 2 to 8 Players, Rules
|
| Highest
hand splits the pot with the lowest qualifying hand || To
qualify for the low half of the pot, the low hand must be 8,7,6,5,4
or lower || Lowest up card is a forced
starting bet || Ace plays both high and low || Three
raise limit per round || Cards speak |
Card
Distribution and Betting Procedure
|
|
|
Example:
$2/$4 Seven Card Hi Lo Qualify Eight.
After all players have anted $.50, (1.) Each
player is dealt two cards face down and one face up. The player with
the lowest up card* makes a forced bet of either $1 half minimum
or $2 full bet (player's choice) to start the game. The rest of the
players, in clockwise order, either call the opening bet, raise it,
or not call and "fold" their hands back to the dealer. (2.) All
get a fourth card face up followed by a round of $2 betting. From
this round on, the player with the highest up card(s) is always first
to check or bet. (3.) After
the fifth card is dealt face up, the minimum bet goes to $4. (4.) The
sixth card is dealt face up and there is another round of $4 betting. (5.) The
seventh and last card is dealt face down and followed by the final
round of $4 betting. The dealer then determines the winning high
hand and low hand, if any, and awards the pot. The ideal result,
of course, is to win both ends of the pot with a low straight, a
low hand with a flush or any other hand that will win the whole pot,
including a high hand when nobody qualifies for low.
*(Note). Only for the purpose of determining the starting lowest
upcard in the case of ties, the card denominations are sub-divided
by these suit values in decending order: Spades the highest, through
Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs the lowest. |
How
to Play 7 Card Hi-Lo Qualify
|
General
Strategy:
In this game the high hand winner must split the pot
with the player with the best qualifying low hand. There is always
a high hand winner but not always a low. For a hand to qualify
for low, it must have five denominations no higher than an eight.
Any five of your seven cards may be played for high and any five
can be played for low. Aces are played both high and low. Straights
and flushes do not disqualify a hand for low, so a player ending
with 5 4 3 2 A would have an unbeatable low hand and a 5 high
straight to play for high. This hand would have an excellent
chance of winning both ways. In
this example, the player could also have another hand that is
higher than the 5 high straight to play for high.
The
most important thing to keep in mind in
split pot games is the big profit difference between
winning half the pot and "scooping" it
all. Beginners tend
to think that winning two split pots is equal to
winning one full pot. Not so at all from a profit
point of view! Scooping the pot usually builds a
healthy addition to your stack of chips. Getting
half often puts you barely ahead of where you were
before you started playing the hand. Winning Seven
Card High Low players often have to settle for half,
occasionally lose both high and low, but ALWAYS play
only hands that have a good chance of winning it
all. They never play for one side only unless they
have an almost or certain unbeatable one way hand
or have a probable "escape" on seventh
street already made. The second most important
thing to do in Seven Hi/Lo is to get out EARLY when
it looks like you don't have the best probable scoop
hand! As soon as hands that start out with good
possibilities for both high and low, turn into probable
losers for either end, they should be folded unless
they are almost certain winners for half of the pot.
This also applies to strong high hands that are not
an almost certain high end winner, that will probably
have to split with a low.
Definitions:
HIGH CARDS - 9 up to A .
LOW CARDS - A up to 8. (Ace can be played as the lowest
denomination or the highest).
SPLIT PAIR - Starting hand with one of
your pair cards down and the other up.
CONCEALED PAIR - Starting hand with both
of your pair cards in the hole and your side card
kicker up.
WHEEL - (5 4 3 2 A). Can be played as the lowest
possible hand, a straight for high or both.
DOOR CARD - The exposed upcard of a starting hand.
DEAD CARDS - Cards that have been revealed and
no longer in the deck.
SCOOP - Win both high and low ends of the pot
or win it all with a high hand when there is no low.
FAST PLAY - Bet, raise and re-raise to get as
many other players out as possible.
SLOW PLAY - Just check or call along to keep other
players in the game and increase the pot odds.
CHECK-FOLD - Check when you can and fold if you
are bet into. Gladly accept all free cards offered.
Normally
Playable Starting Hands:
TRIPS -
(QQQ). Fast play face cards. Slow play with
Aces and all others on third street, then
play fast.
3 LOW to a STRAIGHT FLUSH - (7d 5d 3d). Play
the same as 3 LOW to a FLUSH below.
3 LOW to a STRAIGHT - ( 6h 4s 2c).Play the same as 3 LOW
to a FLUSH below.
3 LOW to a FLUSH - (3c 6c 8c). Slow play these three similar
hands. Check-fold on fourth street if you pair up or don't improve
your high side and are facing two or more better low hand draws.
