Seven-Card Stud Rules

Seven-card stud is one of the original poker games. A standard fifty-two-card deck is used. Each player receives a total of seven cards, hence the name of the game. (Only five of those seven will be used to determine the value of the hand in the showdown.)

The game begins with the dealer dealing each player three cards, two face down (these are called “hole cards”) and one face up. In casino seven-card stud, the player with the lowest up card must open the betting by betting $1. Every bet after that must be the minimum table bet. If it’s a $2-54 table, then every bet in the first betting round after the player who opens must be $2.

After the first round of betting ends, the dealer gives all remaining players (those who didn’t fold) another card face up. (Players who fold don’t reveal their hands. This would give the other players some idea about the cards the players who remain might have in their hands.) The second round of betting begins with the player with the highest-ranked poker hand showing. This will either be a high card (an ace or king, for example) or a pair. Again, all bets and raises must be in $2 increments, unless at least one player has a pair showing. In that case, the betting can be raised to the table maximum, $4. If a $4 bet is made in this round, then all bets and raises in this round must be in $4 increments.

After the betting in round two has been completed, the dealer gives each remaining player a fifth card, face up. Once again, the player with the highest hand showing begins the betting. If there is a tie for the highest hand showing, then the tying player who’s closer to the dealer’s left starts the betting.

At the end of the betting in round three, the dealer gives each remaining player a sixth card face up. Again, the player with the highest hand showing begins betting round four. If no player has a pair showing, then in this round players are still allowed to bet the table maximum, in this case $4. The betting doesn’t have to be raised to the maximum; it’s just an option.

After round four, the dealer gives all remaining players their last card face down. Now all players who are still in the game will have seven cards, three face down and four face up. The fifth and final betting round begins with the same player who started the fourth betting round. This is because the face-up cards remain the same, since the seventh card was dealt face down. After all players have had a chance to bet or fold, then the showdown begins.

The players take turns revealing their hands, clockwise starting with the player who first made the last betting increment. Then it’s basic poker: the player with the best hand wins.

All of this probably sounds more confusing than it really is. Let’s take a look at an example of How to Play a Hand of Poker in Seven Card Stud. In this example, there will be seven players. (That’s the maximum number of players in seven-card stud, because there are only fifty-two cards used.) The players are Randy, Dan, Beth, Keith, Linda, Tracey, and Tom, seated in that order around the table from the dealer’s left. The table limit game is $2-$4.