Seven Card Stud 8 or Better is a stud variant that usually has a lot of action since most pots are typically split between two players. A player with the best high hand wins half the pot and the other half goes to a player with a qualifying low hand. A qualifying low hand in stud 8 is a five card hand with five cards eight or under. Each card must be different and straights and flushes do not count against your low hand.

Before a player is dealt a hand, they must post an ante. After posting an ante, each player is dealt three cards, with the first being dealt face down and the third card dealt face up. This is regularly called third street. Dealing in stud starts in seat one and proceeds around the table. At this point, the player with the lowest showing card must make what is known as a bring in bet. The bring in bet is typically double the size of the ante. If more than one player is showing the same card rank, the tie is broken by suit. Suits are alphabetical from low to high.

The bring-in player also has the option to make a completion bet, which is the size of the small be amount. In a $3 – $6 game with a .50 ante, the bring-in is $1 and the completion would be $3. This does not count as a raise. Once the bet has been completed, all future raising is done in the small bet amount. If the bring-in player fails to complete the bet, any subsequent player may complete the bet.

After third street betting is completed, a 2nd upcard is deal to each player. This is fourth street. Betting now starts with the player showing the highest hand. In the case of a tie, the player closest to the dealer position opens the betting. All betting on fourth is done in the small bet increment. One key difference between stud 8 and stud high occurs on fourth. In stud high, a person showing a pair can elect to bet the big bet amount, which would be $6 in our example above. This is also known as a double bet. A double bet is not allowed on fourth street in stud 8.

After fourth street betting is concluded, a third upcard is dealt to each player and the highest hand opens betting. Betting increments occur in the big bet amount. After fifth street betting is finished, one last upcard is dealt to each player. This is sixth street. After sixth street betting is completed, one final card is dealt to each play face down. This is seventh street, also referred to as the river. The player who opened betting on sixth street is also the person who opens betting on the river.

After all betting is completed at the river, all players show their hands. The player with the highest hand wins half of the pot. If a player has a qualifying low hand, that player wins the other half of the pot. If a single player has both the best high hand and the best low hand, they then win both halves of the pot. This is also known as a scoop. A player can also scoop if there isn’t a qualifying low hand.

The primary object of stud 8 is to scoop pots. Many times, if you are chasing only half of the pot, you are throwing in money in the hopes to break even. Chasing one way hands prefer multi-way pots. Stud 8 rewards proper play and those that play for the scoop. If you are looking for a new challenge or a game that by design seems to attract fish, you want to check out stud 8 or better.