Poker guide
How do you read an Omaha Hi-Lo low and find the bring-in in Stud and Razz?
In Stud and Stud Hi-Lo the lowest upcard pays the bring-in and in Razz the highest does, an ace never pays, and a tie goes to the lowest suit in Stud and the highest in Razz, with clubs lowest and spades highest. In Omaha Hi-Lo a low exists only when the board shows three different ranks of eight or lower, and every player must use exactly two hole cards and three board cards.
By Jeff Quizon. Built by a dealer who’s dealt poker and table games in casinos and card rooms. Published October 29, 2026. Last reviewed October 29, 2026.
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| Game | Pays the bring-in | Tie on rank | First to act from 4th street | Low hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Lowest upcard, ace high | Lowest suit | Best high board | None |
| Stud Hi-Lo | Lowest upcard, ace high | Lowest suit | Best high board | Eight or better |
| Razz | Highest upcard, ace low | Highest suit | Best low board | Best low, no qualifier |
| Omaha Hi-Lo | No bring-in: blinds | Not used | Flop on: first live player left of the button | Eight or better |
Practice it
Start free in the poker app →The bring-in
Suits rank clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades, lowest to highest. The suit breaks a tie on third street only. Say the upcards are 7♠, 4♥, 4♣, K♦ and A♠. In Stud the 4♣ pays the bring-in: the 4s tie for lowest, and clubs is the lowest suit. The ace plays high, so it can’t be the lowest card.
Deal the same upcards in Razz and the K♦ pays, because it is the highest card. The ace plays low in Razz, so it never pays there either.
First to act from fourth street
The best board acts first, and you read it again on every street because the lead can change hands. A pair of kings showing beats A♠-7♦ in Stud. In Razz the lowest board acts first. Suits are not used after third street. If two boards are identical, the player closest to the dealer’s left acts first.
The open pair on fourth street
Some cardrooms let any player bet or raise the big bet in Stud when a board shows an open pair. It changes the size of the bet, not who acts first. It is never played in Stud Hi-Lo.
Reading the Omaha Hi-Lo low
Read the board first. On 3♥-3♦-9♣-J♣-K♣ only one rank is eight or lower, so no low exists for anyone and the high hand takes the whole pot. A low needs three different ranks of eight or lower on the board. Aces are low, and straights and flushes don’t hurt a low.
Compare lows from the highest card down. A 6-4-3-2-A beats an 8-6-3-2-A, even though both hold an ace and a deuce.
Watch for a counterfeit. On a board of 3♥-6♠-8♦-K♣, Seat 1 holds A♠-2♣ for 8-6-3-2-A. The river is the 2♥. Seat 1 still has 8-6-3-2-A, but Seat 4 holding A♦-4♣ now plays with 2-3-6 for 6-4-3-2-A and takes the low. Read every low again on the river.
Splitting a hi-lo pot
Halve the pot. If there is an odd chip between the halves, it goes to the high hand: in a $101 pot, high gets $51 and low gets $50. One high winner and two tied low winners is a quartering: the high takes half and each low takes a quarter.
Based on the 2026 Poker TDA Rules, an odd chip inside a tied half goes to the first winner clockwise from the button in Omaha Hi-Lo. In a stud game it goes to the highest card by suit among the tied hands.
House rules vary
- The open pair. Whether the big bet is allowed on an open pair in Stud is the cardroom’s rule. Ask your floor.
- Stud odd chips. We break them by the highest card by suit. A cardroom may do it another way.
- Razz. There is no qualifier: the best low wins, even a bad one.
Practice it
Stud bring-in spotter
Every level of the Stud bring-in spotter is free in the poker app. The Omaha Hi-Lo, Stud Hi-Lo and Razz lessons are part of the Break-In Track.
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