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The Rules of 7 Card Stud

The game of seven card stud is one of the most played and oldest variations of the game of poker. Once you have mastered the game of holdem, you can easily transition yourself into this game, and all you really need to remember is that there are a total of 7 cards instead of 5. This game does have its differences from holdem though, so I do recommend that you read our strategies and rules before you go test your luck at your local games with seven card stud. I find this variation to be a lot harder to play then holdem because there are so many cards being dealt out, but at the same time it is nice to see 4 of your opponents cards face up. This game involves a lot of bluffing and betting rounds, and usually the pots in this game are bigger then those in other games such as holdem. I hope these rules guide your through the process of learning the great game of seven card stud.


How many people at the table? A rule of thumb says that there really should be no more then 9-10 people at a table, and no less then 5-7 to start off with. Players can run out of money, and eventually if the game is continuous you will get down to two players (heads up play) and then eventually one.


There are two cards that are dealt face down and one card dealt face up to each player that is involved in the hand at that moment. After the 3 cards have been dealt, the two players to the left of the dealer are forced to post blinds (a bet without looking at your cards that is rotated around the table in the form of a big and small blind. Usually the small blind is 1/2 the amount of the big blind.) Along with blinds, there can also be an ante but this is not always played with when you use blinds.


As soon as the blinds are posted, the initial round of betting can start. This is where seven card stud varies from holdem, because a lot of people play that the player with the highest card showing bets first. This is a variation of the game, and you do not have to play like this if you don’t want to. Often times, this rule will be changed and just the player to the left of the dealer will start the initial round of bets. During this round of bets you have the option to call the blind, raise the blind, fold, or check if you are in the big blind. This round of betting ends when the final bet made by the big blind is either a check or call.


As soon as the round of betting ends, the dealer deals one card face up to each player. He deals to the person on his left first, and then goes around the table dealing one card to each player. You now have two cards facing up and two cards facing down. After these cards are dealt there is a round of betting which goes about the same way as explained above.


After this round of betting is over, the dealer deals one more card to each player face. You now try to make your best 5 card hand using the 5 cards you have in your hand, but remember you have two more cards coming. A round of betting occurs as soon as each player has been dealt their card. As of now you should have three cards facing up and two cards facing down.


After this round of betting has ended the dealer deals one last face up card to each player in the hand. This card will be your last face up card, but there is still one more card you will be dealt but it will be face down. A round of betting occurs after this.


Finally, after the round of betting has ended, the dealer deals the last card to you face down. Obviously you can look at it, and you must now try to make your best five card hand. You should have 4 cards facing up and 3 cards facing down if the dealer has dealt correctly. A round of betting occurs, and as soon as all bets have been called, or all opponents have folded the hand is over. If two or more people are in the hand then the players must show their cards and the best hand will win the pot. If there is only one player in the hand who has caused everyone to fold, then the player has one by default, and has the option of showing his cards or mucking them. Mucking cards is the act of throwing away your cards when you are the only one left in the pot and you have one. You do this for various reasons but mainly so your opponent can’t see your cards since he did not call the bet.


There are different variations of the game of seven card stud that you can play including seven card stud high low and razz. These small twists on the game make it a lot more challenging and interesting, however many players like to just stick to normal seven card stud. If you are interested in learning about learning different variations then read more about the rules in the specified section on our home page.


Depending on what kind of stakes you are playing you must make sure that your bets are following the rules. In no limit you obviously can bet it all, but in some games you can only bet the size of the pot or there is a limit to each bet. The ranking of hands are the same as followed in holdem, by I will post them again in this set of rules. Remember you are only making the best 5 card hand you have, so two of your cards wont be played.


Hand Rankings
High card- Ace high
Pair- Two Aces
Two pair- Two Aces and Two kings. Highest pair wins.
Three of a kind- Three aces
Straight- five cards in sequential order such as 10 J Q K A
Flush- five cards of the same suit and highest card in the flush wins if two or more players have flushes.
Full house- Three of a kind and a pair. Highest three of a kind wins.
4 of a kind- four cards such as 4 aces.
Straight flush- five cards in sequential order all of the same suit. Highest card in the straight flush wins.
Royal flush- 10 J Q K A suited.