Game rules · Stud
Five Card Stud High-Low is dealt and bet like ordinary Five Card Stud, with one card down and four up. At showdown the pot is split equally between the highest hand and the lowest hand. In cardroom play the cards speak; in home games players usually declare high or low before the showdown.
Also known as 5 Card Stud High-Low, Five Card Stud Hi-Lo
The object of the game is to win half the pot with the highest hand or the lowest hand, or the whole pot if the other players fold.
The game is played with a standard 52-card deck with no wild cards. Up to ten players may take part.
Each player's hand is exactly the five cards dealt to them. There is no draw.
The deal and betting follow Five Card Stud except as set out in article 3.
High hands rank according to the standard poker hand rankings.
Any recognised method of ranking low hands may be used, and the dealer shall announce it before the deal:
2.2(a) Ace-to-five: aces low, straights and flushes ignored; the best low is 5-4-3-2-A.
2.2(b) Ace-to-six: aces low, straights and flushes count against the hand; the best low is 6-4-3-2-A.
2.2(c) Deuce-to-seven: aces high, straights and flushes count against the hand; the best low is 7-5-4-3-2 not all of one suit.
No qualifier is required for low unless the group agrees one before play.
| Round | Cards dealt | Cards each player holds |
|---|---|---|
| First betting round | One down, one up | 1 down, 1 up |
| Second betting round | One up | 1 down, 2 up |
| Third betting round | One up | 1 down, 3 up |
| Fourth betting round | One up | 1 down, 4 up |
Every player antes. Each player is dealt one card face down and one face up, and there is a betting round. Three more cards are then dealt face up, one at a time, each followed by a betting round.
The first player to act on each round is decided as in Five Card Stud, either by a bring-in or by the highest hand showing.
In fixed-limit play, some groups do not allow an open pair on the second betting round to trigger the option of a big bet or raise, since a pair is not good for low. The dealer shall announce whether the open-pair rule applies.
This is the formal method, used in cardrooms.
At showdown, all remaining hands are shown. The pot is divided equally between the highest hand and the lowest hand.
A single hand may be both the highest and the lowest and take the whole pot.
If the pot cannot be divided exactly in two, the odd chip goes to the high hand.
If two or more players tie for high or for low, they share that half equally.
A cards-speak split, ace-to-five low
Player A: K♦ down, K♠9♥6♣3♦ up. A pair of kings.
Player B: A♣ down, 2♥4♠6♦8♣ up. An eight-low, with ace-high for high.
Player C: Q♥ down, Q♣J♦7♠5♥ up. A pair of queens.
A's kings are the highest hand; B's 8-6-4-2-A is the lowest. A and B split the pot. If the pot is 125, A receives 63 and B 62.
Home games often play high-low with a declaration.
After the final betting round, each remaining player declares either high or low.
Declarations are made either in turn around the table or all at once. A common simultaneous method is for each player to hide a chip, or no chip, in a closed hand, and for all to open their hands together. The dealer shall announce the method before the deal.
Declaring both ways is usually not allowed in this game. Where it is allowed, it seldom makes sense except with ace-to-five ranking and a hand such as 5-4-3-2-A, which is a straight for high and the best low.
The best hand among those who declared high shares the pot with the best low hand among those who declared low. A player competes only in the direction declared.
If every remaining player declares the same way, the usual practice is that the best hand in that direction takes the whole pot.
Declaring high or low
Three players remain, and the game uses ace-to-five low.
Player A: Q♦ down, Q♠J♥9♦4♣ up. A pair of queens.
Player B: 2♣ down, 7♣5♠3♦6♥ up. A seven-low: 7-6-5-3-2.
Player C: A♦ down, A♥10♠8♣9♠ up. A pair of aces.
C declares high. A, seeing C's two aces showing, declares low. B declares low.
C is the only player competing for high and wins that half. For low, B's unpaired seven-low beats A's pair of queens, so B wins the low half. A wins nothing, because A competes only for low.
Equally between the highest hand and the lowest hand. If the pot does not divide exactly, the odd chip goes to the high hand.
Not in the standard rules. Any hand can win low unless the group has agreed a qualifier, such as eight-or-better, before play.
Usually not. Most home games allow only high or low. Where both are allowed, a player who declares both must normally win both ways to take anything; check the house rule before play.
It depends on the low ranking in use. Under ace-to-five they are ignored, so 5-4-3-2-A is the best low. Under ace-to-six and deuce-to-seven they count as high hands and spoil a low.
The usual practice is that the best high hand takes the whole pot, since no one is competing for low.
Where any doubt remains in the application of this document, Rob is right.
Hand rankings, high to low: royal flush · straight flush · four of a kind · full house · flush · straight · three of a kind · two pair · one pair · high card. Suits never break ties.
Five Card Stud High-Low Rules · OPR-206 · officialpokerrules.com/five-card-stud-high-low/