Seven Card Stud

History of 7 Card Stud

Stud poker first became popular during the American civil war in the mid 19th century and reached a new level of acceptance later on at the turn of the 20th century when 7 card stud was introduced. 7 card stud remained the most popular form of poker in America until Texas Holdem took over in the 1970's; despite this decline, it is still among the most popular poker variants played today.

Understanding 7 Card Stud

7 Card Stud is a very skill and discipline intensive variant of poker; you must have the discipline to play the right cards on 3rd street and the skill to recognise how your hand is faring compared to your opponents as the betting rounds progress.

Your cards are revealed to you in small increments over 5 betting rounds, it is a game of uncertainty that relies heavily on your ability to read your own hand and your opponents hand too. In Texas Hold'em, you have seen 71% of your hand after only 1 betting round; in 7 card stud you have seen 71% of your hand after 3 rounds of betting; with less information to work with per round of betting, observational skills play a more important role than in other forms of poker.

Each player receives seven unique cards making it harder to judge the relative strength of your hand. With such uncertainty, being able to memorise your opponents upcards is a huge asset in 7 card stud and can be used to gain a serious advantage over the novice opponents you are likely to meet at the lower limit tables.

Poker table position does not play as important a role in 7 card stud because the first player to act on each round of betting is'nt predetermined and can change from street to street.

7 Card Stud Tips

Note taking on which cards have already been dealt is important. 7 Card Stud is a game of live cards, you must know this in order to calculate how much they effect your chances of winning the hand.

Be choosy about the hands you play on 3rd street, you have seen less than 43% of your hand at this point; playing selectively here will stand you in good stead for later betting rounds.

The next major decision comes on 5th street, where the betting limits double; if you call on 5th street it's usually correct to call until the end of the hand, so make sure it's with a set of cards that you're prepared to go to the river with. Be prepared to fold a lot of hands on 5th street that had a lot of potential on 3rd street but did'nt work out.

If you make a big pair on 3rd street, play aggressively in order to reduce the field and thereby maximise the chances of you holding the winning hand on 7th street.

Don't scare off your opponents if you have a good draw, you need them to build the pot large enough to make drawing a profitable play.

If you have a monster hand, consider raising later rather than earlier; your opponents are more likely to pay you off if they are already heavily involved on 5th street.

If you can't beat what you can see in your opponents upcards, fold unless you have a strong draw.

When you are'nt in the hand, use that time sensibly by looking for patterns in your opponents betting habits.