Limit Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split Poker Hands
In this section you'll find lists of the universal best and worst starting hands for Limit Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split poker, as well as information on trap hands and how to play them. Commit these hands to memory before you play in your first online or offline Limit Seven-Card Stud High-Low poker game.
The Best Starting Hands
Following is a list of the universal best starting hands for Seven Card Stud High-Low Split poker games, starting with the best hand and working down to the last of the playable hands:
Ace-Ace with a suited Two, Three, Four, or Five (As-A-suited 2-3-4-5)
Ace with two of the following: Two-Three-Four-Five (A-two cards under 5)
Ace-Ace-Ace (A-A-A)
King-King-King (K-K-K)
Queen-Queen-Queen (Q-Q-Q)
Jack-Jack-Jack (J-J-J)
Ten-Ten-Ten (10-10-10)
Nine-Nine-Nine (9-9-9)
Ace-Ace-King, suited (Ah-Ad-Kh)
Ace-King-King, suited (As-Ks-Kd)
If you play only these starting hands, you may not play many hands — but when you do play, you will be starting off with the best of starting hands. As long as you don't chase, you should do pretty well with them.
Fact
Only play three cards to the low in late position if you do not have the Ace. Otherwise, muck your cards and spend your time observing how the players who called play their cards.
Other decent starting hands would include an Ace with a pair of Queens or Jacks or Tens, with a suited kicker. And many opponents like playing their three cards to the low without any high hand cards. But even if one catches the wheel for her high hand, she probably won't be the only player in the hand.
The Worst Starting Hands
Following is a list of the universal worst starting hands for Seven Card Stud High-Low Split poker games, starting with the best of the bad hands and moving on down to the worst playable hands:
Deuce-Seven-Jack (2-7-J) or any other similarly spaced starting hands
Deuce-Deuce-Seven (2-2-7)
Three-Three-Eight (3-3-8)
Four-Four-Nine (4-4-9)
Five-Five-Ten (5-5-10)
Ace-Nine-Deuce, off-suit (As-9d-2c)
If for some incredible reason you should decide to play any of these cards and you don't get a miracle flop, don't even think about it, just fold.
Your first three starting cards are the most important of all the cards you will be dealt. And if you do not make the right decisions on Third Street, and choose to stay in with mediocre or bad cards, you will almost always end up being outdrawn and will lose the hand by Seventh Street.
So the best advice regarding bad starting hands is to muck them immediately before you talk yourself into seeing a flop.
Trap Hands and How to Play Them
A trap hand is any hand that does not improve on Fourth or Fifth Street. An example of this type of hand would be (4-5)-6-K. You want the hand to go low or make a straight, but instead it appears to be going high.
Alert
When your starting hand consists of three high suited cards, your hand must improve on Fourth Street. If it doesn't, and there is any action, you should fold unless you enjoy playing trap hands.
On Fifth Street your cards are now (4-5)-6-K-3, so you called the $3 bet. With this open-ended straight draw, you will probably also call any raises in the hope of catching your hand on Sixth Street if none of your opponents have any pairs in front of them.
