7 Card Stud is probably the most well known of all poker games and is the standard poker game played in most households throughout the world.
General rules & sequence of action for 7 Card Stud
- All players ante (except the $0.50/$1 game which has no ante)
- Each player is dealt two cards face-down (hole cards) and one card face-up (door card)
- First betting round
- Each player is dealt one card face-up (4th street)
- Second betting round
- Each player is dealt another card face-up (5th street)
- Third betting round
- Each player is dealt another card face-up (6th street)
- Fourth betting round
- Each player is dealt a last card face-down (river)
- Final betting round
- Showdown
At the showdown, players use any 5 of their 7 cards to make their best possible poker hand.
Very seldom, a situation occurs where there are not enough cards left in the deck to give each player their own river card. In this event, the dealer will turn one boardcard face-up and it will be used as a community card.
Betting Structure for 7 Card Stud
All players must first ante before they receive their initial cards, except the $0.50/$1 game which has no ante. There are five betting rounds in a complete game of 7 Card Stud, not including the ante.
On the first round of betting, the low card by suit is required to initiate action with a bet equal to half the lower limit (bring-in). Suits are ranked: spades (highest), hearts, diamonds, clubs. On subsequent rounds, the high hand on board initiates betting action. If hands are tied, the player to the left of the dealer acts first. In all cases, the dealer will inform the players as to who acts first.
Each bet and raise during the first two rounds of betting is set at the lower limit of the stakes structure. For example in a $4/$8 game, all bets and raises are $4 for the first two rounds. The exception to this rule is if any player displays a pair with their 2 face-up cards on 4th Street. In this circumstance, all players have the option to bet either the lower limit or the higher limit. If a player bets the higher limit, then all subsequent raises must be made at the higher limit.
Each bet and raise during the last three rounds of betting is set at the higher limit of the stakes structure. For example in a $4/$8 game, all bets and raises are $8 for the last three rounds (5th street, 6th street and the river).
The maximum allowable number of bets per player during any particular betting round is four. This would consist of (1) a bet, (2) a raise, (3) a re-raise, and (4) a cap. The term cap is used to describe the 3rd raise in a round since betting is then capped and can not be raised anymore. Once the pot is capped, players will have only the option of calling or folding.
October 4, 2003