Overview
Number of Players: 2 to 8
Seven Card Stud is the most popular
of the stud games, both for the high
stakes nature of the game and the
impact that careful thought can have
on your odds. Seven Card Stud has
five rounds of betting, with the
maximum bet doubling on either the
second or third round of betting.
Because so many of the cards are
exposed on the table, you can make
good choices about how likely it is
that a winning hand is going to
appear for you.
Terminology
|
Ante |
An amount determined by the
card room that each player
puts in the pot before
receiving cards. The amount
of the ante varies with the
game stakes. |
|
Street |
A name for the various
stages of betting, as you
receive your cards. Because
the game begins with the
player receiving three
cards, betting begins on
third street, and continues
to seventh street. |
|
Door Card |
Another name for "third
street", that is, a player's
first up card. |
|
River Card |
Another name for "seventh
street". The last card
dealt. |
|
Bring-in |
A small beginning bet
required from the player
with the lowest exposed card
by suit. |
Betting Structure (Example
for $10/$20 game)
|
Ante |
Bring-In |
3rd Street |
4th Street |
5th Street |
6th Street |
7th Street |
|
$1 |
$15 |
$10 |
$10/$20 |
$20 |
$20 |
$20 |
*Higher bet option if pair showing
Starting a Game
To begin playing Seven Card Stud,
you place an ante on the table. This
is usually a fraction of a bet, set
by the card room, and varies
according to the stakes of the game.
Players are then dealt three cards,
two face down and one face up.
The player with the lowest card
showing (ace is high) is then
required to make the bring-in bet
which is equal to half the
lower-limit bet. If two people have
the lowest card it is determined by
suit: clubs (lowest), diamonds,
hearts and spades – alphabetically.
A round of betting begins, with the
options for the other players being
fold (quit the hand), call (put in
an equal amount to what has been
placed in the pot) or raise to a
full bet.
Example: In a $20/$40 game, the ante
is usually $3 and the bring-in bet
is $10. The full bet at third street
is $20.
Fourth Street
For this betting round, each active
player is dealt another card face
up, exposed to the table.
The player with the highest card
values (counting all exposed cards,
such as high card, pair, etc.) then
begins the next betting round by
checking or betting. If two hands
are of equal value the betting is
started by the player closest to the
dealer's left.
The lower level bet applies to
Fourth Street but, if the highest
hand showing is a pair, any player
has an option to bet either the
lower or the higher betting limit
($20 or $40 in our example), and the
other players must follow that
amount in calling or raising.
Fifth and Sixth Street
The mechanics are the same as for
fourth street, but the betting
amounts are at the higher limit ($40
in the example above).
The first player is determined by
the highest ranking exposed hand on
the table.
Seventh Street This is the
last card, and is called seventh
street or the river. It
is dealt face down, and the person
who played first on sixth street
plays first again.
A final round of betting ensues,
ending in the showdown.
Players have four exposed and three
hidden cards by this point. They
then create the best five-card hand
from their total of seven cards.
Note: Occasionally (rarely),
there will not be enough cards left
in the deck to deal everyone an
individual seventh card. In this
event, the dealer will turn up one
card on the table that is common to
all remaining active players.
Tips
-
A starting pair over 10 is
usually worth betting on, unless
an opponent seems to be betting
aggressively and may have a
higher pair.
-
Fifth street is a make-or-break
point. With the bet doubling, it
can get expensive if you are
still trying to "make" a hand at
this point. Be sure that the
cards you need are still "live",
that is, have not been exposed
in other players' hands.
-
It’s best to fold if an
opponent's exposed cards beat
your entire hand.
-
If you are trying to complete a
hand like a straight or a flush,
check to see if other players
have already exposed the cards
you need, and adjust your
strategy.
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