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How to play Seven Card Stud Poker

Seven-card Stud Poker has a complicated set of rules, but still remains one of the most enjoyable and popular forms of poker.

Rather than bombard you with one 7 Card Stud Poker rule after another, the following poker guide is designed to make it easy for anyone to learn how to play 7 Card Stud Poker.

How To Play Seven Card Stud Poker - Getting Started

There are only enough cards in a pack to allow up to eight players in a Seven Card Stud Poker game. Any less than five is not worthwhile.

One 7-card stud poker rule that is consistent with most other forms of poker is the ‘ante’. Before any cards have been dealt, each player must pay the ‘ante’. This is a sort of buy-in and is mandatory. The ‘ante’ ensures that there is something to play for in every game.

The game has a low betting limit and a high betting limit (see our Glossary of Seven Card Poker Terms). The amount of money required to play 7 Card Stud Poker varies depending on where you play. Online games can vary from £2 - £4 to £10 - £20. In casinos, a Seven Card Stud Poker game can be played at £100 - £200 or more.

Typically the “ante” is 10% of the low betting limit. For a £5 - £10 game, for example, a 50p ante would apply.

How To Play Seven Card Stud Poker - Third Street

The dealer distributes the cards clockwise starting from his immediate left, one card at a time. In the first round, each player is dealt three cards - two face down and one face up. The down-facing cards are called pocket cards, while the single up-turned card is the door card. Once all players have three cards this is called “third street”.

Whichever player has the lowest ranking up-turned card pays the bring-in, i.e. the opening bet (equal to twice the ante). If there is a tie for lowest card, it goes down to suit. The strongest suit is spades, then hearts, then diamonds and finally clubs. If the player doesn’t want to make the bet he must fold, and pass play on to the person on their left.

Betting then proceeds in a clockwise direction. Players can either call (by matching the opener), raise (by betting the low-betting limit), or fold.

How To Play Seven Card Stud Poker - Fourth Street

When betting finishes, the dealer burns the top card, and deals another up-turned card to each player. This stage of the game is called “fourth street” (the players have four cards each).

This time the player whose up-turned cards make the best poker hand starts the betting. This is the case for all further hands. No straights, flushes, or full houses will count as fewer than five cards are on display.

Players in this round may check (pass) or bet. 7 Card Stud Poker betting in this round is at the low betting limit unless the two up-turned cards starting the betting are a pair. In this case betting is fixed at the high betting limit, i.e. in a £10 - £20 game, all bets and raises are fixed at £20.

How To Play Seven Card Stud Poker - Fifth Street, Sixth Street and The River

Fourth street is followed by fifth and sixth street. Each is the same as third street – an up-turned card is dealt followed by a round of betting. Bets and raises are at the upper limit.

The final card, called the "river", is dealt faced-down (another pocket card). A round of stud poker betting follows. All bets and raises are at the high limit (£20).

How To Play Seven Card Stud Poker – The Showdown

Upon showdown, each player makes the best five-card poker hand he can out of the seven cards he was dealt. The opening player reveals his cards. If anyone wants to compete, they reveal their pocket cards. If not, they fold.

In a casino it is the dealer who determines who has the best hand. In online casinos the software designates the winner. The winner takes the pot!

How To Play Seven Card Stud Poker - Other Information

Because of the high number of cards dealt, it is possible that a deck of cards could run out before all the cards have been dealt. In this case, cards that have been burnt in previous rounds can be used. If these don’t suffice, an up-turned card can be used as a community card on the final round. This means that instead of each player having a down-turned card in the final round, the community card is shared by all the players as if it were their seventh card.

Never re-use cards from a folded hand. Up-facing cards provide important information. This can be important for 7 Card Stud Poker strategy and decision making.

Hopefully the above guide will help you learn to play poker. If you want the strategy of poker explained in a more in-depth way, see our Seven Card Stud Poker Strategy, Hints and Tips page.

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