7 card Stud

Each player must put in ante in
before receiving any cards.
Players then receive two (2) Downcards
& one (1) Upcard.
(Players must be able to see all upcards.)

The player with the lowest upcard
by suit is required to place a forced bet
or a "bring-in" to begin the first round of betting.


This player may bring in for half of the
small bet or the complete the small bet,
which is called a "completion" and
does not count as a raise.
(There may be up to three raises allowed
in a three raise fixed limit 7 card stud game.)


For all betting rounds after the first,
the Highest Hand Showing initiates the action.
If there is a tie on the board, then the action
is determined by position. In other words
the player who received cards first acts first.
The fourth, fifth, and sixth cards are dealt
to each player face up so that other players
may see it. The seventh and final card is dealt down.

The winner is determined at the showdown
by making the best 5-card poker hand
out of their 7 card hand.

Summary:
*Betting is clockwise, the player with the
highest poker hand showing starts ( 2-2 beats K-Q).
*2 cards dealt face down to each player, 1 card dealt face up
*upcard to each player
*upcard to each player
*upcard to each player
*downcard to each player
*showdown

Remember, a Good Deal is 2 for 1
(2 Down, 4 Up, 1 Down.)

You may note that seven cards to
eight players plus four burn cards
makes 60 cards, and there are only
52 in the deck. In most games this
is not a problem because several
players will have folded in early
betting rounds. But there are certainly
low-stakes home games where few
if any players fold. If this is the case
in your game, you may want to limit
the game to seven players. If the deck does
become exhausted during play,
previously-dealt burn cards can be used
when only a few cards are needed to
complete the deal. If even those are not
sufficient, then on the final round instead
of dealing a downcard to each player,
a single community card is dealt to the
center of the table, and is shared by everyone
(that is, each player treats it as his seventh card).

Under no circumstances can any discarded
card from a folded hand be "recycled"
for later use. Unlike draw poker, where
no cards are ever seen before showdown,
stud poker players use the information
they get from face-up cards to make
strategic decisions, and so a player who
sees a certain card folded is entitled to
make decisions knowing that the card
will never appear in another opponent's hand

Common problems:
What do you do if a player's first or
second hole card is accidentally turned up
by the dealer?
If a player's first or second hole card
is accidentally turned up by the dealer
the dealer should deal that player's third
card face down and keep the turned card face up.

What happens if the dealer accidentally
turns up both of your hole cards?
If the dealer accidentally turns up both
of your hole cards then your hand is
considered to be a dead hand and you will
receive your ante back for that particular hand.
If the first card turned up would have
been the lowest card, then the player
to that player's left would bring-in,
no matter their cards.


General Strategy:
Seven Card Stud is a HIGH card game.
More winning hands are decided by the
highest pair of two pair or just the highest pair,
than by straights, flushes and other big hands.
So if you start with a straight or flush draw,
it should have at least two high cards or at least
one card that is higher than anything up on the board.
These draw hands and low pair starting hands need
to improve or turn a high pair quickly to justify
continued play.

Any time your high hand is beaten on the board,
fold, unless you think you still have the best draw hand.
Fast play early high hands ( that could win without
improvement) to thin out the competition.
Slow play draw hands to keep other players in
to increase the pot odds in case you hit.


Definitions:
HIGH CARDS - 10 thru A

LOW CARDS - 2 thru 9

SPLIT PAIR - Starting hand with one of your pair cards down and the other up.

CONCEALED PAIR - Starting hand with both of your pair cards in the hole and your side card kicker up.

DOOR CARD - The exposed upcard of a starting hand.

DEAD CARDS - Cards that have been revealed and no longer in the deck.

FAST PLAY - Bet, raise and re-raise to get as many other players out as possible.

SLOW PLAY - Just check and call along to keep other players in the game and increase the pot odds.

CHECK-FOLD - Check when you cna and fold if you are bet into. Gladly accept free cards.


Playable Starting Hands:

HIGH TRIPS - (AAA down to 101010). Fast play these. Your opponents will put you on a high pair.

LOW TRIPS - (999 down to 222). Slow play until your 5th street bet. Keep 'em guessing.

HIGH PAIR - (AA, KK, QQ, JJ, 1010). Fast play these, split or concealed, if they are not overcarded on the board. Try to narrow the field and play fast until threatened by a higher hand.

LOW PAIR/ High Kicker - Slow play split or concealed low pairs with a kicker that is higher than any upcard on the board. Fold this hand if two or more of your key cards are dead. Check-fold if you don't get trips or two pair on the next card.

CONCEALED LOW PAIR/ No High Kicker - Slow play for trips on 4th street. Fold if one or both of your pair cards are dead. Check-fold if you don't make trips or two pair on the next card.

HIGH OVERCARDS - Two or three high cards that are higher than anything on the board. Slow play and check-fold if they don't make a high pair on the next card.

HIGH 3 CARD FLUSH - (2h 10h Kh). Must have at least two high cards. Fold if three or more cards of your suit are dead. Slow play and check-fold if you don't make a four card flush or a high pair on the next card.

HIGH 3 CARD STRAIGHT - (9 10 J ) to Q K A). Slow play and check-fold if you don't make a four card straight or a high pair on the next card.

ANY 3 CARDS TO A STRAIGHT FLUSH - (5d 7d 9d). Fold if four or more of your key straight and flush cards are dead. Slow play and check-fold if you don't make any four cards to a straight or a four card flush.

Strategy Tips:
- When you start with a high pair,
fast play to eliminate as many players as possible.

- Slow play starting draw hands like three to a straight or a flush. You want to keep other players in to build the pot odds.

- Slow play starting trips until the fifth card. You want some players around with this powerful starting hand.

- Usually don't begin with a small pair unless they are concealed or your sidecard can beat the board.

- Don't play three to a low straight or a low flush.

- Watch the board closely for key cards that can seriously diminish your chances of making a good hand and for opponents hands that look dangerous. Play cautiously and fold out early if it looks like the tide is turning against you.

- Beware of the paired door card. If an opponent is playing a pair in his starting hand, and pairs his door card (first upcard), the odds are two out of three that the door card is part of his pair. A paired door card presents a strong possibility that the holder has a dangerous set of trips.

- Unless you are playing a strong draw hand, usually fold if your complete hand is beaten on the board by an opponent's upcards.

- Try to find reasons to fold both your starting hands and those that develop on the later streets. Look for a dead card in the denomination that you need and for two or three dead cards in the suit that you are drawing to. Look for too much strong competition developing for the winning hand. When you can't find reasons to fold, you can then proceed aggressively..

- Beware of multiple "check-arounds" on 7th St.

- Straight and flush draws often hit on the last card and there is usually so little in the pot that yor last card pair of Aces etc. is not a very good bet.

- Study your opponents, especially when you are not playing hands and can pay careful attention. Do they find more hands to play than they fold? Do they bluff? Can they be bluffed? Do they have any "tells" (give away mannerisms) that disclose information about their hands etc.

- Get caught bluffing once in a while. It is a way to vary your play and not be too predictable. You win pots that you don't deserve when your bluff works. You lose a few chips when it doesn't work but it will get you calls from weaker hands down the line when you are really strong and need the action.

- The first four cards are the major key to winning at Seven Card Stud games. If your starting hands develop according to plan, you can be a strong favorite to win. If they don't, you get out early and escape the expensive second best experience. The three card starting hands recommended above are those with the best chance of producing a dominant four card hand. Good four card hands that are carefully played don't always win but they win a lot more than the others