Updated In February, 2012 - Seven card stud hi lo is known by several different nicknames. Some people say stud 8/b and others say stud hl. It is essentially a hybrid of seven card stud and razz poker. If you have played omaha hilo before you will have a good idea of how seven card stud hl is played. Stud HL became popular in the late 1800's as a alternative to seven card stud. Nowadays it is nearly as popular as 7 card stud and can be played at many online poker rooms and live casinos. The action in stud 8/b can be very exciting. Skilled players can make a lot of money due to the complexity of 7 card stud high low.
As I mentioned above you can play Stud Hi-Lo at a wide range of poker rooms. Like the other seven card stud games finding a room with enough traffic is the main problem players face. I've played at every major poker room online and have written a review for the top three 7 card stud hilo poker rooms. Full Tilt Poker and Absolute poker are about equal in terms of ring table traffic. Full Tilt dominates in stud hi-lo tournaments though. Party Poker has a fairly active 7 card stud hi-lo community and a decent number of tournaments.
Seven card stud hl is a split pot game with a requirement for the low hand. You'll need to have five cards that are 8 or lower. This means that the highest card in your lowest five card hand has to be 8 or less. Qualifying for the low hand doesn't guarantee you half the pot though. You'll need to have a lower hand than everyone else to win half the pot. The high hand at stud hilo does not have a requirement. You can win with a pair of 2's or a full house. The best scenario is when you have a hand like 2-3-4-5-6-x-x. This means you have a very low hand and a straight for the high hand. A hand like this usually wins the entire pot, which is called scooping. Even hands like 2-4-5-6-8-8-2 are very good in stud 8/b. Even if you don't win with the two pair you still have a chance at the low pot, or vice versa. This stud poker strategy article should help you beat this complex game.
2011 Party Poker Review - Non-U.S.