The Seven Card Stud is another exciting variation of the game of Poker. While the Seven Card Stud has been around for a while, the game is still a favorite game among poker players. They are played online, in casinos, poker card rooms and even at home poker games.
Seven Card Stud can be played with fixed limit, no-limit or pot limit game. Fixed limit is most commonly played because it has a structure that is easy to understand even for young and newbie players.
Thus, in this tutorial, the game to be played is a fixed limit Seven Card Stud.
How many players can play this game?
Two (2) to Eight (8) players. However, because there are only 52 cards in a deck, it is recommended to just limit the players to seven (7). But 8 players can still play with no problem.
Seven Card Stud Rules
• The game is fixed limit. If the limit is $1-$2, then the first three betting rounds will be limited to $1 each bet and in the final 2 betting rounds each bet will be $2.
• This game is usually played with ante. Ante is money placed by each player to start off the pot. While this is not considered a bet, it is a forced contribution to start the game. The ante is usually either 25% or half of the minimum bet.
• The bring-in bet is half of the minimum bet. This will come from the player with the door card. The door card is the lowest ranking card dealt to the players face up. The player with the lowest ranking card or the door card will start the betting round or post the bring-in.
• On the fourth street up to the final card, the betting starts from the highest ranking face up cards.
• The player who has the highest 5-card hand in the showdown will win the pot. In cases of tie, the pot will be split among the tying players.
How is Seven Card Stud Played?
1. When all the players are seated. The dealer will now shuffle the cards and the person on his left will cut the deck somewhere in the middle.
2. Before the cards are dealt to the players, the ante will be placed. This is the starting money for the pot.
3. Then, the dealer will deal two face down cards and one face up card. The face up card will determine the door card. The door card is the lowest ranking card.
4. The player with the door card in front of him will start the betting round. He may opt to check or bet. If no one has placed a bet, a check or betting zero will keep you in the game. This is different from folding because when a player folds, he is already withdrawing from the game.
5. The betting will then continue to rest of the players until the person seated at the right of the bring in bettor has made his action.
6. The dealer will now draw the fourth street. This is the second face up card to each player.
7. This time, the player with the heights ranking card will start the betting round.
8. After all the players have made their action, either call, raise or fold, the dealer will now draw the fifth street. This is the third face up card.
9. Another betting round will happen.
10. The dealer will now deal the sixth street. This is a face down card. The betting will start again to the person with the height face up card. This time, the betting will be $2 or the highest bet required.
11. The final card or the seventh street will now be dealt. This is another face down card and the final betting round will happen.
12. Then, the showdown. The active players will now show their cards and the player with the highest 5-card hand will win the pot.
This is how Seven Card Stud poker is played.
Next, we will discuss some other poker variants like draw poker, online poker etc.
