This paper presents a study of the effect of varying the roll gap of oval pass in round-oval-round pass sequence on the interracial slip of workpiece, entrance and exit velocities, stresses and roll load that the workpiece experiences during rolling, by applying analytical method, finite element simulation and verification through hot bar rolling tests. The results have shown that the roll gap variation of oval pass affects the interfacial slip of workpiece along the groove contact and the specific roll pressure. The optimum conditions in terms of minimum interfacial slip and minimum specific roll pressure, which might influence the maximum groove life, is obtained when the subsequent round pass is completely filled.