7 CARD STUD

7-card stud is one of the most played games. This game is a big no for beginners. Only if you are a hard-core poker player, then you should move on with this game. It shares fame with Hold’em and Omaha.

You will need…

A standard deck with 52 cards is all that you need for the game. Every game has 5 to 7 players. The betting here starts from $2 - $4 for beginners while a regular player will choose to play a higher game which starts from $8-$16 or a still higher game can be $10 -$20.

How to deal?

As usual, the game begins with the dealers left. Dealer distributes each player 2 tiles faced down and 1 tile faced up. The dealer then commands to the player who has the lowest door card, to start betting. In case of a tie, suits solve the situation. The suits have their order as follows: spade, heart, diamond and club.

How to play?

The player with the lowest door card begins the game by opening a bet that’s twice the ante. In case this player refuses to bet then he is forced to fold and the player to his left takes over his turn. This phenomenon is called Third Street. During Third Street, each player is expected to maintain a low betting limit. Another open card is distributed to players. From here Fourth Street begins. The player with the upper card is expected to start the betting. However a player can pass his turn if he is not willing to bet in this round. If an opener in this round decides to bet, he at least has to bet on lower limit (he can bet on higher limit). From there on, the rest of the raises are decided.  2 similar rounds takes place but the bets here are on higher limit. In the last round, the dealer gives out another card that is face down, and another round with higher betting begins.

And the winner is…

The dealer declares the player with the best hand during showdown as winner.

Tactics of winning…

It is far more important to understand strategy and tactics of this game than any other poker game. You should not pounce on bigger games of $100-$200, though they may appear to be more lucrative than other smaller games. This is one thing that every player should keep in mind while choosing a game. While playing stud, one skill that a player must have is memorizing and analyzing cards that have been distributed. You can relax a little if you have three of a kind and as always the higher the rank, the better it is. In 7-card stud it is better to perform a slow play. You are wise man if you maintain more players till the end. If you have a higher door card then you are expected to raise the bet. If you do not do that other players might find it fishy. If you have high sequences to bet on, there are few things you should keep in mind:

• You should make a strong betting at Third and Fourth street. This will eliminate more players. It is also cheaper to eliminate player during these streets.
• If there are higher cards on the table like king and ace and the card you have is queen then it is advisable to leave the bet at a single raise. You should not panic when while betting if two aces or kings are on table, this only means that the pair is broken and now there is nothing to worry about.
• If you have a higher card in hand like king and queen or ace, and you door card is ten or jack then you are in an ideal situation. It will apparently appear as though you are betting and rising on 10. Here you can pull other players deeper and easily claim your victory at the end.
• In Sixth and Seventh street, you have chances of getting beaten by open cards. If not so then, you can rise, but in reverse case you should fold. You should always check before folding if there is anything that appears to be threatening or which can take the deal away from your hand.

Bluff master…

• While playing stud it is important to know your opponents well. You should not bluff to a professional or a beginner.
• Don’t bluff until you have some cards to give a threat to other players.