Seven Card Stud
Probably the most well known of all poker games, Seven Card
Stud and its' variations are played in most household games
throughout the world. A maximum of 8 players can play at a Seven
Card Stud table. There are five betting rounds in a complete
game of Seven Card Stud, not including the ante. Each poker
player, starting from the seat to the left of the dealer button
position, is dealt two cards face down, then four cards face up,
and the final (river) card is dealt face down.
General rules & sequence of action for Seven
Card Stud: All players ante (except the $0.50/$1 game
which has no ante), and the 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.
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 Seven 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 Seven 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.
Note: If all eight players are still in the hand on the river,
the total number of cards needed for all the players to receive
their own card would not be available in a standard deck of 52
cards. Therefore under these circumstances, the river card will
be dealt as a "community card", meaning it will be face-up and
can be used by all players to make up their poker hand. |
