Seven Card Stud Poker Rules

Seven-Card Stud is one of the most popular poker games, and until recently, it was the most commonly played games between friends and even in casinos in the Eastern half of the United States. However, with the rising popularity of Texas Hold’em, in recent years Seven-Card Stud has become an alien game to many poker players.  Fortunately, the Internet is helping to reverse this trend.

How the game works is that each player is initially dealt two cards face down and one card that is face up after posting the appropriate ante. The two down cards are what are kept a secret from the other players, while the up card is there for everyone to see and evaluate. After these cards are dealt, there is a betting round that goes in a clockwise manner, and at this time players are given the chance to check, bet, call or raise. All betting rounds, including this round, are started with the person who has the best hand showing in their up cards.

Once betting has ceased, another up card is dealt out to each player. This is often referred to as Fourth Street (as in the fourth card dealt). In most cases this is where experienced players will know if they want to continue with the final three cards, or if they are done playing that particular hand. This is important, because folding is necessary in Seven-Card Stud games with several players (five or more) to keep the odds relatively even.

A round of betting follows Fourth Street, and another card is dealt face up (Fifth Street). After another betting round, Sixth Street is dealt face up, and players will again have the option to bet, check, call or fold. Finally, Seventh Street is dealt face down, and is followed by a final round of betting and a showdown if necessary.

As with many other forms of poker, there are variations of Seven-Card Stud poker that can change the game play and outcome of who wins. One example of this is when a game is played HiLo. HiLo games take the highest and the lowest hands into account when the cards are shown, and the best of both high hands and low hands split the pot (or take all if held by the same player). A great high hand is a royal flush, and the best low hand is a straight flush of Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Although less common, another variation of Seven-Card Stud is commonly known as Mississippi Stud. In this version of the game, each player is dealt out their initial cards, but instead of having a betting round between the second and third up card (Fourth and Fifth Streets), the dealer goes straight to the round between Fifth and Sixth Streets. At the end, Seventh Street deviates from traditional Seven-Card Stud by being played as an up card. This form of play is more akin to Texas Hold’em in the way the cards are dealt and the up cards versus down cards.