Seven Card Stud
Seven Card Stud
This section will inform you on gaming procedures, rules, policies and limits of Seven Card Stud at PokerKings.
[R] is the abbreviation for rules.
Dealing the game of Seven Card Stud
Before the Deal:
- Players will buy-in for the posted amount. No short buys are permitted.
- Players will place an ante into the pot by clicking on “I’m in.” The ante will be placed into the pot by default. You may turn off this feature under the settings menu in the game. The purpose of the ante is, similar to the blinds in Texas Hold’em, to create a pot that is worth playing.
Opening deal:
The dealer always deals first to the player closest to his left and, moving clockwise around the table, will “deal-in” each player. The players will be dealt two cards face down AND a third card, known as the “door card” will be dealt face up. The player with the lowest card by value and suit will start the first round of betting. This is also known as the “force” or “bring-in” bet.
[R] The player with the lowest card value (ace being the highest) must bet, i.e. he is not allowed to pass or check. In the event that two or more players hold door cards of the same rank, the lowest suit will determine who starts. Suits are ranked, from highest to lowest: spades, hearts, diamonds, or clubs (i.e., the two of clubs is the lowest possible card). This is the only time suits will play a role in the game.
Fourth Card (4th Street):
The next card to be dealt into the game is also called Fourth Street. The dealer will burn one card off the top of the deck and then always deals to the player closest to his left and, moving clockwise around the table, will deal each one card face up. The player with the highest two-card value will start the round of betting. This is also known as “having the action.”
[R] The player having the best hand on the board “has the action” and may pass, check, or make the initial bet of the round. If there is a tie between players as to who has the best hand, the player closest to the dealer’s left has the action.
In fixed limit stud (i.e., a 4-8 game, as opposed to a 1-5 game), if any player displays an open pair on Fourth Street, he may bet the higher amount of the game limit that is normally not available until Fifth Street.
If the player with the action chooses to make the lower limit bet, any other player still in the hand may choose to make either the lower limit or higher limit raise. Once any player has made the higher limit bet, all further bets and raises must be made at the that higher level.
Betting in Seven Card Stud:
a) If you choose not to bet, you check or pass on the option to bet to the next player.
b) If another player bets, you may call the bet, raise, or fold.
c) If a player checks and another player makes a bet, the player who checked may in turn raise the bet made by the other player. This is called a “check & raise.”
[R] If a player misses the time limit, he automatically goes All-in, except when he has not bet yet. In that case his cards will be discarded. Players have 10 seconds to bet, raise or fold.
Fifth Card (5th Street):
The next card to be dealt into the game is also called Fifth Street. The dealer will burn one card off the top of the deck and then always deals to the player closest to the dealer’s left and, moving clockwise around the table, will deal each one card face up. The player with the highest three-card value will start the betting round. Starting with Fifth Street, and continuing through all further streets, all bets and raises in Fixed-limit games must be made at the higher limit.
Sixth Card (6th Street):
The next card to be dealt into the game is also called Sixth Street. The dealer will burn one card off the top of the deck and then always deals to the player closest to his left and, moving clockwise around the table, will deal each one card face up. The player with the highest four-card value will start the round of betting.
Seventh Card (the River):
Almost every poker player uses the term “The river” or “River” to describe the last card players receive in the game. As always, the round starts with a burn card. The dealer will deal a card face down clockwise around the table.
NOTE the following exception:
If there are 8 players who played all the way through the Sixth card and are now about to be dealt their final card of the game, the dealer will only have one (1) card remaining in the deck: 8 x 6 = 48 cards + the 3 burn cards burned on 4th, 5th, and 6th Streets = 51 cards total. In that case the following rule applies:
[R] In the event there may not be enough cards remaining in the deck to deal each player a final card, the dealer will calculate if the burn cards plus any cards in the deck will allow each player to receive a final down card. If this is the case, the dealer will do so by taking all the burn cards plus any remaining cards in the deck, shuffle, and then deal the final card to each player.
However, if the dealer calculates that it’s not possible to give each player his own card, he will take all the burn cards, shuffle and turn over a "community card." The folded (muck) cards may never be used in the game once they have been folded.
Showdown:
Who shows first?
