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Seven Card Stud Hi / Lo
Seven Card Stud 8 or better
is a popular, well-known form of poker. It is played with
upto eight players at the table.
The Game:
Before the start of the game,
internally the system generates a fresh deck of cards for
the hand. Online poker rooms use what is called the Random
Number Generator (RNG) to shuffle a deck of cards for the
hand.
How does it work?
The system generates a random
set of numbers, which are used to place a card of the deck
in a particular position. Once the complete deck is created,
the deck is used for that particular hand only.
We shuffle the deck of cards
every time we start a hand, and the random numbers previously
generated are discarded and new ones generated before the
shuffle. The RNG code has been successfully audited by BMM,
Australia, and its integrity is verified daily. BMM is one
of the leading auditors of gaming solutions in the industry.
The First round:
A fresh table starts off with
all the players posting the “ante” (putting a
predetermined amount in the pot before the cards are dealt).
This amount is based on the size of the game. While the ante
amount is not based on a set rule, the same is decided upon
by the prevailing game trends. For e.g. the ante amount for
a 1/2 table is 25 cents while for a 3/6 table, it is 50 cents.
A new game on an active table starts with all the players
at the table posting antes.
In Seven-card stud 8 or better
8 or better poker players receive seven cards, three "down"
cards and four "up" cards.
After the antes have been placed
each player is dealt three cards (two "down" cards
and one "up" card). The "up" card is also
known as the "door card" or "Third Street".
The lowest "up" card must initiate the action with
a "Bring-In" bet. (If two or more players have the
same lowest card, the person who brings it in is determined
by suit order progressing from clubs, diamonds, hearts, and
spades.)
Each player is allowed one bet
and three raises in each betting round. To continue to play,
players must take an action from what is displayed to them
on each "street" or betting round (unless they are
all-in).
The Second Round:
After the first round of betting
another card is dealt face-up to each player that still remains
in the pot (those who didn't fold on "third street").
This is "Fourth Street" (the second round of betting).
From "Fourth Street" on, the highest hand showing
begins the action by checking or betting. If a player makes
a single bet, the other players may call, raise the single
bet or fold.
The Third Round:
Upon completion of the betting
on "fourth street", another card is dealt face-up
to those who remain in the pot. This is called "Fifth
Street" (the third round of betting - which doubles (the
value of each bet is double of what was available in the first
two rounds) - and continues at this amount for the remaining
betting rounds). The highest hand showing again starts the
action by checking or betting.
The Fourth Round:
Upon the completion of betting
on "fifth street", another card is dealt face-up.
This is "Sixth Street" (fourth betting round).
The Fifth Round:
The final card is dealt down.
The last card is also known as the "River Card"
or "Seventh Street" (final round of betting).
Some standard rules:
A maximum of four bets, which
includes one bet, and three raises are allowed for each betting
round per player. To continue to play, players must take an
action from what is displayed to them on each "street"
or betting round (unless they are all-in). The term cap is
used to describe the final raise in a round since betting
is then capped and no one can make another raise. Once capped,
players will have the option of calling or folding only. Folding
can be done at any stage of the game. The action of folding
basically shows the player cards being moved to the dealer.
The player from then on would not be considered as part of
the game. He/she would not have any rights over any pots created
on the table.
Poker is typically played "table
stakes", meaning only the chips in play at the beginning
of each hand may be used throughout the hand. This means that
the player cannot get additional funds from the cashier while
he is in the midst of a game. The table stakes rule has an
application called the "All-In" rule, which states
that a player cannot be forced to forfeit a hand because the
player does not have enough chips to call a bet.
Exceptions to the value
of betting in each round:
A player who does not have enough
chips to call a bet is declared All-In. The player is eligible
for the portion of the pot to the point of his final wager.
