Seven Card Stud Poker
After hold'em, seven card stud is one of the most popular poker games around. It's played in card rooms, on the internet and also in the World Series.
Here's a basic idea of how it works:
- Everyone puts in a small ante. (Or, in some games, only the player on the button does so.)
- Players are then dealt three cards - two face down hole cards, and one card face up that everyone can see. Whoever has the lowest card (or highest, depending on house rules) places a bet and the first round begins. In the case of a tie, the player closest to the left of the dealer goes first.
- Betting proceeds in a clockwise direction around the table, with players checking, betting, calling or raising as in hold'em.
- Players are then dealt three more up-cards, each one followed by another round of betting. Everyone now has two hole cards and four up-cards.
- The fifth and final round begins with each player receiving a final hole card face down on the table. Everyone now has a total of seven cards - three hole cards and four up-cards.
- There is a final round of betting and then the showdown in which the player with the best five-card hand wins. Hand rankings are the same as for hold'em.
Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo
Seven card stud can also be played as a high-low game, with a split pot as in omaha hi-lo. The rules are the same as for normal seven card stud, but the pot is split at showdown if there are any qualifying low hands.
This game can also be played without the eight qualifier, so that any hand can take the low half of the pot as long as it's the worst hand at the table. In this case, you might win the low half of the pot with paired hands, or perhaps stronger hands still, if your opponents are all going for the high hand.
What's more, the high-low variant can also be played with a declaration. At the end of the betting, but before the showdown, each player reveals whether they wish to compete for the high pot, the low pot, or both.
The winner of the high pot is not (necessarily) the player with the highest hand, but the one with the highest hand amongst those who indicated they are competing for the high pot. And similarly for the low pot. If a player declares 'both', they must win (or tie) both pots in order to claim either.
Players usually make their declarations simultaneously, so that no player can gain an advantage by observing other players' declarations. This is achieved by concealing a number of chips in the hand indicating one's declaration: one for 'low', two for 'high' or three for 'both'. Chips are revealed only once all active players have made their decision.
But just to further complicate matters, some people play with sequential declarations, starting to the left of the dealer. This format gives a huge advantage to those players in late position.
