Learn how to play Seven Card Stud Poker with our guide. We show you where you can play 7 Card Stud Poker online for the best experience.
Last Updated: February 18, 2023
Seven Card Stud is a poker game that you can play online, in a live dealer casino, or at home, with up to seven other players. Unlike Omaha and Texas Hold’em, Seven Card Stud does not involve a Flop. It may also play out without a community card being dealt.
Moreover, the forced bets are known as Antes, and each player must place an Ante before they receive a card. However, the ranking of 7 Card Stud Hands is identical to that of Omaha Poker and Texas Hold’em.
This Game is Seven Card Stud
Before the rise of Texas hold’em, Seven Card Stud used to be one of the most played poker games. And if you are wondering whether a game is Seven Card Stud, then read on to clear your doubts.
How to Play 7 Card Stud Poker
Choose a 7 Stud Poker Dealer
To start the 7 Card Stud Poker, you need to determine who among those playing is going to be the dealer. To do that, a random player shuffles the cards, and hands out cards to each player in the game. Whoever is the first to draw an Ace, gets to become the dealer of the round.
Ante – Seven Card Poker
Players place an initial bet (Ante) into the pot before the dealer deals them the first card. The antes form the first meaningful reward for winning the game. For casual players, this can be as little as a dollar per player. However, players may agree to make the game more thrilling by opting for a higher Ante.
After each player pays their Ante, a 7 Card Stud game can proceed to Round One, 4th Street, 5th Street, 6th Street, and River, which is the final round.
Round One of Poker Seven Card Stud
The dealer will deal each player two cards, face down. These first two cards are called “holes”, and are dealt in clockwise manner, until each player has two of them. After each player has been dealt their holes, the dealer deals players a face-up card known as the “door.”
Once each player is dealt a “door”, they get to play a round of betting known as the “bring-in”. The first player to act is the one with the lowest valued card, followed by the player seated on their left-hand side. The action then continues in a clockwise manner.
In a Seven Card Draw, the lowest card is determined by ranking suits alphabetically, whereby a 3 of Diamonds outranks a 3 of Hearts, which outranks a 3 of Spades, and so on. During any round of betting, players are at liberty to fold their hand, and lose any of their bets in the pot.
4th Street
The next round of betting starts after each player receives a second face-up card known as the “Fourth Street”. Whoever has the highest valued pair of exposed cards gets to act first. In that regard, if you have a pair of Kings and no other player has a pair of Aces or better, you are the one to act.
You will have an option to check or bet the set small bet allowed for that game. Therefore, in a $10/$20 game, you would bet $10. The player on your left will play next, and they will have an option to “fold”, “check” (if you checked), “call”, or “raise”. The action then continues in a clockwise manner, with each player having the same playing options.
5th Street
Again, each player will receive a face-up card called the 5th Street, and as before, the player with the highest valued face-up cards gets to act first. The first player to act can “check”, “fold”, “call”, or “raise”, with other players also having the same options that the first player had.
However, starting from 5th Street until the end of the game, all bets have to be in increments of the big bet of the game. In a $10/$20 game, the bet increments must be of $20.
6th Street
Just like in previous rounds, another player is dealt a face-up card known as the “Sixth Street”. Moreover, just as before, whoever has exposed cards with the highest poker value, gets to play first. The action will move in a clockwise manner, with each player having the same betting options, as the first player to act.
7th Street – River
During the final round, each player receives a seventh card, dealt face-down, called the “7th Street” or “River”. Only the player dealt the River card gets to know its value, because its value counts towards a player’s winning strategy. And just as before, whoever has face-up cards with the highest poker value gets to play first.
The action then moves in a clockwise manner as before, and each player gets the same playing options. If after the “River” betting round there is more than one player left, the game will move to the “Showdown”. Otherwise, the remaining playing wins the pot.
The Showdown – 7 Card Stud Online
In the Showdown, players expose their cards. It takes place after the final betting round, and the first player to act is the one who made the last bet, or “raise”. If no player placed a bet in the last round, then the player on the least numbered seat acts first.
For instance, if only players in seat 3, 6, and 7 are left, the player on seat 3 will be the first to act. The action then moves in a clockwise manner, and the player with the best five-card 7 Card Poker hand will win the pot.
In case there is a Seven Card Draw, the pot is divided equally among the players with the best poker hands. After that, another live dealer 7 Card Stud Online will be played again. Here are some of the rules and betting options to keep in mind when playing this game of Seven Card Stud Poker.
7 Card Stud Poker Rules for Special Situations
How to Act in 7 Stud Poker
In Seven Card Poker, you may choose to ‘fold’, ‘check’, ‘bet’, ‘call’ or ‘raise’, but the exact act will be determined by how the previous players acted. For instance, if there is no bet yet, you can “check” (choose not to bet, but still keep your cards), or bet.
However, if there is an existing bet, then you must either “fold”, “call”, or “raise”. A “call” means you bet an amount equal to the previous player’s bet, while a “raise” means your bet must exceed the previous player’s bet. Moreover, if you are playing a limit game, the “calls” and “raises” will be of predetermined amounts.
Third Street – All-in for the Ante Player
Once a player with the lowest card showing is all-in for the ante, they will be unable to wager the bring-in bet. In that case, the bring-in bet must move in a clockwise manner, to the next player irrespective of the value of their exposed card.
Fourth Street Player Shows a Pair
In the event a player shows a pair on Fourth Street, betting can be opened, or raised to the game’s big bet. In the case of $10/$20, a big bet will be $20, and it will be the required bet for the rest of the Fourth Street betting.
Dealer Burns or Deals a Card Erroneously
Whenever a dealer accidentally burns or deals a card before a round betting is complete, the dealer must eliminate that card from play. Moreover, after the betting round is over, for every player who still has an active hand, an additional card is eliminated.
The cards are later dealt to the players who may have received them, had the error not occurred.
Once the round of betting is complete, the dealer will burn a card, and the game continues. The removed cards are placed aside as reserve cards, which can be used if the dealer runs out of cards.
When a final down card is prematurely dealt to a player, that player must keep it if they looked at it, or it got intermingled with their other hole cards. Moreover, they may not bet or “raise” on “sixth street” betting round, because they have all seven cards. However, they can call.
Community Card
Since a 7 Card Stud Poker game can be played by up to eight players, cards can run out before the “River” is dealt. If that happens, a single community card is dealt face-up on the table. Players may then use that one community card, along with their other cards, to come up with their best Seven Card Stud poker hand.
Conclusion – 7 Card Poker Hands
You can win a game of 7 Card Stud Poker, or even get a winning 7 Card Draw, if you have the following card hands, ranked in a descending order:
- A Royal Flush of 10 through Ace of the same suit
- Straight Flush of five sequential cards, of the same suit
- A Four of a Kind 7 Card Poker hand
- Full House of Three of a Kind, and a Pair
- A Flush, where you have five cards of the same suit.
- Straight, where your cards are sequential, but not of the same suit
- Three of a kind
- Two Pairs
- One Pair
- A High Card, when no other player has pairs.
That is all you need to know to start playing a game of 7 Card Stud Online, with any live dealer. We hope you found this 7 Card Poker guide to be informative, and you will enjoy your next game of 7 card Stud Poker.
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About the Author
Dave is a gambling enthusiast who boasts 25+ years of experience. His writings not only unravel the intricacies of online casino games but also explore the psychology behind betting. Dave's commitment to responsible gambling shines through, making every wager a mindful choice for players seeking a thrilling yet balanced gaming experience.
