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Doyle Brunson's Super System

Doyle Brunson's Super System 2: A Course in Power Poker

Play Poker Like the Pros

Caro's Book of Poker Tells

The Smarter Bet Guide to Poker: Texas Hold 'Em, Seven-Card Stud, and Other Popular Versions

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Five-Card Draw and Variations

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Texas Hold’em and Variations

Seven-Card Stud and Variations

In stud games, each player is dealt a mix of cards, including both down cards and up cards. Cards are dealt one or more at a time, and betting follows each round of dealing.

Seven-Card Stud

Seven-card stud can be played with 2–8 players, each of whom receives seven cards: three down and four up.

Playing Sequence

In seven-card stud, the player with the highest showing hand bets first in each betting round. That means a different player may bet first each round.

Each player antes.
Players are dealt two down cards and one up card.
There is a round of betting.
Players are dealt another up card (the fourth card).
There is another round of betting.
Players are dealt another up card (the fifth card).
There is another round of betting.
Each player is dealt another up card (the sixth card).
There is another round of betting.
Each player is dealt another card, this time face down (the seventh card).
There is another round of betting.
If two or more players remain, they show their cards to determine who wins.

Basic Seven-Card Stud Strategy

It’s very hard to win seven-card stud with a hand lower than two pair.

Evaluating a Starting Hand

In general, the person who wins seven-card stud is the one who starts with the best hand.

If you have at least a high pair or all high cards in your starting hand, you should continue to bet.
If the strongest cards in your hand lie in your down cards (hidden from the other players), the other players will probably assume that your hand is weaker than it is. You may be able to get them to bet higher than they should.
If your starting hand is lower than the best showing hand, you should continue betting only if your hand has potential to become a straight, a flush, or another higher hand.

Stud Poker Variations

Seven-card stud has many variations. If someone suggests a poker game you’ve never heard of, chances are it’s based on seven-card stud.

Game		Rules
Five-card stud		Five-card stud is played with one down card and four up cards. In the first round, one down card and one up card are dealt, followed by a round of betting. Three more rounds of dealing and betting follow, with an up card dealt in each.
Baseball		3s and 9s are wild, and if you’re dealt a face-up 4, you receive an extra down card. Winning hands tend to be high; straight flushes are not uncommon.
Chicago		The pot is split between the player with the highest hand and the player remaining at the end with the highest face-down spade.
Follow the queen		A card dealt face up immediately after a queen becomes wild, along with all cards of the same rank. If another queen is dealt face up, then the wild changes to the next card dealt face up after the queen. If a queen is the last up card dealt, then there are no wilds.
Deuces wild		2s are wild. In some games, you need a pair of aces or better, or a 2, to call the bet after the first round of dealing.
Pass the trash		This is a high/low game in which each player is dealt seven cards, followed by a round of betting. Each player passes two cards (of his choosing) to the left, one to the right, and discards two cards. Each player then places his remaining cards face down in the order he wants to show them. The players show the first card in their hand, followed by a round of betting, then the second card, and so on. After four cards are showing, the players declare whether they are competing for the high or the low hand.
Low hole card wild		Each player’s lowest down card is wild, and all cards of the same rank in each hand are wild. A winning hand is typically a straight or higher.