7
Card Stud was probably the most popular form of
poker in the world for most of the last half century,
although Texas hold'em surpassed it in popularity
in two of the United States' largest legal poker centers,
Las Vegas and Los Angeles, around 1990.
Mmm… bet you didn’t know that!!
Description
Unlike other poker games, a maximum of eight players
can play at a 7 Card Stud table (very dependant on
where you play). There are five betting rounds in
an entire game of 7 Card Stud, not including the ante.
Each player, starting from seat 1 (the seat to the
left of the dealer), is dealt two cards face down,
then four cards face up, and the final (river) card
is dealt face down.
Each player must put an ante (blind bet) into the
pot before he receives his first three cards. The
initial deal consists of two cards dealt face down,
called the hole cards, and one card dealt face-up,
called the door card.
The player with the lowest exposed (door) card (using
suits in reverse bridge order—clubs, diamonds,
hearts, spades—if there is a tie) is required
to begin some action by betting a minimum of half
the lower limit. This starting bet is called the bring-in.
When you have the bring-in, you always have the option
of betting either half the lower limit or the lower
limit for the table nominated. For example, in a $2-$4
game, the player with the lowest door card must make
a forced bet of either $1 or $2.
After the first round of betting, all subsequent rounds
start with the player with the high hand on board
initiating the betting action. In cases of a tie,
the player to the left of the dealer initiates the
betting action. Examples:
A fresh table starts off with all the players posting
the "ante" (putting a predetermined amount
in the pot before the cards are dealt, also known
as a blind bet). This amount is based on the size
of the game. While the ante amount is not based on
a set rule, the same is decided upon by the prevailing
game trends. For e.g. the ante amount for a 1/2 table
is 25 cents while for a 3/6 table, it is 50 cents.
A new game on an active table starts with all the
players at the table posting antes.
As stated before, in Seven-card stud poker, players
receive seven cards, three "down" cards
and four "up" cards.
After the antes have been placed each player is dealt
three cards (two "down" cards and one "up"
card). The "up" card is also known as the
"door card" or "Third Street".
The lowest "up" card must initiate the action
with a "Bring-In" bet. (If two or more players
have the same lowest card, the person who brings it
in is determined by suit order progressing from clubs,
diamonds, hearts, and spades.)
Each player is allowed one bet and three raises in
each betting round. To continue to play, players must
take an action from what is displayed to them on each
"street" or betting round (unless they are
all-in).
The Second Round:
After the first round of betting another card is
dealt face-up to each player that still remains in
the pot (those who didn't fold on "third street").
This is "Fourth Street" (the second round
of betting). From "Fourth Street" on, the
highest hand showing begins the action by checking
or betting. If a pair is showing on "Fourth Street",
7 card stud players have the option to make a single
or double bet. If a player makes a single/double bet,
the other players may call, raise the single bet,
raise the double bet or fold. In case of a double
bet, only an equal amount can be raised (to the extent
of the double bet).
The Third Round:
Upon conclusion of the betting on "fourth street",
another card is dealt face-up to those who remain
in the pot. This is called "Fifth Street"
(the third round of betting - which doubles (the value
of each bet is double of what was available in the
first two rounds) - and continues at this amount for
the remaining betting rounds). The highest hand showing
again starts the action by checking or betting.
The Fourth Round:
In 7 card stud upon the completion of betting on
"fifth street", another card is dealt face-up.
This is "Sixth Street" (fourth betting round).
The Fifth Round:
The final card is dealt down. The last card is also
known as the "River Card" or "Seventh
Street" (final round of betting).
Showdown
After the final round of betting in 7 card stud the
players left enter the showdown. The hands are called
in turn and each player turns over their face down
cards (beginning with the opener). If a player wishes
to compete with this hand they reveal their pocket
cards, or they can yield and muck out (Fold). The
player with the best 5 card hand wins the pot, any
five of their 7 cards can be used to make up their
best poker hand. Should multiple hands tie, the pot
is split with any odd amount going to the player immediately
to the left of the dealer.
The Buy-In
You must buy-in a minimum amount of chips when sitting
down at your chosen table. The minimum Stud buy-in
is typically 10-times the low limit. For example on
a $2/$4 table the minimum buy-in is $20, on a $10/$20
table the minimum buy-in is $100. Playing with the
minimum, however, is not recommended.
Ante
The game begins with each player automatically betting
a small sum (the ante). In seven card stud the ante
is mandatory, the value of which varies depending
on the table limits. Typically $1/$2 tables have an
ante of $0.25, and $10/$20 tables have a $1 ante.
Some Standard Rules
A maximum of four bets, which includes one bet, and
three raises are allowed for each betting round per
player. To continue to play, players must take an
action from what is displayed to them on each "street"
or betting round (unless they are all-in). The term
cap is used to describe the final raise in a round
since betting is then capped and no one can make another
raise. Once capped, players will have the option of
calling or folding only. Folding can be done at any
stage of the game. The action of folding basically
shows the player cards being moved to the dealer.
The player from then on would not be considered as
part of the game. He/she would not have any rights
over any pots created on the table.
Poker is typically played "table stakes",
meaning only the chips in play at the beginning of
each hand may be used throughout the hand. This means
that the player cannot get additional funds from the
cashier while he is in the midst of a game. The table
stakes rule has an application called the "All-In"
rule, which states that a player cannot be forced
to forfeit a hand because the player does not have
enough chips to call a bet.
Poker Rooms to play 7 Card
Stud:
