7 Card Stud Poker

At one time 7 Card Stud Poker was THE game to play and although it is not as hugely popular today as it was in years gone by it is still played day in and day out at many poker rooms.

The game is very easy to play and it will take you a while to master it, it is a lot of fun and will call for you to play a very tight game.

To start a game of Seven Card Stud, you are required to place an ante on the table. This allows for the pot to begin to build up and gets everyones interest in the game from the get go!

All of the players will be dealt three cards, two face down and one face up. The player who has the lowest card value showing will then be required to make the bring in bet and this will always be equal to half the lower-limit bet. Should two of the players both have the lowest card it is determined by suit: clubs (lowest), diamonds, hearts and spades - alphabetically.

A betting round will then start, with the options for the other players being fold (get rid of your hand and stop playing that particular game), call (put in an amount equal to what has been placed in the pot) or raise to a full bet.

Next follows what is termed the Fourth Street and during this betting round, each player still in the game is dealt another card face up and the player who has the highest card values starts the next betting round by checking or betting.

Should there be two hands of equal value the betting is started by the player closest to the dealer's left.

The lower level bet applies to Fourth Street showever should the highest hand showing be a pair, any player has an option to bet either the lower or the higher betting limit. and the other players are then forced to play that amount in calling or raising.

Next follows what is called the Fifth and Sixth Street rounds where the betting amounts are at the higher limit and the first player is determined by the highest ranking exposed hand on the table.

Finally the Seventh Street round starts and this is the last card, it will be dealt face down, and the person who played first on sixth street plays first again.

A final round of betting ensues, ending in the showdown. Players have four exposed and three hidden cards by this point. They then create the best five-card hand from their total of seven cards.