7 card stud is one of the most popular poker formats after Texas Hold’em and Omaha. There is a difference between all other stud formats and seven card stud games like there are no community cards. The game can be played with two to eight players, and the biggest difference between seven-card stud and Texas hold’em or Omaha is that seven-card stud does not involve a flop, and in most cases, it doesn’t involve community cards at all.
How to play card stud?
Each player gets dealt a total of seven cards, of which three are dealt face down and four are dealt face up. From these seven cards the player has to choose his best five-card combination. The hand rankings are identical to those in Texas hold’em or Omaha; a royal flush is the best possible hand and the worst hand is the high card hand (no pair).
While the blinds are the forced bets in Texas hold’em and Omaha poker, antes are the forced bets placed by every player before receiving any cards. As an example, let’s think of a $10/$20 seven-card stud game with an ante of $1 and a bring-in of $5.
Each player wanting to be dealt in to receive a hand would have to post the $1 ante, creating a pot worth competing for. The first three cards are then dealt to each player before it is determined that one player must post the bring-in. In seven-card stud, the player with the lowest-ranking door card would have to post the $5 bring-in at minimum, but this person does have the option to “complete” the bet by posting $10 (the small limit of the game).
In the case that the first player who brought in only posts the bring-in, other players may have the option of completing the bet to $10 as the first raise. Once the betting is complete, every player left in the hand is dealt a fourth card, referred to as fourth street.
In games that involve a button that dictates where the action starts, those differ from seven-card stud. In seven-card stud, the first player to act from fourth street on is the player displaying the highest-ranking hand.
In the case that a player pairs his door card on fourth street, the opening player now has the option to bet double the small limit, or the larger limit. For example, if a player begins with an ace and picks up another ace on fourth street, that player may open with a bet of $20 instead of $10. This unique betting rule only takes place in the high version of seven-card stud, and not the split-pot version.
The Final Thought
7 card stud is an interesting game and you would love it even if you are a beginner. If it is the first time you are playing it you must adhere to the strategies so that you learn the game gracefully. If you are playing it online, then you must try playing it on Pocket52 to get the best experience.