Seven card stud was one of the most popular variations of poker before Texas Hold’em took off. The game is commonly played with 2 to 8 players. More people can play if the participants are experienced and fold often.

How to Play 7 Card Stud Poker

To start the game, the dealer will give three cards to each player. Two of these are served facing down and the third will be facing up. These cards will help you decide whether or not you will continue with the hand. After the third street, the participant with the lowest value upcard has to make a forced bet. This particular bet can either be an additional nominal bet or a full bet of the lower value at the table.

The game will continue to the left of that player, and everyone will have the option of raising, calling, checking or folding.

After the first round, the dealer will serve another set of cards. This is referred to as the Fourth Street. The cards are all exposed as they are given, and whoever has the highest value upcard has to make the first move. This player can make their bet in the lowest value increments or just check their bet. The round of bets will proceed in a clockwise fashion.

In the Fifth Street, the players are again served exposed cards. The first player to act is the one who gets an exposed card with the highest poker value. The bets in this round have to be in larger increments. After everyone has played, the game will go into the Sixth Street. This round follows the same rules as the Fifth Street.

Finally, the game will enter the Seventh Street. Here, each player will receive one card, and this is dealt face down. The first player to make their bet is the one with the highest total value of exposed cards. The rest of the players will make their bets.

If there is still more than one player at this point, the game will enter the Showdown or River phase. The person who made the last bet in the Seventh Street will be the first to show their card, and then the player on their left will show their card until all players expose their cards. Whoever has the highest hand wins the pot. In case of a tie, the pot will be split equally among the winners.

Seven Card Stud Poker Rules

In order to use the 7 Card Stud strategy, you will have to understand the rules. First, you need to know the five options you have when it is your turn to act. You can either raise, call, fold or check. If you don’t want to place a bet but also want to keep your cards, you can check. If you want to make a bet that is larger than that of the previous player, you will raise. To call means you will match the last bet made.

Seven Card Stud Strategy

• Check your starting hand. A weak starting hand is unlikely to win, meaning you shouldn’t continue to play. If you don’t have a high card in the Fourth Street, it is better to check or fold.
• If you have a high pair of cards, raise aggressively in order to make other players leave the table.
• If your cards are average, you should call and check whenever you can in the hopes of transforming your hand in the next round.
• Unless you are playing poker online, you should always examine your opponents to see who might be bluffing. If you have a strong hand, you might still lose if another player has a stronger hand. Telling which player is bluffing will help you decide whether you should proceed to bet aggressively or simply fold.
• Look at your opponents’ upcards as they are revealed and remember them as the game proceeds. This way, you will be able to determine which of the important cards are gone, and this information can help you figure out your chances of winning the game.

Conclusion

7 card stud can be played in land-based casinos or online betting sites. The 7 card stud tips given above should help you win your next game. Learning how to employ the strategies will take some time, so you can start by playing unpaid virtual games.