poker school
lesson 18: seven card stud
Welcome to your next lesson. Now that you have learned all about Texas Hold'em we are going to introduce a couple other varieties of poker to you. This lesson is going to cover Seven Card Stud. For those of you that don't know how to play this style of poker, we are going to start off by giving you a breakdown on the procedure of how a hand plays out. Let's begin.
Step 1: Before each hand begins every player at the table puts in an ante (an ante is the money or chip amount established by the house rules). The ante amount that each player must put forward into the pot is generally set at somewhere between one-tenth and one-fourth of a full bet. This obviously depends on where you play as the price can vary from place to place.
Step 2: Once the antes are put forward the dealer will then proceed to deal each player three cards (two of those cards are dealt face-down and the remaining card is dealt face-up). The card that was dealt face-up is referred to as either the "door card" or "third-street". The player who has the lowest door card (face-up card) will initiate the action with a bet. This bet is also referred to as the "bring-in" bet. If two or more players have been dealt the same lowest card, the player who must initiate the betting is determined by the suit order. The suit order is as follows: clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades.
Step 3: Once the first round of betting has been completed the dealer will proceed to deal each of the remaining players at the table a card face-up. The second round of betting is referred to as "fourth-street". The procedure from fourth-street on is that the player with the highest hand showing will begin the action by either checking or betting.
Step 4: On fourth-street, if a pair is showing the players will have an option to either make a single bet or a double bet. If one of your opponents happens to make a single bet at this time, you may call the bet (just matching their bet), raise a single bet, raise a double bet, or simply fold if you don't like your chances of winning the pot. If your opponent comes in with a double bet and you wish to raise their bet, your only option is to raise an equal amount.
Step 5: Now that the betting on fourth-street is finished, the dealer will proceed to distribute another card face-up to those players that are still alive in the pot. This round of betting is known as "fifth-street". Fifth-street is the third round of betting and the bets are now doubled and they will continue at this amount for the duration of the betting rounds. Again, the highest hand showing will start the action by either checking or betting.
Step 6: The betting on fifth-street has come to an end and the dealer will distribute another card face-up. This is the fourth round of betting and is known as "sixth-street". Again, the bets are doubled and the highest hand showing will start the action by either checking or betting.
Step 7: We have reached the final round. The dealer will deal the final card face-down to each remaining player. The betting will begin in the same manner as the previous rounds. Once the betting has been completed the players will turn over their cards and the best hand will win the pot.
Seven-card stud is a game that will often get overlooked in favour of faster and quicker games (ie. Texas hold'em and Omaha). However, this is a classic style of poker. It is a game with simple rules that will challenge your skill level, patience and your endurance level. As a review, betting rules in seven-card stud consists of an initial ante and is then followed by five rounds of betting. Each player receives a total of seven cards, with three of those being face down and the other four cards dealt are face up. Each player will then create their highest valued hand, using any combination of five of the given seven cards.
It is to your advantage to be able to watch your opponents hands develop. This will help you when you are deciding on what strategy you are going to employ. You want to be aware at all times of dead cards. For instance, if you are holding pocket aces and your typical strategy with a strong hand like this is to play real aggressive but you see the two remaining aces sitting in front of your opponents, you will have to reconsider your strategy as your cards are now not as strong as you first thought. Seven-card stud is mainly a game that is decided with high cards (tens thru aces). So, typically games are won with having a high pair or having the highest two pair. A good strategy to follow would be if you don't have at least two high cards, or for that matter one card that has a higher ranking than anything that is showing on the board in your starting hand, unless you have the opportunity for a drawing hand then it is highly recommended you fold it.
The size of the ante will be a key factor when you are deciding on what kind of a starting hand you feel is playable. For instance, if the antes are big, you should be prepared to play a lot more hands than you would if the game you were playing consisted of small antes. If you do not play a lot of hands while the antes are big you will see your chip stack disappear real fast just from the antes alone.
A major part of any successful poker player's strategy is card memory and being able to analyze the cards. When you are at the table playing stud it is critical for you to study the cards that are available for your viewing (the face-up cards). From those cards you will need to determine if the face-up cards either help or hurt your chances in the hand, do they help or hurt the receiving player's chances, and will they help or hurt your other opponent's chances.
Now we are going to discuss some significant hands that you will encounter while you are playing seven-card stud. Let's begin.
