7 Card Stud Rules
Background to 7 Card Poker
7 card poker – more commonly referred to as 7 card stud poker or Hi-Lo Poker – consists of 5 rounds of betting. While all versions of the game do differ slightly, generally individuals play for two pots of money with the best low hand (down card) and the best high hand (up card). The maximum bet doubles after the third round of betting, which results in large payouts from the pots. Players are less inclined to fold bad hands during this game, as the highest and lowest hands split the pot equally.
Dealing and betting
First, each player gets 7 cards (hence the name 7 card poker). Three of these are faced down, 4 faced up. There are five rounds of betting. There are 2 types of wins (for the pot): high and low hand. After the last low hand is dealt, the final round of betting occurs. The player with the best 5 card poker hand wins the pot.
After this, 3 cards are dealt to each player: two pocket cards and one visible card. The player with the lowest card must bring-in the betting. A round of betting begins. Players can either: Fold; Call; Raise; Check. After all the Players have contributed the same amount into the pot, the Fourth Street betting begins. There is a 3rd street; 4th street; 5th street; 6th street and 7th street in betting. In 3rd street betting, each player gets 2 cards faced down, plus one face up. With 4th street another card, 5th street another card, etc.
The ante
Depending on who is playing the game, determines who sets the ante. In a private game it is the players, in a more formal game, the card room.
Other player options in the game
When one talks about folding, what that means is that they are getting rid of the cards in their hand and giving up the current pot of money. To fold, you can say so (verbally) or just show it (by discarding your hand face down in to the pile of other cards that have been discarded, known as the muck). With 7 card stud poker, you usually turn all your cards face down when you want to fold.
Another option in this betting round is to “call.” What this means is that you are matching a bet or a raise. The sign for a betting round to end is when all the players have placed the same amount of money in a bet or no one “calls” a player’s bet or raise. In this case, the player wins the pot.
But that leaves us with the question of “raise.” What this means is that the size of the bet required to remain in the pot is “raised” which forces all the other players to call the new amount. But in a case when there is no amount in the original bet, this action is seen as the opening bet.
When referring to “check” what this means is that in a case where no player has yet began the betting round, any player may “check” which is the same as calling the current bet of zero.
The last thing that can happen in 7 card poker is the “showdown” which is whereby for anyone who didn’t fold after the last betting round can “show” their hand with the hope of winning and taking the money/chips. The one who last placed the bet gets to first show their hand. If a player feels he or she will not win the pot, they might muck their hand, not wanting the other players to see what they played.
Conclusion
Once you have a foundation for the concepts used in 7 card poker, then it is quite easy to follow the rules of the game. Once you know the rules, you will learn how to play and enjoy the game – which is the ultimate goal of 7 card poker.