7 Card Stud Help

The most popular game of poker is obviously Texas Hold'em, but the game Seven Card Stud has a pretty strong following in online play and quite a few poker clubs, and is a great way to change up the game if you're tired of the same old Hold'em style. In Seven Card Stud, instead of players using the same five community cards, each individual player their own set of seven cards. Three of these cards are down cards (not shown to any other players but you), and the other four are shown face up to every other player at the table.

The Game:

Here's how a game is played out:
  • Instead of having a small or big blind, each player will ante a certain amount of set money to get their first three cards.
  • After anteing, players receive their first three cards. The first two are face down and only known to you. The last card is face up. This card, the face-up one, is called the door card.
  • The player with the lowest door card will bet first, and a typical round of betting will take place.
  • Another face-up card is dealt to each player.
  • Another round of betting occurs.
  • Yet another face-up card is given to each player.
  • The same as usual, another round of betting occurs.
  • One more face-up card is given to each player.
  • Yet another round of betting occurs.
  • A final card, the seventh one, is dealt to each player face down like the first two.
  • A final round of betting, finally, occurs and finished the hand.
After betting ends, the player with the best poker hand, using only five of their seven cards, wins the hand and takes the pot.

The Betting Rounds

As with any other type of poker, a player has four choices in betting rounds.
  • Fold - You fold hands which you no longer wish to invest money into and play.
  • Check - If there are no prior raises to call, a player can opt to check and see the next card without betting any additional money.
  • Call - If a bet was made, any amount, a player has to call this exact amount before he can opt to see another card.
  • Raise - If you would like to invest more money into a pot, a raise will allow you to do so by increasing the amount of a bet made.
As usual, betting only ends if all players but one fold or everyone calls or checks to the same amounts. Then the next sequence in the order above occurs.

Betting Note: Unlike other poker games, in Stud the player showing the highest face card will always bet first. After he/she bets, the betting continues clockwise. This means a different person could bet first every betting round in one hand!