All further action involving other players takes place in
a "side pot", which is unavailable to the player
who has already gone All-In. When a player goes All-in, the
pot currently at the center of the table, which has contributions
from him/her as well, is treated as the main pot, over which
the All-in player has rights. After the player goes all-in,
all the new bets are placed in a side pot, over which only
the contributing players have rights. The All-in player does
not have any rights over the side pot. The side pot is then
given to the next winning combination.
As this is a multi player game,
the players are expected to play within a set time frame,
the actions during their turn. Initially the player is given
10 seconds, after which there is a timer countdown, which
is displayed on the table for 20 seconds. The user goes all-in
if he has contributed some money to the pot; otherwise his
hand is folded in case he/she does not respond in time. The
system is intelligent in detecting if the player has got disconnected
or not. This means if a players gets disconnected and reconnects
back and he has some seconds left for his turn, then he is
given an additional 20 seconds to play his turn. But if the
player is not able to connect back to the table before the
time elapses, then the player goes All-in. All-in basically
means that the player is in the game, but would not be an
active player (placing any bets). Whatever pot is collected
till this time is referred as the main pot, and the all-in
player has rights (if he wins) to this pot only. After this
the money that is bet on the table is added to a side pot,
over which the all-in player does not have any rights (if
he wins).
Upon completion of the final
round of betting, the best hand wins the pot. (The pot may
also be won by someone who bets without being called at any
time during the hand.). Your "hand" is determined
by using the best five of seven cards. A combination of the
following may be used - Ø Five cards from the seven
dealt to you Ø One board (community) card and four
of the cards dealt to you. There is no qualifying on the "High"
side - the best hand automatically wins half the pot and could
win the whole pot. To win the "Low" side, however,
you have to qualify (which is why the game is called Seven
Card Stud "8 or Better").
To qualify for Low: It takes
a five-card hand with different numerical values from Ace
through eight (with the Ace being the lowest value) to qualify
for the "Low" half of the pot. The best "Low"
hand is A,2,3,4,5 (also known as the "wheel" or
"bicycle"). The winning "Low" hand is
the one with the lowest high card in it. If two or more players
qualify for "Low" but have the same highest card,
the second lowest high card (and if necessary progressing
down to the third, fourth, or fifth lowest high card) would
be the winning hand. For example, a 2,3,4,6,8 would be a better
"Low" hand than an A,2,4,7,8.
On the final round of betting,
the player who bets first (or checks first if no one else
bets) is required to show their cards first at the showdown.
If they have the best hand, the remaining players may/may
not show their cards as they wish. The aggressors’ hand
is only turned over first if he was the last to initiate action
on the river.
There is a set rank of cards,
which is used for deciding the winning combination.
Split Pot: Any leftover odd
chip goes to the "High" hand. If two or more players
tie for the "High" side of the pot and there is
an odd chip, the player with the highest card in their hand
is awarded the odd chip. (If they have the same high valued
card, the suit takes preference going from Spades, Hearts,
Diamonds, and Clubs.) If two or more players "tie"
for the "Low" side of the pot and there is an odd
chip, that chip is awarded to the player with the lowest card
in their hand. (If they have the same lowest card, the suit
takes preference in the order of Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts,
and Spades.)
Some things to Remember:
Straights and flushes do NOT
count against you on the "Low" side. You may use
any combination of cards for the "High" hand or
the "Low" hand or you may use the same cards for
both the "High" and "Low" sides. If two
or more hands are the same ranking, the winner is the one
having the higher cards. For example, a Flush with an Ace
high beats a Flush with a King high. If the poker hands remain
tied, then the highest card not being held in common (the
kicker) determines the winner.
The suit order of the cards
is not taken into account while deciding on the winning cards.
Should poker hands be absolutely identical in ranking, the
pot distribution will be split evenly between the two or more
winning players. If there is an odd chip, the player with
the highest card in their hand is awarded the odd chip. (If
they have the same high valued card, the suit takes preference
going from Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs.
For all the five rounds of betting,
the house based on set rules collects a commission, which
is known as the rake in poker terminology.
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