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7 Card Stud
Learn the basics in 7 Card Stud Poker
How to play 7 card stud
Until the recent boom in the popularity of Texas hold 'em poker, seven card stud was the game of choice for most of the poker players in America. The high visibility of hold 'em on television for events like the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour, along with the straight forward play of Texas hold 'em, changed all that. Seven card stud has been absolutely eclipsed by its southern cousin, but it is still a fun game to play between friends, and you will still find it at the big tournament and in most casinos. Let's take a look at how the game works and some of the basic rules.
To begin seven card stud play, a few or all players must put in an ante. This in effect acts as a pot guarantee; whoever wins will be sure to take a prize. It is also important for casinos, who depend on the rake to make money in a poker game.
After players have anted up, cards are dealt to each player. Each player receives three cards; one dealt face up and the other two face down. Only the player holding the cards should see what the two face cards are.
There is now a round of betting. Betting commences in two ways. If you are using a bring-in (which is similar to an ante but only put in the pot by one player) then the player with the lowest upcard showing will place the bring in, and the player to the left will bet (the player must bet or call as checking is not an option). If you are not playing with a bring in, then the player with the highest poker hand showing will start the betting. In either case, betting is clockwise after the first bet is placed.
After the completion of the first betting round, the dealer deals a second card face up to each player. The dealer deals the cards after tossing the top card, or burn card (a burn card is set aside before dealing in each round). Betting then commences from the player with the best poker hand from their up cards. Note that this is the order of betting for the entire game; the player with the best poker hand showing will always begin the betting round, and betting will continue clockwise from that individual.
After the second round of betting, a third up card is dealt to each player, followed by a betting round. A fourth card is dealt face up after the conclusion of the betting round, followed by another round of betting. After the conclusion of that round, the dealer deals one last card face down to any player still active. The fifth betting round now commences, and if any players remain a showdown commences. During showdown, players will show their cards and make the best possible hand out of the seven cards that they have.
How many players?
A quick math check should show you that if you are playing seven card stud with eight players, the total cards used (seven for each player plus four burn cards) equals 60, not the standard 52 in the deck the game is played with. This might not be a problem, since usually at least a few players will fold before the final round. However, in some cases all players will remain active.
There are a couple of ways to avoid running out of cards. The most obvious is to limit the number of players to seven. This will also have the effect of changing the mathematical probabilities in the game, so you have to stay on top of that.
Another variation is to reshuffle any burn cards and complete the deal with these. Finally, some people will use a community card paced in the middle of the table and treated by everyone as the seventh card.
Seven card stud has a lot of different variations, and it's probably the poker version in which you are most likely to use wild cards. Most often these are jokers which are left in the deck to compensate for the shortage.
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