Second Hand High Poker

Second Hand High Overview

Second Hand High is played exactly like 7 Card Stud except that the second best hand that has stayed in wins the pot. It is suitable for 3-7 players.

Second Hand High Rules

To begin the game, players ante up, placing a small sum in the pot. Then the dealer gives each player two cards facedown and one card face-up. The player with the highest up card begins the betting round.

Moving clockwise around the table, players choose to call, raise, or fold. To call, a player matches the amount of the current bet. To make a raise, a player adds more money than the current bet to the pot, raising the amount of the current bet, and forcing players who wish to stay in to match the new bet. If a player folds, they add no money to the pot, stop playing, and no longer have any stake in the game.

Cards 4-6 are dealt one at a time, face-up. Each card is followed by a betting round.

Card number 7 is dealt face down. There is a final betting round. Then there is the showdown. All players show their cards. The five cards which form the best poker hand are used to make the player’s hand. The player with the second-best hand wins the pot. If only one player remained in the game, then that player wins the pot.