Home games often feature unusual variants of seven stud high-low, sometimes involving wild cards and replacements. You won't find these online or in b&ms. Another home game variant you won't see is the declaration, in which players indicate at the showdown whether they're going high or low or both ways. That home game variant never has a qualifier, and a player has to win the half of the pot for which he "spoke." A player can win the low half, for example, without actually having the best low hand if the holder of the best low does not declare properly. Any hand can win the low half of the pot even a pair or worse as long as it is the lowest hand to declare low.

Online and in b&ms, "cards speak." What this means online is that at the showdown the software determines which hand is best for high and which for low providing a hand qualifies for low and awards the pot accordingly.

Just as in the high version of seven card stud, each player starts with two hole cards and one upcard, and then the dealer gives each active player three more upcards, and then a final downcard. Thus each player ends up with seven cards, four face up and three face down. The difference between seven card stud high and seven card stud high-low is that in seven card stud high-low each player can potentially have two different hands, a high hand and a low hand. Each player forms a five-card high hand by using five of his seven cards. Each player forms a five-card low hand by using five of his seven cards. Both the high hand combination and the low hand combination can use the same set of five cards, but they don't have to; in fact, usually they would not. For example, if your seven cards are Kh 8h 5c 4h 3h 2s Ah, your high hand is Ah Kh 8h 4h 3h, an ace-high flush, while your low hand is 5c 4h 3h 2s Ah, a wheel . Here is a hand that uses the same five cards for low and for high: Ks Qh 8s 7d 6c 5h 4c. The high hand is an 8-high straight and the low hand is 8-7-6-5-4.

As in most forms of poker, seven stud high-low uses a standard 52-card deck. The game is played at an eight-handed table.

Each new hand of seven stud high-low begins with each player putting an ante into the pot. The ante is a payment into the pot before cards are dealt for the purpose of stimulating action. For example, in a $2/$4 limit game, the ante is 40 cents. Each player must ante each hand to receive cards.

When you first sit down at a table, you get dealt in immediately, after being prompted to ante. Since seven stud high-low does not have blinds, you do not have to wait.

In seven stud high-low, the deal position does not rotate as in blind games. The nominal deal position is indicated by a white disk called the stud button. The stud button is always by seat 8, and each new deal always starts at seat 1. The first card of each succeeding round always goes to the first active player (one who either has equaled all the bets thus far, or has gone all in, that is, run out of chips with which to call) to the left of the stud button. If you rotate the table to change your position, the stud button also rotates. This makes it clear where the deal position is. This is important in those few situations in which two or more players have identical boards. After the first round, if hands are tied, the hand closest to the left of the stud button begins the betting.

When the antes are in place, the dealer distributes two cards face down to each player and then one card face up, starting with seat 1. The two downcards are called hole cards. Your hole cards appear face up on your screen, but don't worry; only you can see your hole cards. Only the backs of every other player's hole cards appear on screen. Every other player has a similar view, with only his own hole cards visible. You can tell which are your hole cards and which your upcard, because the hole cards are situated lower than the upcard. You can see the upcards of all the other players, and they can see your upcard.

Seven stud high-low, as any form of poker, is about betting. Seven stud high-low has five betting rounds. The sizes of the bets depend on the structure of the game.

On the first round (known as third street ), the betting starts with the player having the lowest upcard. This bet is a forced bet. The bet must be at least a specified minimum, in which case it is called the bring-in , but can be more. The bring-in is usually one-fourth the lower limit. If two or more players have the same rank of upcard, who must make the bring-in is determined by suit, in reverse bridge order (clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades). This is one of the few times that suits have any bearing in poker. For example, if three deuces appear on the first round in this order, 2s, 2h, 2d, the holder of the 2d would be required to make the bring-in bet.

You choose your action by clicking in a dialog box . While you can always complete the bet, you will find that players usually open for the minimum. If everyone folds, you win the antes, and the next hand is dealt.

Normally everyone would not fold for a bring-in, however.

If you open for the bring-in, each succeeding player has three choices:

•  fold
•  call, that is, match the bring-in
•  complete the bet, that is, increase the bet to the lower limit

If you or anyone else completes the bet, each succeeding player has three choices:

•  fold
•  call, that is, match the preceding bet
•  raise, that is, increase the preceding bet

Each player in turn has the same three choices. If there has been a raise, each player who chooses to continue must either call the total bet thus far or himself raise. In any one round of betting, there can be a maximum of one bet and three raises. The bring-in plus the completion count as one bet in the first round. For example, in a $2/$4 limit game, you open for the 50-cent bring-in, another player completes the bet to $2, and then two players raise. That makes the total bet $6. This is the equivalent of three bets, and another player could make one more raise. Doing so would cap the betting for that round, that is, cause it to reach the maximum.