3 LOW with an ACE - (8 4 A). Check-fold on fifth
street if you don't have trips or aces over and are facing two
or more better low draws.
LOW PAIR with an ACE - (66 A). Check-fold on fifth street
if you don't have trips or aces over and are facing two or more
better low draws.
LOW
PAIR with two to a LOW
STRAIGHT - (44 7). Usually check-fold if you don't
improve your hand on both fourth and fifth streets.
HIGH PAIR/Faces. (KK QQ JJ). Play these fast,
split or concealed, if they are not overcarded on the
board. Try to drive the weak low hands and high draw
hands out. Usually fold if
you haven't improved by 5th st.
PAIR ACES with High Kicker -
(AA J). Play the same as a High Pair of Faces (above).
PAIR ACES with Low Kicker -
(AA 6). Play fast to reduce the number of players. Consider
folding on fifth street if you haven't improved high
or don't have a good low draw.
PAIR NINES or TENS with an ACE - (99 A) (1010
A). Slow play and check-fold on fourth street if
you don't catch trips or aces-over right away.
3 CARD HIGH STRAIGHT FLUSH - (10h Jh
Qh). - Slow play and usually check-fold on fifth street
if you haven't caught a two or three way draw hand or
better.
2 LOW and 1 HIGH to a FLUSH - (3d 7d
Kd).- Slow play and usually check-fold on fourth street
if you don't catch low to your flush.
|
|
|
|
|
Normally
Not Playable Starting Hands:
High
Straights and High Flushes.
Unconnected Low Cards (that can't make a straight) without an ace
or flush possibilities.
Pair of Nines or a Pair of Tens without an Ace Kicker.
Unpaired High-Low Combinations.
Strategy
Tips:
The
first four cards are a major key to winning at
Seven Card Stud games. If your starting hands develop
according to plan, you can be a strong favorite
to scoop the pot. If they don't, you get out early
and escape the expensive second best experience.
The three card starting hands recommended above
are those with at least a reasonably good chance
of producing a dominant four card hand. Clearly,
good four card hands that are carefully played
don't always win but they win a lot more than the
others.
Beware
of the paired door card. If
an opponent is playing a pair in his starting
hand, and pairs his door card (first upcard),
the odds are two out of three that the door card
is part of his pair. A paired door card presents
a strong possibility that the holder has a dangerous
set of trips (especially if it is a high card).
Bet your playable hands. As a general
rule, usually bet rather than check hands that you would
call if someone else were to bet. Many
times your competitors are waiting for someone to bet
so that they can fold. Normally
only check hands that you intend to fold if someone bets.
High Pairs increase in value over low draw hands
when it is down to one or two competitors. When a
high hand is heads up against a low draw, the high hand
usually has the edge.
Watch
the board closely for key cards that can
seriously diminish your chances of making a good hand.
Don't play marginal starting hands like pairs, if both
your pair cards and side card are completely "live" (none
of your cards showing on the board). Also play low
straights cautiously if your key cards are not live.
Keep
track of the fives and fours, both on the board and
folded. These are key cards in all low straights.
Usually avoid or play door card eights cautiously. They
can reveal weakness in you hand and get you trapped in
a high vs low jamming contest between other players with
very strong hands in the late streets.
Beware of multiple "check-arounds" on
7th St. - Straight and flush draws often hit
on the last card and there is usually so little in
the pot that yor last card pair of Aces etc. is not
a very good bet.
Stay aware of what your up-cards reveal or might
mislead your opponents. This can give you clues
to their hands when they bet into you, especially in low
hand battles.
Try to find reasons to fold both your starting hands
and those that develop on the later streets. Look for a
dead card or two in the denomination that you need and
for three or more dead cards in the suit that you are drawing
to. Look for too much strong competition developing for
the high and low prizes that you are after. When you can't
find reasons to fold, you can then proceed more confidently.
Study your opponents, especially when you are not
playing hands and can pay careful attention. Do they find
more hands to play than they fold? Do they bluff? Can they
be bluffed? Do they have any "tells" (give away
mannerisms) that disclose information about their hands
etc.
Get caught bluffing once in a while. It is a way
to vary your play and not be too predictable. You win pots
that you don't deserve when your bluff works. You lose
a few chips when it doesn't work but it will get you calls
from weaker hands down the line when you are really strong
and need the action.
Unless you are playing a strong draw hand, usually
fold if your complete hand is beaten on the board by
an opponent's upcards.
Have fun
and GOOD LUCK!
"Bullet
Bob" Maxwell
|
|
|
|
Copyright©,
RJM Netco LLC, 2003-2011. All Rights Reserved.
|
|
|
