Seven Card Stud Rules

The game is played using a standard 52 card deck. Two to eight people can play this game.

At the beginning, each player receives three cards: two face down and one face up. During the game the players are dealt another 3 cards face up and one face down. Each player uses five of his seven cards to make up his final hand. The best of these card combinations wins the pot.

The combinations and its ranks as in Texas Hold'em.

Seven Card Stud High-Low Rules

This version of seven-card stud has no difference from regular seven-card stud except the following: the pot is split equally between the best high hand and the best low hand. A winner is the player with the highest card combination. High hand splits the pot with the best low hand which consists of 5 cards from 8 and lower.

Players may use any five of his seven cards to make their best hands.

The pot is split evenly between high hand and low hand. If there is more than one low hand, a winner is determined by 'high' card which is the lowest card in this case. If two or more players have equally ranked low hands, the low pot half will be evenly split between them.

A player may use any five of his seven cards to make both high hand and low hand. The best low hand is 5, 4, 3, 2 and Ace of any suits. The same Ace may be used for high and low hands.

Game Types

Limit poker

In limit seven-card stud, in the first and second rounds all bets and raises must be equal to the minimum allowed bet. In third, forth and fifth rounds all bets must be equal to the maximum allowed bet.

If, for example, the table limit is 1/2, all bets in the first two rounds will be equal to 1, in following rounds - 2. Maximum of 3 raises are allowed per betting round.

Game Stages

The game consists of five betting rounds, then showdown. Before the hand begins, every player must place an ante into the pot.

Antes

Seven-card stud is played with the "ante". All players must post ante, before cards are dealt. The ante amount is approximately equal to 1/5 of the minimum bet.

Starting hand

After the ante is posted, each player is dealt 3 cards - two face-down and one face up. Face up card is also called 'Third Street'.

Third Street

The player with the lowest open card must make a Bring-in bet which is usually equal to a half of the minimum bet or full minimum bet. If two or more players have the same low card, the player to bring-in will be determined by suit order: clubs, hearts, diamonds, and spades.

Bring-in is considered as the first betting round, and if nobody raises, the player who has made Bring-in may not bet anymore until the next round.

Fourth Street

Each active player is dealt another face up card - so called Forth Street. The player with the highest hand starts betting round. He may choose to fold, check, or bet. If two or more players are tied for the highest hand, the player who is the first to act is determined by suit order. If any of the players show a pair, double bet is allowed. The player may bet either the minimum or maximum bet. Otherwise, all bets must be equal to the minimum allowed bet.

The player with the highest hand starts the next betting round.

Fifth Street

The fifth card is dealt face up to each active player. This is Fifth Street.

Play proceeds as in the previous round, with the highest hand betting first, except now all bets must be equal to the high bet size.

Sixth Street

The sixth card is dealt face up to each active player. This is Six Street

Play proceeds as in the previous round. All bets must be equal to the high limit bet size.

River

The seventh and final card is dealt face-down to all active players. It is also called River Card or Seventh Street. The last betting round starts.

Showdown

When all bets get equal, it is time to show the cards.

The last player to bet or raise during the final betting round shows his cards first.

If during the last betting round all the remaining players are checking (nobody betting), the first player to the left from dealer who did not discard is to show his cards first.

The other players reveal their cards moving clockwise around the table. If player's current hand is weaker than winning hand shown, he has the option to show or muck his cards.

In Seven-card Stud

The best five-card hand takes the pot.

In Seven-card Stud High/Low

A pot is split between best high hand and best low hand evenly. If no player has low hand, the entire pot goes to the player with High hand.

If two players share an identical hand, the pot is split.

Each player may claim the pot in forming of which he took part. Please see All-In.

The policy of later joining the game

As far as there is no Blind in the game and the Pot is created from the equal fees of the players, a player who wants to join the game just may sit on the empty place at the table. He starts playing the next round after he made an ante.