If you fold for a raise, your cards are removed from play and no longer appear on the screen.

As you evaluate your cards, realize that since this is a high-low split game, good cards can be low cards as well as high cards. You want to end up with a hand that is best for either high or low and, ideally, one that can win both high and low (scoop the pot). Keep in mind the qualifier. If you are trying to build a low hand, cards 9 and higher lessen your chances. Compared with Omaha high-low, seven stud high-low has a greater proportion of pots split between high and low on the showdown. An Omaha high-low pot can have a low only if at least three of the community cards are 8 or lower and even then, it sometimes happens that no player can make a low. In seven stud high-low, however, since a player can use any five of his seven cards, the likelihood of a low hand is often quite high.

Once the betting for the first round is equalized, that is, once everyone has had an opportunity either to fold or match the total betting, the dealer deals each active player a second upcard ( fourth street ). Players still in the hand participate in a round of betting. The betting on fourth street proceeds at the lower limit.

The only betting difference between seven stud high-low and seven stud is that in seven stud high-low the appearance in anyone's board of a pair on fourth street does not offer an optional increase in the betting limit. In seven card stud high-low, the first two betting rounds are always at the lower limit and the last three always at the higher limit.

On fourth and all successive streets, the betting always starts with the player showing the highest board. If two or more players have the same high board, the betting begins with the player closest to the left of the stud button. In the picture, since you are closer to the stud button than the other player who holds ace-deuce, you are first to bet.

The situation is exactly the same if the tied hands are pairs. For example, if two players show 7-7, the one closer to the stud button starts the betting.

Don't worry about having to figure out which player starts the betting. The software prompts you when it is your turn to act. It also presents all the options available. All you have to do is click the choice you want.

In all rounds after third street, the player first to act has two choices:

•  check, that is, make no bet
•  bet, that is, make a bet at the proper limit for that round

If no one bets, each player in turn has the same choices. It is possible in every round except third street for no betting to occur. No betting in a round is called being checked around.

If anyone bets, each succeeding player has three choices:

•  fold
•  call, that is, match the preceding bet
•  raise, that is, increase the preceding bet

A player who checks retains his cards. If someone bets, when the action returns, a player who previously checked has the preceding three choices. To check and then raise when the betting returns is known, reasonably enough, as check-raising. If you check with the intention of raising, you of course risk the possibility that no one will bet.

Once the betting for fourth street is equalized, that is, once everyone has had an opportunity either to check or match the total betting for the round, the dealer deals each active player a third upcard ( fifth street ). Players still in the hand participate in a round of betting. The bets on fifth street are at the higher level.

Once the betting for fifth street is equalized, the dealer deals each active player a fourth upcard ( sixth street ). Players still in the hand participate in a round of betting. The bets on sixth street remain at the higher level.

Once the betting for sixth street is equalized, the dealer deals each active player a final card, face down ( seventh street or the river card ). Players still in the hand participate in a final round of betting. The betting proceeds exactly the same as the three previous rounds.

Showdown

Once the betting for seventh street is equalized, the betting is over, and there is a showdown. Remaining active players show their cards. The best high hand, comprised of the best five cards from among each player's seven, wins half the pot. The best low hand (as long as one qualifies by consisting of five different cards 8 or lower), comprised of the best five cards from among each player's seven, wins half the pot. The software determines the winning hands, and awards half the pot to the holder of each hand. If no hand qualifies for low, the software awards the entire pot to the holder of the highest hand. If the same player's set of seven cards consists simultaneously of the best high hand and the best low hand, the software awards the entire pot to the holder of that hand.

Players do not show their cards simultaneously. The showdown takes place in a specified order.

If the betting is not equalized on seventh street, that is, one player bet or raised and no one called, there is no showdown, and the software awards the pot to the player who made that uncalled bet. This is the case on any previous street, as well. If it happens on earlier streets, no further cards are dealt, because the hand is over.

Sometimes a player runs out of chips before all the betting is over. In such case, one or more side pots are created, and the software awards appropriate main and side pots. When a player is all in, a bet or raise can be made that is not called, but a showdown still takes place.