Seven Card Stud Rules

Seven Card Stud is one of the more popular poker variations in Internet poker.  Though not as popular as Hold’em and Omaha, it is still well-known for many reasons.  One is its set of rules.  Omaha and Hold’em are more or less the same in the ways they are played, but Seven Card Stud’s set of rules are predefined.  Most people also think it is harder to master.  Such is the reason why only a few players try their luck and skill at Seven Card Stud.

Fundamentals of Seven Card Stud

Seven Card Stud is called such because a total of seven cards will be dealt to each player, both face down or face up.  Face-down cards can be seen only by the player and are also called hole cards.  Face-up cards are cards that everybody in the round can see.

Three face-down cards and four face-up cards compose the seven cards in Seven Card Stud.  To easily remember the order by which the seven cards are dealt, always remember the combination – two-four-one.  The first two cards are face-down cards.  The four next cards to be dealt are face-up cards.  Last is the third and final face down card.

How to Play Seven Card Stud

An ante or initial bet is placed before a game of Seven Card Stud starts.  Then, all players are given their first three cards – two hole cards and one face-up card.  The hole cards are private to the players, while the face-up card can be seen by all the players in the round.  The player having the lowest face-up card will wager the bring-in.  This bet will range from half of the small bet or a small bet.  After the player does this, all the players will undergo the betting phase in clockwise direction.

After this is the Fourth Street where the poker players will be given their second face-up card, then the betting round begins.  The player with the highest value of face-up cards will start the action of calling, raising or folding.

The Fifth Street then occurs.  In this phase, players will again be given the third face-up card.  Another betting round will then commence where the player with the highest value of face-up cards will act first – to call, raise or fold.  After this is the Sixth Street where another face-up card will be dealt, after which another betting round will follow where, again, the player with the highest value of face up cards will act first.

The final dealing of card, the hole card, will finally be done.  This completes the seven cards.  Players left will finally be asked to choose among calling, raising or folding.  If, after this, there are two or more players, the Final Showdown will follow.  In here, the player with the highest five-card combination wins the poker game.