How to Play Seven Card Stud
Seven
card stud was the most popular form of poker in most casino card
rooms until
the rise of Texas Hold Em in the late 80's and
early 90's took over that role. Seven
Card Stud is
played with a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 7 players. The
betting
goes like this:
Players are dealt two
cards down and one card up initially. The best card showing
starts the betting, which then moves clockwise. If there
is a "bring-in", which means
an ante, then the lowest card
showing will pay it, and the initial betting starts with him-in
this
case players after him can not check-they must call, raise, or fold.
Without a
bring-in and initial ante, players have the
option to check.
After the initial round another
upcard is dealt(Fourth Street), followed by another round
of
betting, then another upcard (Fifth Street), followed by another
round of betting,
then another upcard (Sixth Street)
followed by another round of betting, then a final
downcard(the
River), a last round of betting, and then the showdown. So-two down,
four
up, one down.
Betting after the initial round always
starts with whoever shows the best upcard, and
moves left.
The option to check is also available to that player, and subsequent
players
in the betting order if no bet has been made. After the last
downcard has
been dealt players must make the best five
card hand out of the seven cards which
they have been
dealt-high hand wins the pot, and ties split.
Stud is a
pretty straightforward poker game, but there are different
considerations to
make, as you might expect, from Texas
Hold Em. The positional strategy for
instance changes
somewhat as where you will be in the betting order on the next
round
is most often not predictable, as it is in Hold Em. Therefore
you can only
rely on the advantage or disadvantage of
position after the first round of cards are
dealt, and
before the last card is dealt (since the final downcard won't change
the best
hand showing). There are also more betting rounds
and therefore more opportunities
to make value bets, or to
get strung along if you are hoping to make a draw. For
that
reason it is important to remain pretty tight in most seven card
stud situations.
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