Seven-Card Stud is quite an easy variation of poker. Just like in any version of poker first comes the ante. After the ante each player receives two cards facing down, his hole cards, and an additional card facing up. This initial deal is usually referred to as the 'Third Street'. The third street is followed by a round of betting. Afterwards three additional cards are dealt to each player, facing up. They are called the fourth, fifth and sixth streets, respectively. Each of the streets is followed by a betting round. Ultimately a seventh card is being dealt face down. This card, jut like in Texas Hold'em, is called the river. The river is followed by a final round of betting and then comes the showdown.
Your objective is to create the best possible five cards hand from your seven cards. There are no community cards or a board in Seven-Stud. To learn more about poker hands ranking please refer to our article on the subject. There are also variations of this game with five and six cards, but they are very rare.
Mitch Thompson, Editor. 06-10-2005