How to Play Seven Card Stud

Although not as popular as Texas Holdem, Seven Card Stud is still widely played in land casinos around the world and at all major online poker sites. The rules of Seven Card Stud look long and in-depth, but that’s just because there are five betting rounds. It’s a fairly easy game to learn and well worth the effort.

The first time you play Seven Card Stud, you’ll notice that there’s a lot of information to absorb. Recent converts from Texas Holdem will notice that in Seven Card Stud, there are many more cards dealt face up on the table. It may feel overwhelming at first but you’ll get used to seeing so many cards and processing the information. It just takes a little time.

Seven Card Stud Rules

Each player pays an ante: The ante is a forced bet that each player must pay at the beginning of each hand. Its purpose is to start each hand with a pot ready to be won. The ante is equal to about 10% to 20% the size of the small bet.

3rd Street: Each player receives two cards face down and one card face up. The player with the lowest showing card must pay the “bring-in.” The bring-in is another mandatory bet but this one is equal to half the size of the small bet.

A round of betting takes place, starting with the player who paid the bring-in. That player may “complete” the bring-in by raising to one small bet or he may leave it as is. The other players may pay the current bet to stay in, fold or raise. The action moves clockwise around the table until everyone has had a chance to act.

4th Street: Each player receives one card face up. There is a round of betting that begins with the player who has the highest card showing. That player may check, bet or fold.

5th Street: Each player receives one card face up. There is a round of betting that begins with the player who has the highest card showing. From here on out, the big bet kicks in.

6th Street: Each player receives one card face up. There is a round of betting that begins with the player who has the highest card showing.

7th Street: Each player receives one card face down. There is a round of betting that begins with the player who has the highest card showing.

Showdown: If there is more than one player remaining at this point, the remaining players reveal their hands. The players may use any combination of their seven cards to make the best possible five card hand. The player with the best hand wins the pot.

Ranking of Suits

Card suits are used to break all ties when determining who begins each round. The suits below are ranked in order with the highest suit on top and the lowest on the bottom:

• Spades
• Hearts
• Diamonds
• Clubs

Running Out of Cards

In full games, the deck will sometimes run out of cards on 7th Street. If there are not enough cards to deal each player a card on 7th card, a single card will be dealt in the middle of the table. This card will be considered a community card and all the players share that card.