How To Play Seven Card Stud

Seven Card Stud is the most famous poker game, but not until a few years ago. Everybody who has played poker at home is acquainted with seven card stud since many of the home poker games such as "Follow the Ace" or "Baseball" are just variations of this game with several wild cards.

Inside card rooms the only thing wild are some of the players - the game is played with no wild cards included. Every player gets seven cards, so the number of players in the game is limited to seven players, or less.

Seven Card Stud has betting rounds of five, rather than the four that are found in Hold'em and Omaha. Two variations of betting are also available that a player may exercise, depending on the limits the player wants to play. The initial two betting rounds amount to one, and the limits double on the last three rounds.

The Ante: Seven Card Stud is an example of an ante game. This means that every player puts a small amount of money into the pot before the game starts. The limit of the game will determine the amount of the ante, or it may vary on different tables. The ante is usually 1/10th of a full bet.

The Start: Inside the card room the dealer does not play. Every player is given two cards facing down and one card facing up, starting with the player to the left of the dealer's button. The two cards facing down are usually called the hole cards, and the facing-up card is referred to as the door card.

Bringing It In: Third Street is what the first betting round is called, since the player got three cards to start. In the beginning of the first round the player having the lowest door card displaying is called upon to have his force bet, this is known as the "Bring in" bet. The amount of the "bring in" bet is a little higher that the ante but less than the required minimum bet.

Following the Third Street is the Fourth Street, Fifth Street, Sixth Street and the Seventh Street. Each "street" has a different strategy. Remember that luck comes and goes, but the knowledge that the player acquires for the game stays forever.