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Strategy, Hints and Tips for Seven Card Stud Poker

The Seven Card Stud Poker hints and tips here work for both online and real casinos, and are aimed at beginners.

Knowing some of the basics of 7 Card Stud Poker strategy will improve your chance of success, especially if you want to learn how to play poker and you’re new to the game.

Seven Card Stud Poker Strategies - Some Simple Poker Hints

When playing in a casino, as opposed to when you play online Seven Card Stud Poker, the other poker players will be reading your behaviour. Any behaviour that reveals your emotion – and potentially your hand – is called a “tell”.

Some things to bear in mind to avoid this in a Seven Card Stud Poker room are:

• Don’t play Seven Card Stud Poker when you’re tired. Make sure you’re able to devote your full attention to the table and try not to get visibly frustrated at losing previous hands.
• It’s OK to ask some questions about pot sizes etc. but don’t do it too often. It will expose you as an amateur making you easier to read.
• Before you arrive at the table, get the correct number of poker chips so that you don’t have to keep going back to get more. Again, this will expose you as a beginner, and what’s more, this is bad poker etiquette.

Generally there are some simple rules that all stud poker players use. Firstly, change your 7 Card Stud Poker strategy through the course of the game. You don’t want to become predictable.

If things are going badly, change seats or tables. Always play to win. Playing “not to lose” in a Seven Card Stud Poker game is ineffective.

Seven Card Stud Poker Strategies - Be Observant

Because there are so many up-turned cards on show in Seven Card Stud Poker, a lot can be deduced from looking at other people’s cards. Constantly evaluate whether the upcards help or hurt your poker chances, or your opponents’ poker odds. This information should dictate your Seven Card Stud Poker strategy.

For example, in the first round, look at all the door cards showing around the poker table. If you have, say, two tens in your hand, but you can see two tens amongst the door cards on show, then you know that you won’t be able to make any more than a pair – you should probably fold.

Obviously you have to be on guard that other players can’t read your behaviour, but it is also the case that you should be evaluating theirs. This is important with stud poker gambling, especially in casinos.

In internet 7 Card Stud Poker you obviously can’t read people’s body language. This changes the nature of the game. However, some internet poker sites have chat boxes which can be a dead give-away.

Bluffing is playing as though you have a good hand when in fact you don’t in order to urge people to fold. In online poker, as a rule, less bluffing goes on. There are several fundamental rules to follow when bluffing that should prove important for your Seven Card Stud Poker strategy.

• Do not bluff a player who has won several rounds. They will not be scared to call as they can afford to lose.
• Do not bluff a beginner. They will be desperate to know your hand will call just to know.
• Don’t bluff unless you have at least some good cards on show (upcards).

Seven Card Stud Poker Strategies - Playing Style

The two main playing styles in you can use in a 7 Card Stud Poker game are ‘The Bear’, and ‘The Bull’.

The Bear plays conservative, tight poker. No risks are taken unless there is something to back it up. They will only bet at third street if they have better than a pair, or at the very least, two high cards (Kings or Aces).

They will only continue further than fourth street if their hand has improved, and they have a real chance of bringing home the pot.

The remaining rounds are expensive and the tight player will only continue if it’s cheap to do so, or if they believe they hold the best hand.

The Bull plays aggressive Seven Cards Stud Poker. It is more important in this type of play to assess how your cards appear to other players. Manipulating opponents is the name of the game, forcing other players to pay up or fold.

Bullish play is favoured among the pro players, especially in poker tournaments. Seven Card Stud Poker betting should never be predictable. The more conservative approach is less risky, but over a period of time, far more easy to forecast.

Seven Card Stud Poker Strategies - Good Hands

The best possible Seven Card Stud Poker opening hand is three of a kind (or “trips”). A high ranking three of a kind should normally win a round – so bet confidently in this case. However, if the other players knew you held three of a kind, or any other good hand for that matter, they’d probably fold. It’s best to start of conservatively and bet high in the latter betting rounds.

After three of a kind, a high pair is the best Seven Card Stud Poker starting hand – especially if they are faced down. This is a sound position. Hang in there to see if you think it can be improved on (remember to check-out the other door cards!)

“Three cards to a Flush” is where you need further cards to make the hand worth anything. It is worth a raise, but by how much is determined by the door card. If you have a high door card your opponents will think you have a high pair.

“Three cards to a Straight” is more difficult to complete than “three cards to a Flush”. If you are trying to make a high Straight, there is also a chance of getting a high pair. In this case it may be worth persevering with a raise and maybe a re-raise – especially if it’s an Outside Straight (i.e it can be completed from either side).

If you now want to put your Seven Card Stud Poker betting strategies into practice, take a look at our Where To Play Seven Card Stud Poker and Top Seven Card Stud Poker Sites pages?

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