7 Card Stud Strategy

7 Card Stud poker is a very popular game. It is, however, very hard to learn this game and master it. Besides having a good memory, you will need to know various strategies that can be applied to this game. Assuming you know the basic rules of 7 Card Stud, you can probably remember that you move through several rounds of betting – “Third Street” through “Seventh Street”, as these rounds are called by the 7 Card Stud players. Each “street” will have different strategy for different combination of cards. You will also need to remember the cards that were already dealt and analyze your position based on that. As a novice player you need to remember to start practicing on the lower game limit tables (or virtual online tables).

 

The best combination that you can get in the third street is three of a kind. The higher the cards’ denomination, the better it is. Try to hide this and wait to raise the bet until fifth, sixth, and seventh streets. Since there is a good chance that you will win with this hand, you should also try to make sure that as many people as possible remain in the game. This way you get a chance to win a larger pot. The next best combination is a pair of 10s or higher cards, especially if both of them are face down. Here you should start betting solidly in the third and forth streets so you can eliminate as many of the players as possible, unless you see that someone has a solid chance at a much better combination. In this case you should fold.

 

If you need three cards to get a flush, you should raise if you have an ace, king, queen or a jack. If you have no superior cards or a low door card, you will need to bet as low as possible. If you discover that someone has one of the cards you need, you should fold. In the fifth street you should already have the fourth needed card for the flush. Otherwise you should fold. If you get to the sixths round and still have only four necessary cards, stay only if it is not costly to do so.

 

If you are playing the 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo poker, you should remember that the pot will be split between the best high hand and the qualifying low hand. In this version of the game you should aim at winning the whole pot by having a high hand without any low hands available or by having a hand that qualifies as both the best high and best low hand. The strategy here is to remember that you have good chances of winning the whole pot if you have either an ace face up (raise here), three cards needed for a flush (two small cards, one face up) or three cards needed for a straight (all small cards).