One of the oldest variants of poker still played in casinos today is Seven-Card Stud. Before the poker boom in 2003, Stud was still a highly popular poker variant. While still played a great deal, you will find the game more online than in a live setting. Let’s take a look at the rules behind the two more common variants of Stud.
First, we will cover classic seven-cards stud. This game is typically played eight handed. All hands are dealt from seat one to seat eight in a typical game, so a dealer button is not used in this game. Prior to any cards being dealt, each player must post an ante. The ante is typically a set amount and does not change during most cash games.
After the dealer brings the antes into the pot, each player at the table is dealt three cards. The first two cards are dealt to a player face down, and the third card is then dealt face up. This is known as third street. At this point, the player with the lowest rank card showing must place in a forced bet known as the bring-in. The amount of a bring in is typically twice the ante. In a $5 – $10 game with a $1 ante, the bring-in would be $2. Also, if more than one player has the same rank of card, then the player with the lowest suit must bring it in. Suits are alphabetical and ranked from lowest to highest. (Clubs, diamonds, heats, and spades.)
The bring-in player can also make a “completion.” A completion bet is just as it implies, the player is completing the bet to the small bet amount. In our example above, the small bet is $5. If the bring-in player chooses not to complete, then any player at the table may do so. Note that when a player completes a bet, this is not considered a raise. It is truly completing the bet and as such, three raises can still be put in for a standard limit game.
Action continues around to last player and after third street betting is completed, a second cards is dealt face up to each player. This is known as fourth street. Betting on this street is done in the small bet amount. Also, from this street until the river, the player with the highest hand showing is the player that must open the betting. Also, in the event that a player has a pair showing on fourth street, that play has the option of doing a “double bet.” A double bet is twice the small bet, or equal to the big bet of $10 in our example above. If the player with the pair chooses not to make a double bet, the other players at the table have that option.
After fourth street betting is concluded, a third up card is dealt. This is fifth street. From fifth street to the river, betting is done in the big bet amount. After fifth street betting, a fourth up card is dealt. This is sixth street. Note that the player who has the best hand on sixth street will also be the first to act on the river.
After betting is complete on sixth, the last card is dealt to each player face down. This card is the river card or seventh street. Once all betting is completed on the river, each player reveals their hand, and the player with the best five card hand wins the pot. In the event of two players having the same hand, the pot is split.
One rare anomaly that you may see at the river involves a community card. If three or more players play to the river, sometimes the deal will run out of cards depending on action. In this event, only a single card is dealt face up in the middle of the board and it is used as a community card by the players. This is a rare occurrence in a live game, but you may see this a little more common in low stakes online games.
A very popular variant to Seven Card Stud is Stud 8 or Better, also known as Stud Hi-Lo split. In Stud 8 or Better, there are many times two halves to a pot. The high hand wins half of the pot and a qualifying low hand wins the other half. A qualifying low hand is a five card hand with five different cards eight and below. Straights and flushes do not disqualify a low hand. The best low is a wheel, also known as a five-high straight. Also, in the event that a player has both the best high and low hand, they will get both halves of the pot and scoop it. One final note, a player does not have to use the same five cards for both hands. For example, if a player has A-A-A-3-5-6-7, then that player has trip aces and a seven low.
The rules for dealing and playing this game is almost identical to regular stud. The only significant differences come in betting and certain casino rules. For instance, on fourth street, players may not double bet an open pair in Stud 8. Also, in casino games, dealers may not call out possible straights and flushes as in regular Stud. Otherwise, the rules are exactly the same as regular Stud.
While the game may be a little more complicated than Texas Holdem, Stud is a good game to add to your poker repertoire, especially if you have aspirations of playing mixed games.
