High-Low Chicago Rules

High-Low Chicago was contributed to pagat.com by Josh Breid. It is a splitting rule that can be added to most forms of poker. It works well with Seven Card Stud, which is the usual base game.

The cards are dealt and bet as in the base game. Nothing changes until the showdown.

In a showdown, the pot is divided into three equal shares:

1.3(a) one share to the best poker hand;

1.3(b) one share to the highest qualifying spade; and

1.3(c) one share to the lowest qualifying spade.

In a game with face-up cards, such as Seven Card Stud, only spades held face down qualify for the spade shares. A spade dealt face up does not count.

Only players who remain in the hand at the showdown can win a share.

The source does not say whether the ace of spades counts as the highest or the lowest spade. In Low Chicago, the ace counts high, and that is the usual practice. The dealer shall announce the rule before the deal.

There is no declaration. The pot is split automatically according to the cards.

If only one qualifying spade is held among the players in the showdown, its holder wins both spade shares, two thirds of the pot.

If no player in the showdown holds a qualifying spade, the best poker hand wins the whole pot.

One player may hold the best hand and the highest or lowest spade, or all three, so there can be one, two or three winners.

If the pot does not divide evenly into three, the source does not say who receives the odd chips. The dealer shall announce the rule before the deal.