7 Card Stud Rules
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This game demands strategy and skill and it takes a lot of play to develop the winner's edge. Top calibre players are few and far between but they have one thing in common with the rookies: every player of the game is still learning, even the masters.
There are cash tables available as well as a number of free to play tables in order for you to get some practice.
To give you an idea of the game and how it’s played, let's begin with the basic rules:
Betting Limits
Stud games are defined by their betting limits. The low stakes games we offer start from as little as $0.10-$0.20 while the higher games are typically $5-$10 or $10-$20.
The game’s betting limits tell the Stud player pretty much everything they need to know about the nature of the game, the expectations of the players, and the size of the bankroll you should have before you sit in.
Buy-In and Bankroll
Your minimum buy-in is typically 10-times the low limit, or $20 for a $2-$4 game. But playing with the minimum is not recommended as you may find yourself short-stacked a bit quickly!
Choosing your Game
Anything above the $5-$10 level is generally considered a well practiced players game. The skill and strategy levels required in the higher games are substantial and such games generally do not provide a relaxing environment for the Stud player still learning their way around. For that reason, you should start off on the practice tables and low-limit games to find your feet!
The Ante
An Ante (fixed bet) in Stud is mandatory and changes depending on the betting limits. Most games usually require a 10% Ante, so a $5-$10 game will have a $0.50 Ante.
Dealing
Using a $10-$20 game as an example, the Ante is $1 (10% of the low limit).
The dealer deals clockwise starting on their immediate left. They deal one card at a time around the table until each player has two pocket cards (face down) and a single up (the "door" card).
At this point the dealer indicates which player will open the betting, determined by the lowest door card. If there's a tie for low door, suit resolves it: spades over hearts, followed by diamonds, and finally clubs is the lowest.
Betting
Once the initial cards have been dealt, the game begins. At this point we've got three cards on the table per player and that's called "Third Street" (Remember, Stud poker is an American game and the terminology used is often in the language of the creators).
Third Street
The player holding the lowest door card must "bring it in" by opening with a bet that is usually equal to three times the ante ($3 in our example game). If the low door player doesn't make this bet, they're forced to ‘Fold’ and the opener passes to the player on their left.
The next player clockwise from the opener can ‘Call’ by matching the opener, ‘Raise’ by betting the low betting limit ($10) or ‘Fold’. Throughout Third Street all ‘Bets’ and ‘Raises’ are fixed at the low betting limit ($10).
Fourth Street
The dealer gives each player another open (up) card. Unlike Third Street, the opener in the fourth and remaining streets is the high hand as determined by the open cards. They may ‘Check’ (Pass) or ‘Bet’. It they ‘Bet’ it will be at the low limit ($10) and that fixes all raises in this round to the same.
If the high hand is an open pair, the opener can ‘Bet’ at the upper limit ($20) and this fixes all raises in the round to the same.
Fifth and Sixth Street
Again, the card is dealt up and high hand opens. All ‘Bets’ and ‘Raises’ are at the upper limit ($20 in this example).
Seventh Street
The last card, called the ‘river’, is another pocket card (face down). All ‘Bets’ and ‘Raises’ are at the high limit ($20).
Showdown
After the ‘Bets’ and ‘Raises’ have been resolved, the remaining players enter a showdown. The opener reveals his pocket cards. If a player wishes to compete with this hand they too reveal their pocket cards, or they can yield and muck out (Fold).
At the casino it's the dealer's responsibility to call the winner, as determined by the best 5-card hand under normal poker rules. However, in online games the software will designate the winner and the pot will be passed to them.
Conclusion
Although true with all poker games, with 7-Card Stud the rules are barely the beginning. It's the strategy and gaming skills that make the game and you’ll pick these up when you start practicing on our free to play stud tables.