The best opening hand in seven-card stud is holding three of a kind (also known as a set or trips), the higher the ranking of these trips the better off you will be. Hitting the trips can often win you the round without improving on them, and it will allow plenty of options during your betting and positioning in the coming rounds. The strategy for betting when you have a set is to take it slow and try to hide what you are holding. You should check or call as you see fit, and then when you get to fifth-street you should bet more aggressively from there to the final round (seventh-street) so you can build up the pot as much as possible. The theory behind this is to try and keep as many players as you can in the pot as long as your cards are strong enough to win. The last thing you want to do is to continue to build up the pot and you get trapped and lose the hand, not to mention all the chips. As we have talked about in some of our previous lessons here at burn and turn poker school this type of strategy is called "slow-playing". Again, it is designed to significantly increase the overall pot size.
The next strategy that we are going to look at is if you're holding a set of "scare cards" (aces or kings), or a set of the highest door card (a door card which you'll remember is the first face-up card you are dealt). You need to realize that your opponents will see your door card and they will expect a raise to come from you, so if you don't raise here they are going to be very suspicious and curious. Again, you want to play your hand conservatively to fourth-street (the turn) keeping the majority of your opponents in the hand. Once you get to fifth-street you want to make your opponents put in their chips to continue playing the hand. The majority of players that bet on fifth-street, as you will notice will generally stay in the hand all the way and pay to see seventh-street (or the river card). Remember, you need to constantly be aware of what your opponent's cards are and see if they are in any way a threat to your eventual outcome. Hopefully that outcome is you winning the hand.
The next best starting hand after trips is having a high pair (tens or better). If your pocket cards (face-down) are a high pair that is especially good compared to having one of those cards open so that all of your opponents can see it, so this will give your opponents an idea as to what you might have. Having a high pair will provide you with an opportunity to open the action with a bet or raise, or for that matter a re-raise if you are holding the highest door card. If you are in this position you should consider betting aggressively on third and fourth-street. Now, this is a little different betting strategy than if you were holding a set because you want to eliminate your opponents early before they are able to make their hands for a cheap price, as you still might need some improving on your hand to win.
When you get to fifth-street and you notice that your opponents hands do not have an obvious strong position (which would be an open pair) you can assume that they will have drawing hands. This is where you should be the aggressor and induce the action with a bet in an attempt to knock them out. You should raise again on sixth and seventh-street if you are not beaten on your opponents' open cards and you have improved on your pair. If you don't improve on your pair and your opponents remain in the hand and calling all of your bets you might consider folding, or at least check if none of your opponents come in with a bet.
The next starting hand we are going to focus on is three cards to a flush, which is considered a drawing hand. You are going to need help with getting cards to complete the flush. In this situation, if you have a high door card you should consider a raise because your opponents are going to assume you are betting with a high pair. However, if you do not have a high door card you need to have a face card or ace in your flush draw to make your bet worthwhile. This way you give yourself an opportunity to make the flush or hit the high pair. Once you get to fifth-street you must have that fourth card in your flush to continue on with the betting. If you hit the flush, continue to raise and give yourself the opportunity at a big pot.
The next starting hand we'll look at is the three to a straight. This hand will make you think a little bit because it is much more difficult to complete than the three-card flush. Remember that if you're straight draw has high cards you also have the opportunity at a high pair as well as hitting your draw. You can raise in this situation if you have a chance at an open-ended straight draw as you have a chance to finish it off from either end. Therefore, you have a better chance at hitting this straight as opposed to an inside straight. If you have the inside straight draw you are almost better off playing for the opportunity to make pairs, as long as it is a high draw. Again, you need to study your opponents open cards and see if they have any of the cards you need to fill your straight. Once you get to fourth-street you need that card to help you with your straight, if you don't get it, you need to fold and save yourself some valuable chips. However, if you do get it, it is definitely worth continuing on and seeing what you can make. When you get to fifth and sixth-street you need to determine whether your hand is good enough to continue on. Obviously if you get the cards you need, bet and bring the chips home, and if you don't like what you see get out of the hand and save yourself from losing a large portion of your stack.
Alright guys this was an in depth look at seven-card stud and we hope that the information we have provided you with will help you out. Remember, when you play poker it is always important to study your opponents and see what their make-up is, this will only help you with your betting strategies. Always be aware. We'll see you all next time.
good luck and enjoy your experiences at the poker tables
