Seven Card Stud Rules

Learn how to play 7 Card Stud Poker

7 Card is the most common variant of the stud poker games.

Unlike in Texas Hold’em poker or Omaha poker, stud poker games have no community cards, and seven card stud is no different. The game is normally played with antes and a more structured betting pattern (often Fixed Limit).

Until the recent explosion in popularity of Texas Hold em, 7 card stud Poker was the main poker game played in casinos across America and Europe. The poker online phenomenon put 7 card stud somewhat in the shade for a few years, but it is now making a steady comeback on the back of mixed game formats. For the trained eye and mind there are rich pickings to be made, especially in online poker.

How to play 7 Card Stud: A Step-by-step Guide

Learn The Game:

In this guide we will detail all the necessary steps to help you feel at home on the tables. We have even enlisted the sage advice of some proven and accomplished players whose results and experience here at Ladbrokes Poker speaks for itself, and they have generously given their time to provide some helpful strategy, hints and tips.

If you wish to practice what you will learn below, but want to feel your way a bit further into the game, then we have a vast selection of free money poker tables available for you on the site.

Seven card stud is unlike the more common games of Hold em poker and Omaha poker is a stud game, this means unlike flop based games where all the players share the community cards (or flop) in stud games players play only their own cards and no cards are shared.

The start of the game and the button:

The white disc in front of one player is called the button and indicates who is the dealer for that particular hand.

At the beginning of every game each player will be required to post an ante, the amount of which is determined by the stakes at the cash table (ring game), or by the level of the blinds in the tournament. After these compulsory bets have been placed each player is dealt two cards face down and then one card face up starting from the left of the dealer.

The player with the lowest face-up card is required to ‘bring in’. This is a forced bet, and much like the small and big blinds in texas Hold’em poker or Omaha poker, this is a compulsory bet that cannot be avoided if two or more players have the same ranking of low card i.e. 3 people have a deuce (2) then it is the player with the lowest suit who will be required to make the bring in. The ranking of suits is as follows: spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs, with clubs being the lowest.

The action will then continue clockwise from the player who has made the bring in with each player having the option to fold, call or raise. Once all bets have been matched, the next card is dealt.

Fourth Street:

The next card is dealt face up to each player. This card is known as Fourth Street.

A betting round will now follow with the player who holds the best (high) face-up cards being the first to bet. This player is not forced to bet (unlike the low hand holder in the previous round of betting) and may choose to check, fold or bet.

Once again the betting will continue in a clockwise fashion until all bets are matched; a player must at least match the standing bet to continue. Once all bets are matched the next card is dealt.

Fifth Street:

Another card is now dealt face up to each remaining player and a further round of betting will ensue, and once again it will be the player with the best face-up cards in terms of poker rankings that will open the betting. Once again, all players have the option to check (if no bet has been made), call, raise or fold. Once all bets have been matched then the next card is dealt.

Sixth Street:

A final face up card is now dealt to each remaining player. Another betting round will takes place, and again the player with the best face up cards will open the betting. The betting will continue as normal until all bets are matched. Once all bets have been made the final card is dealt.

Seventh Street:

A final card is now dealt face down to each player. The player who had the best face up cards from the previous round will once again start the betting. All players have the same options available to them: to check (if no bet has been made) to call, to raise or to fold. After all bets have been matched we come to the showdown.

The Showdown:

The players who remain will now reveal their cards. The winning hand will be judged by the standard poker rankings, and the highest hand will take the pot.

All stud games have no differentiation between suits when determining the value of the final hand (only for the purposes of the bring-in does suit ranking have any impact on the game).

Each player will make the best 5-card poker hand from the seven available. There is no requirement as to any combination of face up or face down cards to form the poker hand, but all hands must be of 5 cards. Ties will be then decided by count-back to the next highest cards. If a tie cannot be broken after 5 cards then the hand is declared a split pot and each player who has tied will receive an equal share of the pot.

The button now moves clockwise to the next player and a new hand begins.