Just Poker Talk

7 card stud is an extremely popular game in the poker world. It is a common game for both pros and beginners alike. Stud high refers to the fact that the highest/best hand takes the entire pot, which is different than Stud high/low where high only wins half the pot, with the worst/lowest hand winning the other half. The three largest differences between Stud and games like Omaha and Hold’em are that 1.) there are NO community cards in Stud, 2.) suit DOES matter (but only for the “bring-in”), and 3.) the only game variation in Stud is LIMIT.

Limit Stud is the only form of Stud played. By stating that the game is 5/10, you are stating the limits. The first bet through fourth street can only be in intervals of the small bet (in this case 5). The rest of the bets are in intervals of 10 and are the large bets or big bets. You may bet 5, or raise someone else’s bet of 5 by another 5. Raises can happen only a maxium of four times per betting round. SO, if the bet is 5, then the maximum bet per player would be 20 if the bet was raised to its maximum level.

Learning the rules can be easily done just by reading this entry, but it takes much longer to learn how to win, and a lifetime (if you are lucky) to master.

Before I start with the rules, it is important to first grasp what hand will be the “winner”.

The winner:

First off, in order to make a winning hand, you must use five of your seven cards, to make your 5-card hand. Even if you only make a pair, you still have a 5 card hand, the three highest cards left would fill out your hand and they would act as kickers.

The hand ranking is the same as any poker match, from high card to a royal flush.

A low pair will rarely win, but a flush or straight has a rather nice shot of holding up. Because each player has seven cards available to them, the quality of hands are somewhat similar to that of a Hold’em game, which each player has seven cards as well (2 hole cards and 5 community). Because each player has seven DIFFERENT cards in Stud; however, there are more cards in play and the better hands do come out somewhat more often than in Hold’em, yet still not as often as in Omaha which each has 9 cards (4 hole cards and 5 community).

The best hand at the conclusion of the final round of betting takes the pot.

The start:

Before any cards are dealt, the ante is posted by EVERY player at the table. Their are NO BLINDS in Stud as there are in other poker games like Hold’em. There is also no button to be passed around the table. Because there is no button, there must be a different way to decide who starts the action. That way is this: the person with the lowest card showing (the third one dealt as seen in the image below), is the first to act. Incase of a tie in cards, this is where suit matters. The order of suit from worst to best is: Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades. The person who has the lowest card is called the “bring-in” and MUST bet. They have the option of betting the small bet, or half of the small bet and DO NOT have the option of checking the ante or folding it.

Here is an example:

Hole cards:

Next, each player is delt three cards: two face-down which only they can see, and one face up which everyone can see (this card determines the bring-in as mentioned above. This is also shown in the above image. Based on how good your cards are, you may wish to either fold, check, call or raise (unless you are the bring-in which would force you to bet). Raises and reraises can occur at any time, and is the most important part of the game. Knowing when to bet, raise and fold is eveything in poker.

Fourth street:

Now that everyone has recieved their three hole cards, and bet the pot up to their heart’s content, it is time to throw some more cards down. The next card is also face up, meaning everyone can see it. Because there is no blind, the method used to determine who acts first is different; it is also different than the bring-in. The player whose two showing cards have the highest poker value is the player who acts first in this round of betting. If no one is showing a pair in their two showing cards, the first to act can either check or bet the small bet, if a pair IS showing, then they have the option of checking, betting the small bet, OR betting the big bet.

Here is an example of fourth street:

Fifth street:

The next card is also face up, meaning everyone can see it. Because there is no blind, the method used to determine who acts first is different; it is also different than the bring-in. The player whose showing cards have the highest poker value is the player who acts first in this round of betting. Starting on fifth street and carrying through to seventh, the bets are intervals of the big bet.

Here is the image:

Sixth street:

The next card is also face up, meaning everyone can see it. Because there is no blind, the method used to determine who acts first is different; it is also different than the bring-in. The player whose showing cards have the highest poker value is the player who acts first in this round of betting. The bets continue to be in terms of the big bet.

Here is the image:

Seventh street:

The next, and final card is face down, meaning only you can see it. Because there is no blind, the method used to determine who acts first is different; it is also different than the bring-in. The player whose showing cards have the highest poker value is the player who acts first in this round of betting. The bets continue to be in terms of the big bet.

Here is the image:

When the betting is complete, if there is more than one person left in the hand, their down cards are turned over and the winner is given the pot. If only one person remains due to a fold, then they only need to show their cards if they feel like it (most commonly done when showing off a bluff on a large pot to try and get your opponent on tilt), or otherwise they can Muck their cards which means they keep them face down while tossing them to the dealer.

In the game we have been following in the series of screenshots used in this entry, the winner of the small side pot has two pair (7’s and 4’s) and the winner of the main pot also has two pair (kings and 8’s). Though they both have two pair, the higher pair in the set (kings over sevens) takes the pot.

Here is the image:

Conclusion:

I hope this helps in your understanding of the rules of Seven Card Stud. It is a rather straight-forward game that can be picked up after only watching a few hands. As with all forms of poker, the best way to learn is play.

I will cover the strategy of the game in a later post, but since everyone has their own way of thinking, it is best to get out there now and find your own. Get the family or friends in a friendly game, or hop online and learn with playmoney chips (which I do not recommend aside from learning the rules, as learning strategy is near impossible with the reckless play exhibited by people who play with playmoney).

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