The Rules of 7-card Stud Poker

7-card stud poker

Similarly to all the other variants of stud poker, 7-card stud poker also starts with an ante bet. An ante bet is a kind of bet placed at the start the game. It is mandatory for every player who wants to enter the game. The ante bet differs from the blinds in that it does not contribute to any future bidding round during the 7-card stud game. The game starts with the distribution of two cards face down to each player. These cards are called hole cards (cards with holes). The cards used in 7-card stud poker can be closed or open. The game is opened by the player who has the lowest card. They place half the bet. This is called the buy-in. This bet introduces a bidding round.

How to play 7-card stud poker

The 7-card stud poker game runs in a clockwise direction. One who has placed the buy-in can complete their bet, raise the pot or decide to fold after all the bets have been placed, but this does not make sense because they have already contributed to the pot. In 7-card stud poker, the first round of betting is called the "3rd street" because three of the seven cards are dealt now. Then the turn comes. The dealer burns a card and deals a new card to each player. In 7-card stud poker rules, the turn is called the "4th street" and the round of betting begins differently this time. Now it is the player with the highest card that starts the betting round and not the one with the lowest one. When two players have the highest card, the bidding round is opened by the player sitting closest to the dealer. The player who starts the betting round can call, raise or fold. From now on, the players can reach the highest betting limit of the table. After the end of another round of betting, another card is burned and another card is dealt to each player. This process occurs twice until each player has two cards in their hand and there are four visible cards on the table. Then the "5th street" and "6th street" come. The final round is called “the seventh street”. A final hole card is dealt to each player after another card is burned (this card is not visible, unlike the previous three cards). The final round of betting is followed by the showdown. The player with the best combination of five cards wins.