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Seven Card Stud Poker is the gambler's choice when it comes to poker games. Whilst much of the recent press attention has been centred around Texas Hold 'Em poker due to several televised tournaments and arguably, for a televised event, this is a much more enjoyable game to watch, it is still true that for a really tough game of strategic poker you can't beat 7 Card Stud. In this brief guide we'll run through the rules of the game, some basic strategy and offer up some suggestions for good online poker rooms offering seven card stud poker tables with varying table limits. The basic gameplay and rules are as follows: The Ante Seven card stud requires an ante before play can begin. In the lower limit games this is usually around 10% of the minimum bet but can be upto 25% or more in the higher games - it depends on the poker room. An ante is basically a buy in amount for each game which ensures that there is something in the pot to play for. In a $5/$10 game, the ante would be $0.50 from each player. The Deal Once the ante has been place, the dealer deals 3 cards to each player. Starting with the player on his left and continuing anti-clockwise around the table he deals one card at a time to each player. The first two cards are dealt face down (the pocket cards) so no one can see then and the third is dealt face up. Players are allowed to look at their own pocket cards but no one else's. Betting Round 1 - Third Street There will be five rounds of betting starting directly after the deal. This is known as third street. Betting proceeds as follows. The player with the lowest up card (or "door" card) must bring in the betting by betting an amount equal to twice the ante into the pot. Following from this, subsequent players may then Call and continue to bet at this level, Raise the bet to the minimum bet amount following which all players play at the minimum bet, or Fold - drop out of the game without placing any more bets. All bets and raises at this point of the game are set at increments of the lower betting amount. Fourth Street Each player now receives another up card. The next person to open the betting is the player with the highest value hand as dictated by the visible up cards. The opener can choose to Check or Bet, again at the lower rate. If one player has a pair visible then the opener my raise the betting to the upper bet amount at this stage and all subsequent bets and raises will also be at this amount. Fifth Street Another card is dealt face up and betting continues as before but this time at the higher amount. Sixth Street One more face up card, the last, followed by more betting at the higher level. The River The river card is a final pocket card dealt face down to all players. Again, betting continues at the higher amount. Showdown The seventh card is the final card and after the betting finishes it is time to reveal who has the winning hand. The first person to bet in the final round reveals their pocket cards and if anyone wishes to challenge them, they must show theirs or they can fold and relinquish any claim on the pot. The winning hand is determined by the usual best hand determinants of poker. Seven Card Stud Poker Tips & (very) Basic Strategy Up Cards - it is imperative that you learn how to pay attention to and interpret the up cards in seven card stud poker. There are a lot of them and they provide key information both about your opponents hands and how likely it is you will be able to complete your own hand or be able to bluff successfully. For example, you need a connector card for your straight otherwise you have nothing. Well, you're going to be waiting an extremely long time if it has already been dealt into someone's visible hand! Equally, you'll have a tough time bluffing you have 4 kings if two are visible in someone else's hand... For each street you need to ask yourself whether the cards dealt:
Reading Players Just as up cards can give away a player's position, so too can their actions and reactions. Admittedly in online play you are limited slightly here as you can't tell whether your opponent is smiling, frowning, cursing aloud or doing a happy dance on the computer desk! However, by the end of a few rounds you should start getting the feel of how they play. Bets are one way of telling. For example, some people are so cautious they only play on very good hands. When they start betting heavily after round upon round of folding early, you know that whatever it looks like they might have in their hand (by studying their up cards) is almost certainly exactly what they have! If you can't beat it, get out... Another is the chat box found in most online poker games. You might be tempted to turn this off, but it can be a real give away. Some players clam up when they're onto something, other suddenly start chatting away when they've got a good hand after being quiet for ages. Then there are those who attempt to bluff by cursing their cards...you'll spot them soon enough. When To Play/When To Fold This is really up to your individual style of play. If you prefer to play ultra-cautious, then you'll almost certainly spend most of your time folding. More aggressive players with take their chances a little more and maniacs will just play anything! There are a few base rules to adhere to though: Trips: The very best starting hand and almost certainly a hand you should consider raising and re-raising. How you play it however, is determined by the other players around you. You want to keep them contributing to the pot as long as possible so if you think you'll scare 'em off early then play it cautious until around 5th street...which also gives you a chance to evaluate whether the other played cards are a threat. High Pairs: The next best thing to trips. Raise early and try to scare a few people out of the game. High pairs do win pots but you want to improve on them and make sure there is less opposition in case of failure to do so. How you play these depends on what other cards you, and other players get from that point onwards but raising early is usually recommended. Flush: If your first three cards are suited then it is worth giving the flush a chance. Other players are unlikely to figure out what you have until later rounds unless you telegraph it so a little deception can be slipped in amongst your betting. Remember that this hand is worthless unless completed so if you haven't got the 4th card by fifth street or too many of the suit you need are dead in other players visible hands then folding becomes the best option. Straight: An outside straight is worth more than an inside straight as you have two ways to complete it and in addition, if you have high cards then it is worth chasing because you have the chance of a high pair as an out if you fail. When chasing a straight it becomes doubly important to analyse your opponents' cards because if any of the cards you could use are sitting over there, then it seriously undermines the chance of completing it. If by fourth street you haven't drawn the fourth card in your straight then it's time to consider folding and by the fifth you should definitely be long gone. Pairs: High pairs you should play, low pairs are a matter of personal choice. Anything worse than a pair is a bad hand probably not worth bothering with at all. Bluffing When to bluff and when not to bluff is something which is dependant on so many factors that even a side mention as it is going to get here is a waste of time. it all comes down to experience, whether what you have in your visible hand is 'bluffable' and who your oppenents are. As a general rule of thumb you never bluff high rollers or newbies - one has the bankroll to not give a damn if they lose some, the other often plays to the end every time to see your cards. Experienced players are the easiest to bluff but will also have the smarts to know when you are bluffing unless you've got some phoney evidence to back you (up cards etc.). Take the Reigns Possibly the best way to play this and indeed, any other form of poker, is to actually grab the bull by the horns and make other players either play your style of game or get out! A passive player is a predictable player - he only plays on good hands, only raises on very good hands and rarely makes it to the showdown. You know exactly what he has in his hand early on and you'll be long gone before the showdown leaving him small pot or you'll be sitting there with a better hand than his and taking it from him. An aggressive player is much less predictable and therefore has many more options in terms of bluffing and drawing players into boosting up the pot. Aggressive play does not mean stupid play, you still need the good hands to play it, but it will guarantee more success as you gain experience and use it. Where To Play Seven Card Stud Poker Online There are thousands, probably hundreds of thousands by now, of online poker rooms out there and where you play is a matter of personal choice. We personally like the sites listed below. All have multiplayer tables, regular tournaments, registration bonuses and frequent player promotions and are both regulated and secure environments to play in. Most have free play option too so you can get used to the online poker environment before playing with real money.
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