[warewulf]

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In our home game, you have to win both the high and low hands in order to gain the entire pot. You forfeit the entire pot if you tie with either the high or low hand, i.e. you have the high pot with Ace high flush, but tie with a wheel for low. This keeps it interesting when deciding when to declare both directions. When you declare in only one direction and tie, than that pot is split. I.e. two players have a wheel, low pot is split.

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Exactly.

Going for both is called "Pig". Like he said, you have to win both, so if you tie or lose on either, you're screwed! That's the beauty of declare games -- it adds a huge element of strategy. You can miss your high and declare low if you don't think anyone else will. Happens all the time. Sometimes BOTH people miss and call the opposite of the way they look. That's hilarious!

The way it's usually done -- everyone takes 2 chip under the table. 0 chips = low, 1 = high, 2 = pig Everyone must open their hand at the same time. Don't drop onto the table because you might have someone pull a fast one and claim he had a different amount of chips.

Rule of thumb -- if you must play with wild cards, the game should be high only with no declare. I can't stand wild cards, but one of my games allows them. I picked up a few pots because we had a high/low declare with wilds and you end up with more than one wheel, one guy never learns -- has gone pig twice and tied both times. Always a relief when you have a wheel and declare low and see some moron go pig. 7 stud high/low declare is probably my favorite dealers choice game.