The 60-Second Beginner Guide
Seven Card Stud is a game of memory and paying attention! There are no shared cards in the middle of the table. Instead, you get your own personal 7 cards dealt out one by one over several rounds. Some are face-down just for you, but most are face-up for everyone to see! You bet money after each new card is dealt. The trick is to watch what face-up cards your opponents are getting. If you are trying to make a flush of Hearts, but you see that your opponents already have three Hearts sitting face-up in front of them, you know there aren't many Hearts left in the deck for you! Pick your best 5 cards at the end to win.
1. Setup
- 1All players post an Ante to seed the pot.
- 2The dealer gives every player 2 cards face-down (hole cards), and 1 card face-up for everyone to see. This is called "Third Street".
2. How to Play
Unlike Hold'em where the blind determines who acts first, in Stud, the player with the LOWEST face-up card must make a forced "Bring-in" bet to start the action.
After the first betting round, the dealer gives everyone another face-up card ("Fourth Street"), followed by another betting round. This time, the player with the HIGHEST face-up poker value acts first.
This repeats for "Fifth Street" (face-up) and "Sixth Street" (face-up).
Finally, the dealer gives everyone their 7th and final card ("Seventh Street" or the "River"), but this one is dealt FACE-DOWN! Only you can see it. A final betting round occurs.
Scoring
- •You will end up with 3 face-down cards and 4 face-up cards.
- •You choose the best 5 cards out of your 7 to make your final poker hand. Standard poker rankings apply.
Winning Conditions
- ✓Make everyone fold to win uncontested.
- ✓Have the best 5-card combination out of your 7 cards at the final showdown.