A long time ago, Seven Card Stud was the most popular poker variant in the world. However, now this game has lost its luster to Texas Hold’em. Seven Card Stud is a completely different variant of poker than, for example, No-Limit Texas Hold’em, and Pot-Limit Omaha. With these variants you are dealt community cards on the table, which is not the case with Seven Card Stud. There the players are only dealt cards that they can use themselves. This variant is also a limit game, which means that there is a limit on the number of bets and the size of the bets. The game can be played with two to eight players.
On this page, we will give you everything you need to know about this game. After that, you can start trying the free versions of this game in non GamStop casinos on JustUK Club before deciding to bet on it with real money.
Rules Seven Card Stud
Just like Texas No-Limit Hold’em or Pot-Limit Omaha, Seven Card Stud is a card game that you play against one or more opponents. In this variant, however, you can sit at a table with a maximum of eight players. In the casino there is also a dealer at the table who deals the cards.
Even though there is a dealer from the casino at the table, you play against your opponents and not against the house. The casino earns from the game by taking a small percentage of each pot (rake) at cash games, or entrance fee at the entry into a poker tournament.
At the start of the hand, each player is dealt two cards face down and one card face up. So, all players start the hand with three playing cards, two of which they can only see for themselves. After the first betting round, all remaining players are dealt another card face up, also known as “4th Street”.
This same ritual is repeated with “5th Street” and “6th Street”. After the betting round on 6th Street ends, all remaining players are dealt the seventh and final card face down. There is one more round of betting and then the showdown.
Poker Combinations (Poker Hand Ranking)
| name | Description | example | other name |
| Royal Flush | Five cards of the same suit from ten to ace | ||
| Straight Flush | Five cards of the same suit consecutively | ||
| Four of a kind | Four cards of the same rank | quads | |
| Full House | Three cards of the same value and two cards of the same value | Boat, full boat | |
| flush | Five cards of the same suit | Color (French) | |
| straight | Five cards ascending but of different suits | Street | |
| Three-of-a-kind | Three of the same cards plus two of the same cards | Trips, Set | |
| Two Pair | Twice two cards of the same rank with one random card | Two pairs | |
| One Pair | Two cards of the same rank with any three cards | A few | |
| High Card | Five unequal cards |
The height of the cards is equal to that of all card games: the ace is the highest and the two is the lowest. So, increasing from low to high it is as follows: The ace can also be used as one. So you can also make a straight with an ace, two, three, four, and five.
The Royal Flush is the highest possible combination in poker, but it is rare. The odds of hitting a Royal Flush are about 1 in 650,000. This is not for everyone, as some players wait for years before making a Royal Flush.
On the other side of the coin you will find the high card. You always have this combination, because you don’t have to do anything for it.
Combinations are worth more according to how rare they are and more difficult to make. Two pair (e.g. kings and eights) thus beats one pair (e.g. two queens). This in turn is defeated by three-of-a-kind (e.g. three aces), which is also known as “trips”.
Betting at Seven Card Stud
Betting in Seven Card Stud also works very differently than in No-Limit Hold’em. In this example, let’s assume a $100/$200 cash game with an ante of $25 and bring-in of $50. To join a hand, each player must pay the ante, which immediately creates a pot.
The bring-in is for the player who has the lowest open card. The lowest card in Seven Card Stud is a two and the highest card is the ace. If several players receive the same lowest card, the suit is considered. In poker, the order from worst to best is as follows: clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades.
The player who must make the bring-in has two choices: place the bring-in ($50 in this example), or complete the bet by placing $100 immediately. That often depends on the player’s hand, and the open cards he or she sees from other players. After the bring-in, the action continues clockwise and players have the option to call, raise, or fold.
If they choose to call, they go along with the amount of the bring-in. If they choose to raise, the amount goes to $100 (or $200 if the bring-in player has already completed the bet). There is a maximum of one bet and three raises on each street in almost all games of Seven Card Stud.
On the third and fourth streets, the limit of betting starts on the lowest amount of the stakes ($100 in this example). On the fifth, sixth, and seventh streets, the limit starts at the highest amount ($200 in this example). By the way, there is an exception to the fourth street: if a player has a pair face up after the fourth street, he or she may double the limit and thus start with a bet of $200.
