Seven Card Stud Strategies
Introduction
Whilst playing online poker is great fun, most of the time most online poker players will stick to Texas Hold ‘em, so if you should fancy a change to Seven Card Stud poker, just what exactly should you do for good Seven Card Stud strategies?
Seven card stud play
Probably the biggest difference between Hold em and Seven Card Stud poker game is that you get three cards dealt to you, two face down and one face up. The player with the best card face up bets first and after each betting round another card is dealt. These extra cards are dealt face up as fourth street, fifth, sixth and seventh; but there is a twist on seventh street in that card being dealt face down. So, there’s no flop placing community three cards face up that anyone can use. The first three cards, and especially the two that your opponents can’t see, are the most important cards in your poker hand as the winner is whoever makes the best five card hand (highest or a high-low split) from the seven they’ve been personally dealt; meaning that secrecy at the beginning is vital to your hand not being pre-guessed easily by an opponent.
Strategies for playing Seven Card Stud
This picture looks more to do with the seven deadly sins than seven card stud poker?
A weak hand from the first three cards usually stays weak; whereas a strong hidden pair with a strong card showing at the start will invariably end well too. If nothing’s happening after fourth street – prepare to fold. You need at least a high pair, four card flush or three card straight to stand any sort of a chance. Fifth street definitely needs a four card straight or flush, or at least a pair of Queens. If you make it to sixth street you’ll probably be in good enough shape to stay in all the way to seventh street. But, obviously if an opponent has a really strong hand showing then it’s time to fold. Also, if the odds of filling your hand are below what’s in the pot – then again it’s time to fold.
