7 Card Stud Rules

Back in the day, before internet was accessible to everyone from toddlers to their grandparents, most people learned to play poker the first time using the basic Five Card Draw variation. More ambitious amateur players trekked to casinos for their chance to play Seven Card Stud Poker.

More recently, Texas Hold ‘em replaced euchre and rummy as the most popular passing time card game for families and friends. Before long, Hold ‘em was being played by kids, college students, and millions of other aspiring poker players around the world. It gave a new boost to online poker rooms, and the resulting onslaught of first-time online poker players shed new light on older variations like Seven Card Stud.

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Unfortunately, if your only experience with poker is the aforementioned Draw or Hold ‘em games, then you’re going to be totally lost at a 7 Card Stud table. If you’re dying to try something new (or in this case something classic), then read on for the basic Seven Card Stud rules.

How To Play 7 Card Stud

Like Hold ‘em, Seven Card Stud features several rounds of betting and several streets and players get a combination of face up and face down cards. Unlike Hold ‘em, each player’s hand is totally unique.

7 Card Stud Overview

• The game begins with two hole (face down) cards being dealt to every player and one card dealt face up.
• The player with the highest card showing bets first and betting rotates as each player’s visible hand increases or decreases in value.
• Players will receive three additional cards face up in three individual deals with betting between each.
• The final, seventh card is dealt face down.
• Any players that have stayed in the game through the dealing of the seventh card will proceed to the stage called “showdown.”
• After making their final bets, players in the showdown must reveal their hands to determine who will take the pot.

In standard Seven Card Stud, the highest hand wins. While each player receives seven cards, they must use those cards to build the best possible five-card hand. Some variations of Stud are low-based, meaning that the lowest hand wins, and others (called 7 card stud hi-lo) split the pot between the players with the highest and lowest hands. Additionally, some stud games use a betting system similar to Hold ‘em. Instead of blinds, they have what are called “bring-ins.” At tables where bring-ins are used, betting actually begins with the player with the lowest visible hand.

Be sure to check out 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo Rules too.