Two-Spit Rules

Two-Spit is a variation of five-card stud contributed by David Migoya, as published on pagat.com. It uses a standard 52-card deck.

The pot is split between the best high hand and the best low hand among the players who declare each way. Each player's hand is exactly their five cards.

Wild cards. The four deuces are wild for the high hand only. In a low hand a deuce is an ordinary 2. This makes it easier for one hand to compete both ways.

Low hands are ranked ace-to-six: aces are low, and straights and flushes count against a low hand. The best possible low is 6-4-3-2-A of mixed suits. See hand rankings for the full orders.

The source does not rank five of a kind. The usual practice, which the dealer shall confirm before the deal, is that five of a kind beats a straight flush.

The source bases its fees on a game with a $20 buy-in, bets of 25 cents, 50 cents and $1 (the maximum), and a limit of three raises per round. For higher or lower stakes, the spit fees shall be scaled in proportion.

Each player is dealt one card face down and one card face up. After a betting round, the dealer deals one more face-up card to each active player, followed by a betting round, until each player has one card down and four up.

The first betting round is opened by the player with the highest card showing. On later rounds the player whose face-up cards make the highest hand acts first.

When every player has five cards and that betting round is over, there is a spit. Each player in turn may exchange one card:

3.1(a) a face-up card for a new face-up card, by paying $1 to the pot; or

3.1(b) their face-down card for a new face-down card, by paying $1.50 to the pot.

A player need not spit. After the first spit there is a betting round, opened by the player whose four face-up cards make the highest hand.

There is then a second spit, on the same terms but at higher prices: $2 for a face-up card and $2.50 for a face-down card. Another betting round follows, again opened by the best four face-up cards.

A player who did not spit the first time and spits the second time pays the second-spit price. There is no carrying forward of the cheaper price.

After the betting that follows the second spit, every remaining player declares high, low or both ways. The source does not fix the method. The dealer shall announce before the deal whether declarations are made in turn or all at once, for example with chips held in the fist.

A final betting round follows the declaration, opened by the player with the highest four face-up cards. The surviving players then show their hands.

Half of the pot goes to the best high hand among the players who declared high or both, and half to the best low hand among those who declared low or both. If no one declares one way, the other side takes the whole pot.

The source does not say what happens to a player who declares both ways but loses one side. The usual practice is that such a player must win or tie both sides, or wins nothing. The dealer shall announce the rule before the deal.

Odd chips and ties are settled as the group normally does in split-pot games.

Groups adjust the fees to their stakes (2.1).

For a version with a single paid exchange, see Five Card Stud High-Low With a Buy.