Almost any standard Poker game or variant, Draw or Stud, can also be played as a high-low game. Especially popular is Seven-Card High-Low Stud.
At showdown the highest and lowest hands split the pool. Usualy
a player must declare, just before showdown, whether he is competing
for highest hand, lowest hand, or both. It is possible to declare for
both in any game, where a player has more than five cards from which
to select his final hand, for he is then allowed to select two different
hands.
Rank of cards
As usual. If a player is competing for the lowest hand, Ace ranks low; if for
the highest hand, Ace ranks high or low, as he wishes; if for both, Ace ranks
both high and low, if he wishes.
Rank of hands
As usual. Hence, the lowest possible hand, without wild cards, is
6, 4, 3, 2, A in different suits (5, 4, 3, 2, A would be a straight).
The usual rules for comparing hands apply: highest card first, then
next highest, etc., until a difference is found. Thus, 9, 7, 6, 5, 4
ranks lower than 9, 8, 4, 3, 2.
Wild cards
A wild card can be given only one denomination and suit at showdown.
If a player is declaring for lowest hand, a wild card ranks the same
as a low Ace, without pairing any Ace in the hand. Thus, 4, 3, 2, A,
wild card becomes the lowest possible hand.
Declaring
This follows the last betting interval. There are two methods:
a) Beginning with the player to the dealer's left, each active player in turn
declares himself as competing for highest hand or lowest hand or both.
b) Each player takes one of his chips in his hand, without revealing its colour.
He takes a white one, if declaring low, a red one, if declaring high, or a
blue one, if declaring both. When all the players have decided, they show their
chips.
The highest hand and lowest hand divide the pool equally. If an exact division is impossible, the highest hand receives any odd chips.
A player can win only the part of the pool for which he has declared. If more than one player has declared the same way, the player with the best hand wins that part of the pool. If all the players have declared the sme way, the player with the best hand wins the whole pool.
If a player has declared for both high and low, he must at least tie
each way at showdown, or his hand is dead, and he receives nothing.
From 'The Official World Encyclopedia of Sports and Games'
© Diagram Visual Information Ltd 1979
