Seven Card Stud - 7 was King

Believe it or not, there was a time when 7 card stud ruled the table. It was not the original but a variant of 5 card stud but the 2 optional cards made it very popular. It was and still is in some places, the game played for poker championships. It is a game to be played by those with a strong heart because unlike hold’em, bluffing will get you killed. You have to believe in your cards and know what every single player at the table has even if they folded. It is a more true poker card game than hold’em but lacks the big high that hold’em offers.

The rules of 7 card stud are basic poker rules. High hand wins, best 5 of 7 cards. The major differences are that the deal involves 3 cards to each player, 2 dealt down and one face up. After the deal, the cards come to each player one at the time face up until the seventh and final card which is dealt face down. There are no community cards in stud poker. Each player has their own cards and can only play them. The betting basically is the same, after each deal there is a round of betting but in stud, there is no blind. Every player antes before the deal starts and by the rules the betting opens with the player that has the lowest card face up opening the betting. This is called the “bring in”. By casino and internet rules, the opening bet must be made and has a set minimum amount. This was not always true in live table games. After the first round, by the official rules, the player with the best hand showing has the bet/check option. In some casinos and on line rooms, the starting position does not change from the first round.

Seats at 7 card stud tables are usually limited to 7 but some rooms allow up to 8 with the belief that not all the players will stay in the hand. Remember, there are only 52 cards in a deck and even without burn cards, 8 players would use 56 cards. A variation to help with this is if on the final round there are not enough cards in the deck, a common community card is dealt face up on the table and shared by all the players in the hand. This, of course, changes the game and is not real 7 card stud but another variation.

It is developing variations like this that created games such as hold’em and Omaha and a score of other poker games. The original being 5 card stud was transformed in 5 cards draw to make players feel like they hade more of an opportunity to build a hand rather than rely on the luck of the deal. The game of 7 card stud was created by giving the players 2 more cards to increase the chances of a better hand. It was for many years that the 2 variations, 5 card draw and 7 card stud dominated the tables in casinos and bars and back rooms and kitchens but 5 card stud was the super bowl. Slowly, over time, 7 card studs popularity took over the table because it is easier to deal in a casino than its cousin 5 card draw and allows for more betting and more hand opportunities than 5 card stud. It truly became king and still clings to that title in many places even though hold’em is completely across the fore front of the poker world. The game of hold’em will never die out but as BB King said “the thrill is gone “and when that happens to poker players, they turn to the king, 7 card stud.