Here we describe good starting hands and discuss other basic strategies.
  
                                Introduction                                 

After all players have anted $.50, (1.) Each player is dealt two cards face down and one face up. The player with the lowest up card makes a forced bet of either $1 half minimum or $2 full bet (player's choice) to start the game. The rest of the players, in clockwise order, either call the opening bet, raise it, or not call and "fold" their hands back to the dealer. (2.) All get a fourth card face up followed by a round of $2 betting. From this round on, the player with the highest up card(s) is always first to check or bet. (3.) After the fifth card is dealt face up, the minimum bet goes to $4. (4.) The sixth card is dealt face up and there is another round of $4 betting. (5.) The seventh and last card is dealt face down and followed by the final round of $4 betting. The dealer then determines the winning high hand and low hand, if any, and awards the pot. The ideal result, of course, is to win both ends of the pot with a low straight, a low hand with a flush or any other hand that will win the whole pot, including a high hand when nobody qualifies for low

General Strategy

In this game the high hand winner must split the pot with the player with the best qualifying low hand. There is always a high hand winner but not always a low. For a hand to qualify for low, it must have five denominations no higher than an eight. Any five of your seven cards may be played for high and any five can be played for low. Aces are played both high and low. Straights and flushes do not disqualify a hand for low, so a player ending with 5 4 3 2 A would have an unbeatable low hand and a 5 high straight to play for high. This hand would have an excellent chance of winning both ways. In this example, the player could also have another hand that is higher than the 5 high straight to play for high.