Seven card stud eight or better is a popular split pot version of stud that is played in many casinos and in major tournament sets throughout the country. Many people that start playing this game try to approach the game like seven card stud and end up with big losses at the table. This article will introduce you to Stud eight or better and give you some beginning tips to help speed your learning curve.

The rules for stud eight or better are almost identical to regular stud. The low card is still the bring-in on third, and the high hand opens the betting on all subsequent streets. The main difference in the two games is the low element of the game. A player can win half the pot if they hold a five card hand with five unique cards eight and below. This is known as a low. An ace can play high or low. Straights and flushes do not affect a low hand. The best low hand is the wheel. (A-2-3-4-5) If more than one player holds a low, then the best low hand wins the pot. For example, a 3-4-5-6-7 is lower than an A-2-3-4-8. The first player holds a 7 low and the other player has an eight low. In the event one player has both the best high hand and the best low hand, the player scoops the entire pot. The same thing occurs when no player hold a low.

The object of stud eight or better is to scoop pots. In order to do that, you need to start with hands that give you the best opportunity to scoop a hand. Starting hands in stud eight are much different than regular stud. First, as a beginning player, you need to stay away from almost all pair, including buried pairs with the exception of aces and occasionally kings. King are to be played very sparingly and I personally recommend not playing them against a raising ace.

Any pair from nines to kings are one way trap hands. You need to stay away from them. Some people will recommend playing low pair when you play stud eight. While learning the game, I recommend staying away from them. Playing low pairs is tricky and can be a losing proposition if you are still learning the game. Big straight draws and big flush draws should be avoided. Many regular stud players have a hard time getting away from these types of hands when first learning stud eight. I was the exact same way. In regular stud, big straight and big flush draws are potentially powerful hands. In stud eight, they are trap hands. At best you are drawing to half the pot.

Ideally you want to start with a three card low hand that is coordinated in some way. A low three card straight hand or a low three card flush hand are very powerful starting hands. Even gutshot low straights are decent starting hands. After low three card straights and low three card flushes, you want three low cards with an ace. Examples are 6-3-A, 7-2-A, and 7-3-A. As mentioned earlier, the only pair that you really should play safely is aces. Ideally, you will want a low card as a kicker with your aces. That way you have a chance to draw at a low. Another advantage is that if you start with aces and a low kicker and you pair your kicker, not many people are going to put you on two pair. Chances are they are going to put you on low and you can pick up some pots when a player playing a bad pair or a weaker two pair calls you down.

Let’s talk about eight low draws. Eight low draws are very tricky to play. You can play them profitably, but you must be careful. The best eight low draw to play is a three card straight or three card flush. These are relatively safe to play. Otherwise, playing an eight low can be costly, even an 8-2-A. Any 7 or better low beats you, and even a better eight low. This is one spot where position can actually help you in stud eight. If you are in late position against either just the bring in, or against high cards, then you can play the eight low draw. If other low cards come in the pot before you, you would be wise to fold all eight low draws other than three card low straights and flushes.

Let’s talk about playing rolled up sets for a minute. You may wonder why I mention playing sets as they seem pretty simple to play. Actually, you will want to play any rolled up set fast in stud eight, especially a high set. Most stud players will slow play a rolled up set in regular stud, and would be right to do so. In stud eight, this is a mistake. First, this is a one way hand only in most cases. You will not be able to take low. While you will start with the best hand, unless you improve to a full house, you hand can be outdrawn by a low straight or flush. Also, if you let a lot of low cards in, you are almost certain to chop the pot. Playing the hand fast will likely force some of the low draws out and give you better odds.

The next tip is the most important tip I can give you as a stud eight or better player. If you do not improve on fourth street, abandon the hand unless it is checked to you. When you miss on fourth street, you must catch two out of the remaining three cards in order to make a hand. While possible, you are drawing at long odds to catch your hand at this point. If your hand improves to a four low on fourth, you are almost even money to make your low. The rule of thumb that I used as a beginning player was that either I had to improve to a four low, a four flush, or catch a pair of aces on fourth in order to continue in the hand. In most other cases, I abandoned the hand.

Stud eight or better is a complex but profitable game for those that start off playing a solid game. You will find that many players that play this game really don’t grasp many of the concepts covered in this article. As a result, you may find most low limit stud eight games to be very profitable. With the above tips and practice, you should have the tools needed to become a solid stud eight player in short order. Good luck, and see you at the tables.