Seven Card Stud Poker
The
Seven-Card Stud Itch
If
you find yourself at a seven card seven card Stud
table, the first thing that will go through your mind
might just be, “Toto, we’re not in Hold’em
territory anymore.
There
may be the same amount of cards dealt in seven card
Stud and Hold’em, but the two are like night and
day. Seven card stud is one of the most complicated
and demanding poker games. Seven card stud is a
game that requires deception, patience and the memory
of an elephant, while the betting can range from mild
to full-blast with the turn of one card.
What are the most important skill in Seven Card
Stud?
Two
of the most important skills when playing seven card
Stud are, being able to put players on hands based on
their history and betting pattern; and being able to
recall exposed cards so you can figure out your
drawing and pot odds.
Seven
card Stud
goes with antes instead of blinds and there are two
types of limits. Spread limits – like $1-$5 for
example – allow players to bet at any rate, anytime,
as long as it falls within the $1-$5 range. A
structured limit – such as $5-$10 – means the
first two of seven card Stud’s five bets must be $5
and the final three rounds must be $10.
Seven
card Stud starts with three cards – two down, one
up. The up card is also known as the “door card”
or “third street.” So making trips (three of a
kind) is the best possible hand. But with the odds at
being dealt this gem one out of every 425 hands, don’t
bet the farm on seeing trips right off the bat.
The
high hand bets first in seven card Stud, except in the
first round. In the opening round, the lowest card has
to initiate the “bring in bet.” And before you
bring it in, call, or raise, you have to remember that
a starting hand in seven card Stud is even more
important than in Hold’em. Mediocre starters won’t
cut in when you’re facing five rounds of betting and
raising.
After
three more up cards and three more rounds of betting,
the final card, or “river card,” is dealt down
with one more bet for those who have the cards or
courage to hang around. When all the cards finally hit
the board, the average winning seven card Stud hand is
medium trips, three eights for example. Two pair is
also a common seven card Stud hand.
seven
card stud strategy starts with knowing the odds. For
example, if you have trips with three cards to come,
you have a 40 percent chance to hit a full house or
four of a kind. With three of a suit and four cards to
come, you have a 4.5-1 shot of hitting a flush. And
the odds of being dealt a pair in the first three
cards are 5-1. Studying all the possible odds is the
key to being a stud at this game.
Part
two of seven card Stud strategy is, like in most poker
games, reading your opponent. And seven card Stud is
the best game for this because so many of your
opponents’ cards are showing, unlike in
community-card games like Hold’em. With your
opponents up cards staring you in the face, it’s
easier to guess at what they’re holding by observing
body language, betting patterns and whether there’s
an increased amount of perspiration on their forehead.
For
more information on Seven Card Stud refer the
following:
Seven
Card Stud Rules
Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo Rules
For
a wide variety and low rake in seven card stud we
recommend PokerStars.
