7 Card Stud Rules

Introduction

Although the 7 card stud game is popular in all poker playing channels, it has been shadowed in recent years by Texas Holdem. Still, all online poker rooms and land based casinos offer the game.  

The 7 card stud game is usually held with 4-8 players. Unlike Texas Holdem, which involves a combination of community and personal cards, the 7 card stud game is solely based on personal cards. Some of the cards are revealed early in the game, while others are revealed only at the end of the game - the Showdown. It also includes a combination of predetermined low and high bets, which are used for the different rounds of bets and raises in the game. 

Like other popular poker games, it is quite easy to learn the basic rules of the 7 card stud. It takes just a quick reading of this article. Many sites also offer the opportunity to play the game for free. So how about it? Shall we get started?

The Ante

The 7 card stud game starts with a preliminary forced bet - the ante. The ante usually amounts to around 10% of the predetermined low bet. After all antes have been posted, each player is dealt with three cards. The first two are dealt face down and the third face up. This is the Third Street. After the Third Street is dealt, the player with the lowest visible card has to post his bet – The Bring in bet. In the case of a tie, the tie is broken by the suit. Then all other players, starting with the next player on the left, have the option to call (place a bet with the same amount as the bring in bet), raise, usually with the low betting amount, or fold (leave this round). 

Fourth,Fifth and Sixth Street 

After the first round of betting, the fourth card is dealt and revealed. This is the Fourth Street. The second round of betting is held, with the same rules as before, except that the first bet is posted by the player with the highest visible hand. Then the fifth card is dealt and revealed. This is the Fifth Street. Another round of betting is held, with the same rules as before. From this point onwards, bets are the high predetermined bet. Then the sixth card is dealt and revealed – the Sixth Street. Another round of betting is held, with the same rules as before. 

The River and the Showdown 

The final card is then dealt, face down. This is The River. Another betting round is held with the same rules as before. Then all players must reveal their cards, starting with the player who posted the last bet. This is the Showdown. After all players reveal their cards, winner is determined and announced by the dealer, according to the standard rules.