7 Card Stud Poker is one of the oldest traditional poker games known to man, still highly popularized in all venues, from home and live poker games, to online poker rooms, to the most prestigious of poker events like the World Series of Poker.
The rules of 7 Card Stud Poker are fairly simple. Every player receives a total of 7 cards throughout the duration of a hand (except those who fold early on). At the end of the hand, termed the Showdown, the player who is able to develop the strongest ranking 5-card poker hand using only the 7 cards he or she has been dealt, wins the pot.
Unlike today's more modern poker varieties, 7 Card Stud Poker utilizes Ante and Bring-In bets rather than Small Blind and Big Blind bets. In some tournament scenarios, in both online and live poker venues, Blind Bets are initiated in the later stages to build the pot and speed up the tournament, but ring/cash games are still played in the traditional fashion.
7 Card Stud Poker consists of five betting rounds, each termed as numbered streets according to how many cards the player has been dealt. For example, the initial deal delivers 3 cards to each player – two face-down and the last face up. This opening betting round is known as the Third Street. On the net round, when the fourth card is dealt to each player, it becomes Fourth Street, and so on up through the Seventh Street.
If you observe the intricacies of 7 Card Stud Poker , you'll see that the most popular of all poker games to date – Texas Holdem – was actually derived from 7 Card Stud. The similarities are uncanny, with the only real difference being the way all face-up cards are dealt. Both poker games give each player 2 hole cards to start, but in Texas Holdem, the remaining 5 cards are dealt face-up to the center of the board as "Community Cards", whereas 7 Card Stud Poker gives each individual player their own 5 follow-up cards.
Also, in 7 Card Stud Poker, the final Seventh Street card is traditionally placed face-down, becoming a third hole card for each player. However, when a full table of 8 players participates, and no one chooses to fold early on, there will not be enough cards to deal out the entire Seventh Street to every player. Simple math tells us that 8 players with 7 cards each would require 56 cards to be dealt. A standard deck of playing cards has only 52 cards. While it is extremely rare that this would occur, with 0 of 8 players choosing to fold at some point before the Showdown, it can happen. In such cases, a single card is dealt in "Community Card" fashion to the center of the table. All players assume this to be their Seventh Street.
7 Card Stud Poker has maintained its notable presence throughout the years, offered at 95% of all online poker rooms, and most live poker venues as well. 7 Card Stud continues to be a staple of the World Series of Poker, featured in multiple events including the "$10k 7 Card Stud Championship", "$10k 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo Championship", "$1,500 7 Card Stud Poker", "$1,500 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo", and numerous Mixed Game events of the WSOP.
Chances are, if you play poker at all, you are well aware of how to play 7 Card Stud Poker. If not, it is well worth the time to learn the ropes of the game. In fact, many professional poker players have turned their attention to 7 Card Stud Poker and inclusive mixed games as they present more of a challenge, and an exciting diversion from the monotony of Texas Holdem.
