Seven Card Stud Basics
Introduction to Seven Card Stud
Seven Card Stud was the dominant poker variant before Texas Holdem took over. Unlike Holdem, Stud has no community cards. Each player receives seven cards throughout the hand: three face-down and four face-up.
Players make the best five-card hand from their seven cards. The game uses antes instead of blinds and a bring-in bet to start the action. Understanding Stud fundamentals broadens your overall poker knowledge.
The Structure of a Stud Hand
A Stud hand begins with each player posting an ante. Players receive two cards face-down (hole cards) and one card face-up (the door card). The player with the lowest door card must make the bring-in bet.
Subsequent betting rounds occur after each additional up-card is dealt (Fourth Street through Sixth Street) and after the final down card (Seventh Street or the river).
Starting Hand Selection
Strong Starting Hands in Stud include rolled-up trips (three of a kind), large pairs especially when the pair is concealed, and three-card flushes and straights especially when suited. Pay attention to the cards visible on the table, called live cards. If you hold a pair of Kings but both other Kings are visible in opponents up-cards, your hand is significantly weakened because you cannot improve to trips or quads.
Reading the Board in Stud
Because four of each players seven cards are face-up, there is significantly more information available than in Holdem. Track every card that is dealt and folded. This information affects your drawing odds, your opponents possible holdings, and the value of your own hand.
Good Stud players have excellent memory and use the visible cards to make highly informed decisions throughout each hand.
Key Stud Strategy Concepts
Position in Stud is determined by the up-cards each round, making it dynamic rather than fixed. Stealing antes is important but less frequent than stealing blinds in Holdem. Drawing hands require careful attention to live cards.
Bluffing is more difficult because opponents can see much of your hand, but representing strong up-cards when your actual hand is weak is a viable strategy against observant opponents.
