Seven Card Stud - When to fold

Knowing when to fold is always a hard thing for poker players to learn and in Seven Card Stud it is a critical part of the game. Unlike other versions of poker, Seven Card Stud offers so many options for hands that the lure for chasing is almost irresistible. With 4 rounds of betting coming after the bring in round, chasing down a dream hand can get expensive without the players even realizing it. Even without raises, the pot can grow quietly while your stack sinks. You have to be able to tell yourself that the risk is not worth the pot. Anyone that sits at a poker table and expects to play or win every hand is living in a fantasy world. Even players that claim to win half or more of the hands are fooling themselves. The object of poker is and always has been to win chips. The number of hands won doesn’t do anything for your pocket.

The most watched factor is the opening deal. Players take a look at their first 3 cards and have to decide if it is a hand they can build on. Obviously a hand that looks like a patch work quilt is not going to be one worth playing. If you open with a hand like Jh,2c,8s you should not even have to think about it. Fold it and wait. The obvious pairs like Aces and face cards will never get folded at the start and even deuces off the deal are not a bad start. It’s worth the bring in or initial bet. A couple of good face cards or a single ace is even something you might be able to build on depending on what you see on the board. A good rule here is that if you have 2 cards that are what you are thinking is a potential straight or flush, change your thinking and let them go.

Now you get another card. At this point a minimum of a pair or a 4 card straight or flush is what you want. Holding onto a High Card Hand with and ace is Ok depending on what you see on the board and if the betting is very limited. By that I mean if someone raises or is throwing out chips like last weeks garbage, let your cards go. Keep your eye on the board .

The next 2 cards dealt to you should make your hand solid. If you do not have it by then, chances are not good. It is like building a house, the first 3 are the foundation, the next card should be your walls and the following 2 cards should either put a roof on it or give it another story. If at the river (or the net ) you don’t have a hand that you know can win or the board has you beat, fold it out. It doesn’t matter if you have put chips in the pot. Losing more won’t get them back for you. Cut your loses and move on to the next hand.

At the net, some of us are still holding the 4 card straight or flush or that pair of 5’s backing the ace high. We are thinking we can hit it. The cards are flowing for us, we can hit. Fine, check the bet and see what happens but if the chips are going into the pot and you can not beat the board, you are playing the lottery. Even after the final card; don’t try, let me repeat DO NOT TRY to bluff the player that has been betting every round and has the pair of aces showing. He is not going to fold and chances are you're going get raised. It is pride that won’t let us fold out on the last card and pride will cost you even more money.

It is not uncommon for a hand of Seven Card Stud to be won by High Card. However, in my personal experience, I have seen more Full Houses played in Seven Card Stud than any other type of poker. It is so very important to watch the board and remember the cards that the players that fold out where showing. If you are going to chase, you need to make sure that the card you are chasing hasn’t already been in play and folded. Poker is fun but it is not easy. You have to be aware of the cards and how to play them. Folding is not a bad thing. Folding is a defense for your chips. Use it. I keep telling you that the object of poker is to win the most chips you can by the time you stop playing. It is not about how many hands you play or win but the size of the stack you’re counting in the end. Its poker, play it, have fun with it and if you can win as many chips as you can.