Seven-Card Stud

Seven-Card Stud is an extremely popular poker game that is most commonly played in casinos. Although the game is not as popular as Texas Hold'em it is certainly one of the most well-known forms of poker currently played.

Seven-Card Stud features much of the same action rules as Texas Hold'em, but is very different in terms of the drawing of cards. In Stud, there are no community cards. Instead, each player is dealt seven cards of his own to match as they please. Four of the seven cards dealt to each player are dealt face up showing the rest of the table part of their hand throughout the round.

Instead of the requirement for two players to place blind bets at the beginning of a round, each player is required to post an initial ante bet. In a $2-$4 dollar game, the ante posting would usually be valued at $2 a player.

Each player on the table is now dealt three cards - two face down and one face up. The card that is turned face up is known as the door card. The player that is dealt the lowest door card is required to begin the betting for that round. Play then proceeds clockwise as in Hold'em.

The dealer will now deal each player a fourth card that will also be dealt face up. In this round the player with the highest ranking fourth hand will now initiate the action.

The last round would be repeated with a fifth, sixth and seventh card being drawn for each player. While the fifth and sixth card is drawn face up, the seventh (or "river" card) is drawn face down.

From the seven cards that each player is drawn their top five cards would then make their hand. A showdown would now occur with the top hand winning the pot.