| Seven Card Stud Game Rules |
| Unlike other poker games, eight is the maximum number of players
that can play at a 7 Card Stud table (depending 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. |
| Stud games are defined by their betting limits (structure). The
low stakes online games are usually $2-$4, while the higher games
are typically $8-$16, or $10-$20. There are $100-$200 or higher to
be found online, but these are much less common. |
| The table's betting limits tell the Stud player pretty much everything
they need to know about the nature of the game, the expectations
of the players, and the size of the bankroll they should have before
sitting in. |
| Buy-In and Bankroll |
| The minimum Buy-In is usually 10-times the low limit, ($20 for
a $2-$4 game). However, most experts will tell you go to the table
with at least fifty-times the limit. |
| Choosing your Game |
| Games below the $10-$20 limits are generally regarded as beginners'
games. The knowledge and level of ability required for the higher
limit and no-limit games are significant. Such games are not recommended
for beginners still learning the ropes. |
| Ante |
| All players must post ante before any cards are dealt. The amount
of the ante is set by the table limits, (structure) though these
might vary. 10% is the typical ante for low limit games and 25% for
higher limit games. So, $1 - $2 tables might have antes of 10 cents,
and $10 - $20 tables might have a $1 ante. Whereas, a $100-$200 table
would probably have an ante of $25. |
| The Deal |
| The cards are dealt clockwise starting with the player on the dealer’s
immediate left. One card at a time is dealt around the table until
each player has three cards: two pocket (or hole) cards face down,
and one up-card (known as the ‘door’ card). This point
of the game, with each player having three cards on t he table is
known as ‘Third Street’. |
| Now, the dealer indicates which player is to open the betting,
determined by the lowest door card. If there's a tie for low door,
it is resolved by suit (highest to lowest: spades, hearts, diamonds,
clubs). |
| Betting |
| The player showing the lowest door card must ‘bring it in’ and
start the first round of betting with a forced bet of half the lower
limit. |
| If the low door player doesn't make this bet, they must Fold and
the opener passes to the next player on the left. The player after
the opener, may Call by matching the opener, Raise by betting the
low betting limit, or Fold. Throughout third street all Bets and
Raises are fixed at the low betting limit. |
| 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’ (betting round),
unless they are all-in. |
| Fourth Street |
| Each player still in the pot is dealt another open (up) card. Unlike
in Third Street, the opener in Fourth Street (and all remaining streets)
is the high hand as determined by the open cards. The opener may
Check (Pass), or Bet. If they Bet, it's at the low limit, which fixes
all raises in this round to the same. |
| In 7-card stud, if the high hand is an open pair, the opener may
Bet at the upper (or lower) limit, which fixes all Raises in the
round to the same. If a player makes an upper/lower limit bet, the
other players may call, raise the lower bet, raise the upper bet
or fold. In case of an upper bet, only an equal amount can be raised
(to the extent of the upper bet). |
| Fifth and Sixth Street |
| Again, one card is dealt face up to each player and high hand opens.
All Bets and Raises are at the upper limit. |
| Seventh Street |
| The last card dealt to each player, (called the ‘river’),
is another pocket card and is dealt face down. By now all players
have received, three ‘down’ cards and four ‘up’ cards. |
| All bets and raises are at the high limit. |
| After the Bets and Raises have been resolved, the remaining players
enter the Showdown. |
| Showdown |
| The opener reveals his pocket cards. If a player wishes to compete
with this hand he/she too reveals his/her pocket cards, or they can
yield and fold (muck out). |
| Any five of a player’s seven cards can be used to build the
best hand. The best poker hand wins the pot. If there is a tie, the
pot is split, with any odd amount going to the player immediately
to the left of the dealer. If all eight players were still in the
hand on the ‘river’, the total number of cards needed
for all the players to receive their own card would not be available
in a standard deck of cards. When this happens, the river card will
be dealt face up on the table and it will be used as a community
card. |
| In a casino it's the dealer's responsibility to call the winner,
as determined by the best 5-card hand under normal Poker rules. In
online games, the software will designate the winner and the pot
will be passed to them. It is any player's right to request to see
any final hand that has been mucked, though this is primarily intended
for casino play |
