Seven Card Stud
Seven Card Stud is a classic poker game which can take a lifetime to
master. In Seven Card 🌧️ Stud, players are individually dealt seven cards throughout the
course of the hand, but only the best five-card poker hand 🌧️ possible for each player is
used to determine the winner. View the Poker Hand Rankings for Seven Card Stud.
Unlike
Texas 🌧️ Hold’em and Omaha, Seven Card Stud is usually played with a Limit betting
structure, in which the bets are in 🌧️ fixed increments. For example, in aR$2/$4 limit
game the bets are in increments ofR$2 on the first two betting rounds, 🌧️ and increments
ofR$4 on the subsequent three betting rounds. PokerStars does not offer Pot Limit or No
Limit Stud games 🌧️ at this time.
Rules for Seven Card Stud
Ante
Before a game of Seven
Card Stud begins, all players ante a nominal amount 🌧️ (the exact amount depends on the
game, and is displayed in the table’s title bar). This is the cost of 🌧️ being dealt into
the hand. For example, the ante isR$0.15 in aR$1/$2 game.
Third Street
Each player is
initially dealt three cards, 🌧️ two hidden hole cards and one face up. The player with the
lowest exposed card is the ‘bring-in’, and is 🌧️ forced to start the action. They must
make either another nominal bet (the exact size of the bring-in depends on 🌧️ the game)
or, if they choose, a full bet of the lower betting increment. Action continues
clockwise around the table 🌧️ until betting is complete for the round.
Fourth Street
Each
player now receives another exposed card, called ‘Fourth Street’. The first player 🌧️ to
act is the individual whose exposed cards have the highest poker value. For example, a
player with an exposed 🌧️ pair of Kings would act first, if no other player is showing a
pair of Aces or better. This player 🌧️ may either check or bet the lower structured
betting amount (for example,R$2 in aR$2/$4 game). Please see the ‘Additional Stud 🌧️ Rules
and Situations’ section below for an exception to this rule. There is a round of
betting.
Fifth Street
Each player now 🌧️ receives another exposed card, called ‘Fifth
Street’. Again the first player to act is the individual whose exposed cards have 🌧️ the
highest poker value. There is a round of betting. Starting on Fifth Street and for the
rest of the 🌧️ hand, all bets are in big bet increments ($4 in aR$2/$4 game).
Sixth
Street
Each player now receives another exposed card, called 🌧️ ‘Sixth Street’. Again, the
first player to act is the individual whose exposed cards have the highest poker value.
There 🌧️ is a round of betting.
Seventh Street (or the River)
Each player now receives a
seventh and final card, which is dealt 🌧️ face-down and known only to the player to whom
the card is dealt. The first player to act is the 🌧️ individual whose exposed cards have
the highest poker value. There is a final betting round, and if more than one 🌧️ player
remains, we reach the Showdown.
The Showdown
If there is more than one remaining player
when the final betting round is 🌧️ complete, the last bettor or raiser shows his or her
cards first. If there was no bet on the final 🌧️ round, the player in the earliest seat
shows his or her cards first (Seat 1, then Seat 2, and so 🌧️ on). Further hands involved
in the Showdown are exposed clockwise around the table. The player with the best
five-card poker 🌧️ hand wins the pot. In the event of identical poker hands, the pot will
be equally divided between the players 🌧️ with the best hands. After the pot is awarded, a
new online game of Seven Card Stud poker is ready 🌧️ to be played.
Player Betting
Options
In Stud, as with other forms of poker, the available actions are ‘fold’,
‘check’, ‘bet’, ‘call’ 🌧️ or ‘raise’. Exactly which options are available depends on the
action taken by the previous players. If nobody has yet 🌧️ made a bet, then a player may
either check (decline to bet, but keep their cards) or bet. If a 🌧️ player has bet, then
subsequent players can fold, call or raise. To call is to match the amount the previous
🌧️ player has bet. To raise is to not only match the previous bet, but to also increase
it. Bets and 🌧️ raises in Limit games are in pre-determined amounts.
Additional Stud Rules
and Situations
For the purpose of determining the bring-in in Seven 🌧️ Card Stud, ties in
card rank are broken by suit. The suits are ranked in alphabetical order – clubs
(lowest), 🌧️ diamonds, hearts and spades (highest). The lowest suit breaks a tie, so if
the deuce of hearts and deuce of 🌧️ clubs are visible at the beginning of the hand, then
the deuce of clubs would have the bring-in. (Note: The 🌧️ ranking of equal hands at the
Showdown is not determined by this rule.)
If the player with the lowest card showing 🌧️ on
Third Street is all-in for the ante and they are consequently unable to make the
required bring-in bet, the 🌧️ bring-in moves clockwise to the next player at the table,
regardless of the value of that player’s exposed card.
On Fourth 🌧️ Street, if any player
shows a pair, the betting can optionally be opened or raised for one big bet (for
🌧️ example,R$4 in aR$2/$4 game). Once someone makes the ‘big bet’ in this situation, the
bigger bet amount continues for the 🌧️ remainder of the Fourth Street betting.
Because
Stud games are played with eight players but there are only 52 cards in 🌧️ the deck, it’s
possible to run out of cards before Seventh Street can be dealt. In this very rare
instance, 🌧️ a single ‘community card’ will be dealt face-up on the table, which will be
shared by all remaining players.
Other Stud 🌧️ Variants
A variant of Seven Card Stud,
called Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo (aka ‘Stud Eight or Better’ or ‘Stud/8’) is also 🌧️ available
in PokerStars poker room. In this variant of Stud, there are two potential winners in
each hand, one person 🌧️ for holding the best high hand and one person for holding the
best low hand, provided the low hand is 🌧️ an eight-low or better. PokerStars also offers
Razz. In this variant of Stud, the entire pot is awarded to the 🌧️ best low hand, with no
qualifier.
Learn How to Play Seven Card Stud for Free
