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 How to Play 7 Card Stud
Poker
In Stud Poker each player is dealt a hand with some cards face-down ("in-the-hole") and some
face-up that other players can see. Typical 7-card stud begins with 2 cards dealt face-down and 1
face-up before the first betting round. This is followed by 3 more face-up cards, each followed by a
round of betting, and one last face-down card and a final betting round. Players use 5 of their 7
cards to make their final hand.
Usually all players are required to contribute an ante before any cards are dealt. In a limit
game, the first two rounds of betting are at the lower level and the betting after the 5th, 6th and
7th cards is at a higher level.
There are therefore a total of five betting rounds in Seven Card Stud, one after the first three cards are dealt, then one betting round for each new card that is dealt, thus making five betting rounds in Seven Card Stud compared to only four in Texas Hold’em.
The first round of betting starts with a forced bet by the player with the lowest face-up card
(taking suits into account). This bet is called the "bring-in", and the player who places it may bet
either the minimum bring-in (half the lower betting limit) or the limit for that round. If the
initial action was a bet of half the lower betting limit and another play "completes the bet" by
betting the full amount, the second bet does not constitute a raise.
Because Seven Card Stud is a game where the players can see each others cards, memory is an important skill as well as psychology and patience. As a beginner you should be play tight, which means, to sit and wait for good starting hands, with starting hand means the first three cards dealt.
Good starting hands in Seven Card Stud include any high pair of Q’s to Aces, three high cards that also has a flush or straight draw, on some occasions where few players are in the pot a middle pair with strong kicker is playable. The best possible starting hand is three of a kind in Aces, but all three of a kinds are extremely strong starting hands and should be raised with.
Seven Card Stud is mostly played in fixed limit. It is then small bets on the first two betting rounds and big bets on the last three betting rounds. The big bets are twice the size of the small bets so it is advised that players drop hands before the big bets if they have no hand to minimize leaks in the game.
On subsequent betting rounds, the player with the highest hand showing initiates the betting. In
the event of a tie, the high-hand player sitting closest to the dealer’s left will initiate the
action. If a pair is showing after the second upcard (4th street) is dealt, any player may bet
either the lower or upper limit. For example, in a $10/$20 game, a player with a pair showing has
the option of betting $10 or $20. If that player bets $10, subsequent players may call $10, raise
$10 or raise $20. If a raise of $20 is made, all other raises must be in $20 increments. If the
original player checks, the other players have the same options.
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