Seven card stud is the most popular version of stud poker, and is played between two and eight players. Every player is dealt a total of seven cards, three of them face down, and the other four face up.
To make your best five card hand using any combination of the seven cards you are dealt.
Ante
Seven card stud is normally played with an ante that is approximately 1/5 of the low limit bet size. Every player must ante up before the hand begins. The ante does not count towards any future bets.
Bring in
After the initial deal when every player has 1 card showing, the person with the lowest card must "bring in", which means he must place 1/2 of the low limit bet size in the pot. If two or more players share the lowest card, the one closest to the dealer's left side must bring in. This bet counts as your first round bet, so as long as nobody raises, you won't have to place any more money in the pot to see the next card.
There are five rounds of betting. In fixed limit seven card stud, all bets and raises must be equal to either the low limit, or high limit bet size, depending on what round it is. In the first two rounds, all bets and raises must be equal to the low limit bet size. In the third, fourth, and fifth rounds, all bets must be equal to the high limit bet size. If, for example, you're playing 3-6 seven card stud, all bets in the first two rounds will be in increments of 3 dollars, and all bets in the last three rounds will be in increments of 6 dollars. A maximum of 3 raises are allowed per betting round.
1. 3rd street - Two cards are dealt face down to every player, followed by another card face up. The player with the lowest card must bring in, by betting 1/2 of the low limit bet. He may choose to raise by betting the full low limit bet. Play proceeds clockwise around the table, with each player choosing to fold, call, or raise. All bets and raises must be equal to the low limit bet size.
2. 4th street - A fourth card is dealt face up to every player. The player with the highest hand showing (at this point, the highest possible would be a pair of aces) is the first to act. He may choose to fold, check, or bet. If two or more players are tied for the highest hand, the one closest to the dealer's left will be the first to act. Play proceeds clockwise around the table as before. If a player is showing a pair at this point, then he and all the other players have the option to bet either the low limit bet size or the high limit bet size. Otherwise, all bets and raises must be equal to the low limit bet size.
3. 5th street - A fifth card is dealt face up to every player. Play proceeds as in the previous round, with the highest hand betting first, except now all bets and raises must be equal to the high limit bet size.
4. 6th street - A sixth card is dealt face up to every player. Play proceeds as in the previous round. All bets and raises must be equal to the high limit bet size.
5. 7th street - A seventh and final card is dealt face down to every player. Play proceeds as in the previous round. All bets and raises must be equal to the high limit bet size. In the rare event that all eight players remain in the hand at this point, there would not be enough cards for each player to receive another one. If that occurs, instead of every player receiving a card face down, a single card is placed in the middle of the table face up which every player is free to use in the making of their best 5 card hand.
Showdown - Anyone who has not folded after the last round of betting will now have the option of showing their hand in hopes of taking down the pot. The person who bet last is the first to show their hand, and then it proceeds clockwise from there, with each remaining player either choosing to show their hand, or muck it. Often times a player will muck their hand if they aren't going to win the pot, and don't want their opponents to see what they played.
Hand Ranking and Beat Examples
Listed in order of the best possible hand to the lowest hand.
1. Straight flush- Five connected/consecutive cards, all of the same single suit. 87654 of clubs would be an example of a straight flush. AKQJT of diamonds would be a royal (straight) flush, which is the highest possible hand in any poker game.
2. Four-of-a-Kind- (Quads)- Four of one card number in a single hand. 7777 would be an example of four-of-a-kind. A seven card hand of 7777222 has gone beyond a full house and is read as; four-sevens with a 2 kicker.
3. Full House- (Boat)- A full house consists of a combination of three-of-a-kind plus one pair. QQQ44 would be an example of a full house. It would also be called 'queens full of fours'. If it were up against another full house which can (and does!) occur, such as; 999KK (nines full of kings), the winning hand is determined by the highest three cards of one kind between the hands. In this case, three queens beats three nines.
4. Flush- Any five cards in a hand of the same suit. J9423 all of hearts would be an example of a flush. The flush in this example would be called a 'Jack-high' flush. If it were up against another flush which also occurs, such as A9865 of spades (an 'Ace-high' flush), the winning hand is determined by the highest card in the flush hand, not the highest of the seven cards in your hand. If another flush were playing, for example AKQ52, the winning hand between the 'ace-high' flushes would be determined by the next highest card in both hands. AKQ98 all of diamonds (king kicker) would beat A9865 all of clubs (nine kicker). Suits do not have a hierarchy and are considered equal.
5. Straight- Five connected/consecutive off-suit cards (cards of any suit). QJT98 off-suit would qualify as a queen-high straight. An A2345 (wheel/bicycle) straight against this hand would qualify as a 'five-high' straight. The ace in this hand qualifies the hand as the lowest possible straight with 2 being the next card to make the straight connect. AKQJT would be the highest off-suit straight possible, where the ace plays high. The king in this hand is the next connector to make the straight.
6. Three-of-a-Kind- Three of one card number in a single hand without another pair. 555 would be an example of three-of-a-kind. In the event that the three-of-a-kind couples with another pair in your hand it qualifies as a full house. (see full house) If the entire 7 card hand was A955543, you see that there is no second pair to couple with the three-of-a-kind to boost the hand. (see terminology for 'set' and 'trips'). Aces qualify as a high-card kicker.
7. Two Pair- A pair of one type of card, coupled with another pair of cards in the hand. AAKK would be an example of the highest two-pair hand possible. If this hand were up against another two-pair hand such as; KKJJ, the winning hand is determined by the hand containing the highest single pair of the two players. The AAKK hand in this case would be the winning hand, aces being high. If your 7 card hand looked like this: 443322A this does not qualify as "three pair", as only the best 5 cards will qualify any type of hand. The hand would be read as two pair, fours and threes (Ace qualifies as a high kicker). This hand also does not qualify as a straight since 5 consecutive cards are necessary to make a straight. Two-pair is probably the most commonly won type of hand in low-stakes limit stud-hi at a full table.
8. One Pair- A pair of cards not coupled with another pair in your hand. 99 would be an example of a pair in a seven card hand of 9987643. This hand does not qualify as a straight since 5 consecutive cards are necessary to make a straight. (5 or T would make this hand a straight). In a one-pair hand the ace always qualifies as a high-card kicker.
9. High Card- The highest single card in a hand of seven cards containing no two of the same numbered cards against another hand. For example, AT96532 would rank this hand as an ace high. Against a hand of KJ87643, the ace-high hand would be the winning hand. If the king-high hand were up against KQT8542, the queen in this hand being the highest next card would beat the KJ87643. The winning hand would be read as; king high, high kicker.
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