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Home > Rules > 7 Card Stud

Poker Rules - 7-Card Stud Rules

Traditional seven card stud is still widely played today. Stud is played with 2-8 players. It is generally played with fixed-limit betting, though sometimes people play it as a spread-limit game (rules for the spread-limit version). After everyone antes up, five betting rounds take place.

Ante: Seven card stud is generally played with an ante. Different stakes games have different antes. For example, a $1 ante is common in a $10-$20 game (10% of the small blind), but a $.25 ante is also common in a $1-$2 game (25% of the small blind). Some places do not even play with an ante at all.

3rd street: After everyone antes, all players are dealt two cards face down (hole cards) and one exposed card. The person with the lowest card must 'bring in' and is forced to bet half the small bet (if it is played fixed-limit). Players can then, raise, call, or fold.

4th street: An exposed card is dealt to each player, followed a round of betting. For fourth street onward, the person with the best exposed hand begins the betting (i.e. if someone has AK exposed, another has 66 exposed, and someone else has 23 exposed, the person with 66 goes first because he has a pair of sixes.)

5th street: An exposed card is dealt to each player, followed a round of betting. If the game is played in a fixed-limit format, this is where the big bet would kick in.

6th street: An exposed card is dealt to each player, followed a round of betting.

7th street: Each player is dealt a final hole card, followed by the final round of betting.

If the game has 8 players and there aren't enough cards left in the deck to deal each player a final hole card, a card is placed on the board and it is considered 'shared' by all the players (similar to a community card in Hold'em).

Best poker hand wins (best 5-card hand out of the 7 cards the player has).

Example #1:

This hand is a straight, 10-A

Example #2:

This hand is two-pairs, kings over jacks with an ace kicker. The pair of sevens would not count. There is no three-pair in seven card stud because only the best five-card poker hand matters.