Poker Game Rules: Hi/Lo and 2-7

Hi/Lo (Eight or Better) game rules

Hi/Lo games, also known as ‘Eight or Better’ games like Omaha Hi/Lo and Stud Hi/Lo, are split-pot games. This means that half the pot is awarded to the player with the highest hand and the other half to the player with the lowest hand.

• The high hand matches standard poker hand ranking.
• The low hand must contain five unpaired cards of rank 8 or lower.

It's possible to get hands that can be played for both the high and low halves of the pot. For example, the best low hand is 5432A. It also serves as a straight for the high hand at the same time. Winning both halves of the pot is called a "scoop."

If there's no qualifying low hand, then the pot is not split, and the entire amount goes to the player with the highest hand. There are no qualification requirements for the high hand, so there will always be a winning high hand.

2-7 (Deuce to Seven) game rules

2-7 (Deuce to Seven) is a draw variant of poker with a lowball ranking system, where the aim is to make the worst traditional poker hand possible at showdown. "Worst hand wins!"

There are two variants of 2-7:

• Single Draw: Players only have one chance to discard or “stand pat” (keep the hand they already have), so there are only two betting rounds.
• Triple Draw: Each player can draw three times, choosing to discard or stand pat each time, resulting in four betting rounds.

Because 2-7 doesn't use the same poker hand rankings that you find in classic poker games, the key things to remember are:

• Aces count as high, so these are bad cards.
• Flushes and straights count against the player's hand.
• The best possible hand is 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 (not in the same suit).
• The rank of the suit is not considered when the pot is awarded.

For the complete rules of our different poker games, head to our Poker Games page.