Playing the Favorite Seven-Card Stud Poker

If you know poker before the boom of online gaming, you’d probably recognize the way this stud game is played. Seven-Card Stud has been a staple in homes and casinos in the United States and continental Europe. Though somewhat eclipsed by the Texas Hold’Em, Seven-Card Stud is definitely a card game worth playing.

Starting the game

Seven-Card Stud is a relatively easy game to play. Two to eight players can play the game. To start playing, each player has to put in an ante. The ante is a predetermined amount that is set before the game, but generally, they fall within the range of a tenth or a quarter of the minimum bet.

The Third Street

After the ante has been placed, the dealer will deal two facedown cards (called hole cards) and another card facing up (called door card), starting from the player at the left of the dealer button. After the cards are dealt, the first round of betting begins. The one with the lowest door card is required to make a bet known as the “bring in” bet. The size of the bet amounts to any value between the ante bet and the minimum bet. In home games, the bring in bet is usually omitted, but in some casinos, bring in bet is used in lieu of antes. After the bring in bet, the person at the left of the bettor has the option to bet, raise or fold his cards.

The Fourth, The Fifth and The Sixth Street

After the first betting round, each player is dealt another card facing up. This card is known as the fourth street. From this point forward, the first player to make an action is the one dealt with a card that has the highest value. The players can bet, check, raise or fold his cards. The other players can likewise check, provided that no active bet is in place. The same process is used in the fifth and the sixth street (called the turn).

The Seventh Street and The Showdown

After the betting round on the turn, the seventh card (called the river) is dealt facedown. This gives the players a total of four face-up cards and three face-down cards. Another betting round will commence, after which the players will reveal the cards. The cards are then evaluated, and the hand with the highest five-card combination wins. Should there be one player left and all others folded, the player will win by default and is not required to show his hand.

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