How To Play Seven Card Stud

February 7, 2008

Seven card stud poker is a variation of poker in which players have to make the best five card poker hand from the seven cards they will be dealt during the game.

Unlike other forms of poker, there are no blinds in seven card stud poker, instead in each hand players put in a set amount of money into the pot before they receive their cards (this is known as an ante). This amount is predetermined before hand and depends on what limit is being played.

Each person is dealt three cards initially, two cards face down and the third card face up. Depending on what rules are being played, the player with the highest or lowest exposed card is forced to bring in (we will assume for this example that the low card is forced to bring in. We will also assume that ace is a high card). The person who brings in is the first person to act and can bring in for either half a bet or a full bet, depending on how strong they think their hand is. If 2 or more people are tied on the lowest card, then suits are used as a tiebreaker with the suits being ranked in the following order: clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades (lowest to highest). The play then continues with the person on the left who can either call the bet, raise the bet or fold. This continues until all the players have had there turn and the bets have been called or the players have folded.

Each player now receives a fourth card face up and the player with the lowest value on the exposed cards speaks first. For example if someone has a pair exposed, their hand beats all high card hands. So for example a player with 5,2 exposed will speak first against a player with a pair of 2’s exposed.

Once this betting is complete a fifth card is dealt face up to players and the person with the lowest value exposed cards speaks first again. A sixth card is then dealt face up once the betting is completed. Finally a seventh card is dealt face down followed by one last round of betting. After this round of betting, the showdown occurs and the best poker hand wins the pot.

Just like in normal poker the game can end before all of the community cards are dealt if one person bets enough to force all of the remaining players to fold there hand. If this occurs, that person wins the pot and then game proceeds to the next hand.

Below is an example to illustrate how the game of seven card stud works.

You are in a six handed game of seven card stud with the betting structure of $1/$2.

You are initially dealt (6h, 5h) your face down cards and 2d your face up card. Since you have the lowest face up card you are forced to bring in and bring in for half a bet i.e $0.50. The player in 2nd position raises it to $2.00 with an ace exposed and the player in last position calls. You have a straight draw and so call.

You are then dealt a 4d face up and still have the lowest card and so are first to speak and check. The player with ace exposed found another ace and bet $1, the other player who now had two hearts showing raises it $2 and you decide to fold.

The first player ends up winning with an aces high full house beating the last players flush.

Seven card stud is usually played with a limit betting structure which means the bids increase in increments and players can only bid the next amount in the sequence.

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How To Play Seven Card Stud

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