The What's What about 7 Card Stud

A popular variety of poker both at home and in poker rooms accross the world is the "7 card stud" game.

Each player holds their own hand, partly on display to the other players - and the total number of cards a player is dealt comes to seven. An ante, or small initial bet, is paid in to create the initial pot.

There are five rounds of betting - initially, two cards face down, and one card face up, are dealt to everyone. This is called Third Street.

The player with the lowest card starts the betting, and the suits are used to break a tie following bridge suit rankings (clubs lowest, then diamonds, hearts and spades highest).

The challenge comes in the game because although the first two cards are hidden to other players, the following four cards are on display to all players, and the final cards are hidden.

For those players that can remember which cards have been discarded, as well as what bets have been placed by other players at certain stages, the game can be played with great skill.

Following betting at Third Street, where players can initially bet, call, raise or fold, for the remaining players, face up cards are dealt, one at a time at Fourth Street, Fifth Street, Sixth Street. Finally, when all remaining players have four face up cards and two initial face down cards, a final card is dealth face down.

In the rare event that players are holding cards at Seventh Street and the deck of cards is exhausted, even by using burn cards that have been discarded between rounds, the final card is not dealt around but a single card is played face up as a community card to be shared by all players.

The ultimate hand at showdown in 7 card stud poker is determined by the same rankings as in holdem poker - a 5 card hand from the best, a royal flush to the worst, a high card only hand.