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Seven Card Stud Poker Rules: Overview
The variation of poker known as seven card stud is one of the oldest poker games and is well supported by most online poker rooms. Some, however, do not currently offer Seven Card Stud as an option. It is typically easier to find a stud game on the internet than it is Omaha, but again, like Omaha, exponents of this particular art would be well advised to stick to the bigger poker rooms to avoid having to wait for a game at the table limit of their choice. Once you have read the seven card stud rules published here, we recommend that you practice using 'play chips' before making the leap into real money play: this will give you a good grounding in how to play seven card stud poker without losing any of your hard earned cash.
Seven Card Stud is slightly more difficult to learn than either Texas Hold 'em or Omaha, but you don't have to be Einstein to get a good grasp of seven card stud within a few hands. As the name implies, players are dealt a total of seven cards should they make it all the way to the river. There are no community cards. To begin with, each player is dealt two face-down 'Hole Cards', and a face-up 'Door Card'. The dealer then deals to each player in turn three more face-up cards, and one more face-down card. The player with the highest five-card hand takes the pot.
The Ante: In Seven Card Stud, there is no 'blind.' What we have instead is an ante, a small bet which each player must contribute at the beginning of each hand. Antes serve to build the pot and to increase each player's interest in the hand.
The Stakes dictate the bet and fixed limit raise amount: for example, in a $5/$10 Fixed game, both the bets and raises for the first two rounds of betting must be $5, no more, no less. The last two rounds have a bet/raise amount of $10. In a Pot Limit game, the maximum bet/raise can't be more than the current pot amount. So, if the pot is $30, you can't bet more than $30.
The Cap: In Seven Card Stud, each round of betting can consist of one bet and has a maximum of three of allowable raises. So, if a bet is made, that bet can only be raised three times, after which all players must either call or fold. However, if only two players remain in the hand the cap is increased, to a maximum of five raises.
The Order of Play: First off, all players must post the ante. The dealer then deals each player two face down cards (the pocket cards), then a face-up card (the door). After this comes the first betting round, beginning with the bring-in. The bring-in is a mandatory bet which must be made by the player with the lowest showing door card. The amount of the bring-in is usually half the smaller stake amount, but the player making the bring-in has the option to increase this bet to the full small stake. If two players are showing the same door card, the suit rankings are used to decide which player should make the bring-in. The ranks of the suits are, in order: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs. Subsequent to the bring-in, all players must call, raise or fold to the bring-in bet. Betting begins to the bring-in player's left, and continues clockwise. If the bring-in opens with half the low stake, the first raise will 'complete' the bring-in, raising it to the lower stake limit. Any raises after that must be the lower stake amount. For example, at a $5/$10 table, if a player brings-in with $2, and you want to raise him, you must raise $3, completing the bring-in. Now, any player that raises after you must raise $5.
Third Street: After the Bring-In bets have all been called, each player is dealt another face up card, called 'Third Street.' The highest showing hand opens the betting round. If a pair is showing for any hand on Third Street, that player has the option of doubling his(her) bet amount, and "raising the stake" for this betting round. Otherwise, Third Street bets and raises are limited to the small stake.
Fourth Street: Another face up card is dealt to each player, and high hand opens the betting round. For these last three rounds, the bet amount is now the higher stake ($10 in a $5/$10 game).
Fifth Street: The fourth face up card is dealt to each player, and high hand opens the betting round. For these last three rounds, the bet amount is now the higher stake ($10 in a $5/$10 game).
The River: The final card is dealt to each player face down, making a total of seven cards in each hand. Now the final betting round begins, and as before, the highest showing hand starts the betting. The River bets are still limited to the upper stake. ($10 in a $5/$10 game).
The Showdown: The last player to bet or raise during the final betting round (the river) will show their hand first. If all the players checked through (nobody bet) on the river, the player to the left of the dealer will show first. The remaining players' hands will be automatically revealed moving clockwise, unless a hand is weaker than the winning hand shown. In this case, you'll have the option to show, or muck (fold without showing). The best five-card hand takes the pot.
Note: It sometimes happens in Seven Card Stud that all 8 players remain in the game by the river. Of course, there are not enough cards in the deck for each player to have seven cards (not most decks, anyway!). When all eight players remain involved in the hand, the dealer will turn over a single community card in the middle of the table - this card is then used by all 8 players to fill their hand.
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