In a live game, generally players who feel that they have a good opportunity to win a pot will show their hand voluntarily. But sometimes none of the players wants to make the first step. In that case the following standard rule applies:
[R] The player who initiated the last bet, raise, or re-raise must show his cards first.
This means that whoever created the last action on the river must show his cards first. If the player who had the action checked, and all players also checked, the player who had the initial option to bet must show first. If a player checks and another player bets, the player who bets must show his cards first. If one player checked, another player bets, and a third player raises, the raiser’s cards must be shown first.
Suppose a player wins by default. Must the hand be shown?
[R] Players who won a pot do not have to show their cards if they were not called.
This means that if two or more players were playing and one player bets and the other(s) fold, the player who has won the pot by default will not under any circumstances have his cards shown automatically. The winning players may choose to “show” or “don’t show.”
Do players have to show their cards if they call a bet or a check on the River?
[R] Players are not required to show their cards if they have not created the last action by betting or raising. If a player calls a bet and realizes that he cannot win, he may “fold” or “show” his cards. However, if a player who has stayed in until the end mucks (fails to show) his hand, other players in the game may find out the hand by requesting that a hand history be emailed to them.
Who wins?
[R] In our poker rooms, it’s “the cards that speak." That means our dealer will find the best 5-card hand on the table and declare it the winner based on the universal poker hand rankings.
[R] It is theoretically possible that two or more players can hold the best five-card hand. If there is a tie between two or more players, the dealer will "split" the pot equally between all the winning players.
€ 1-2 through €20-40 Seven Card Stud - Important rules for Fixed-limit games
Most commonly called “fixed” limit games, this type of game limit structure is by far the most common betting structure you will find in casinos. A Fixed-limit game is a game in which each bet will remain consistent through several betting rounds and changes at some predetermined point in later rounds. All bets will remain equal to the posted table limit. For example, in a 5-10 Seven-Card Stud game, the bets will be as follows.
In the early betting rounds, a bet and any raises must be more than €5. In later betting rounds, such as the last round, a bet and any raises must be more than €10.
How do you bet and raise in a Fixed-limit game?
a) Each bet in every betting round will be in strict compliance with the rules.
b) If you choose not to bet, you are said to “check” (pass on) the option to bet to the next player.
c) If a player bets, you may “call” the bet or “fold.”
d) If a player checks and another player makes a bet, the player who checked may in turn raise the bet made by the other player. This is called a “check & raise.”
[R] Players have ten seconds to bet, check, raise, or fold. If a player misses the time limit, he automatically goes All-in, except when he has not bet yet. In that case his cards will be discarded.
How many raises are allowed?
[R] The general poker rule is a “cap” of three raises allowed per betting round with three or more players. However, if there is a “heads up” situation where only two players remain in the game, raises are unlimited.
- The opening round will be a force wager determined by the game limit. The player with the lowest “door card” is forced to wager the minimum, or he may open for the lower limit of the game. If the player wagered only the force amount, another player may raise the bet and complete it to the lower limit of the game. This is not a raise in the traditional sense but only as “bringing up” the bet to its normal minimum.
- Fourth Street: Here the lower limit is bet or raised. All raises can only be in the same increments.
[R] However, an exception occurs on Fourth Street when there is an open pair on the table. Any player may bet or raise the lower or higher limit of the game but all raises have to be with the higher limit. This is called the “Fourth Street Rule.”
- Fifth Street: Here the higher limit is bet or raised. All raises can only be in the same increments.
- Sixth Street: Here the higher limit is bet or raised. All raises can only be in the same increments.
- Seventh Street or the River: Here the higher limit is bet or raised. All raises can only be in the same increments.
Seven Card Stud games at PokerKings
| €0.10/0.20 Stud | €0.25/0.50 Stud | €0.50/1 Stud | |
| Maximum number of players: | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Buy-in: | €1 | €2.50 | €5 |
| Ante: | €0.50 | €0.12 | €0.25 |
| Force: | €1 | €0.25 | €.50 |
| 4th Street | €0.10 (€0.10 or 0.20 w/ pair) | €0.25 (€0.25 or 0.50 w/ pair) | €0.5 (€0.5 or 1 w/ pair) |
| 5th Street: | €0.20 | €0.50 | €1 |
| 6th Street: | €0.20 | €0.50 | €1 |
| 7th Street: | €0.20 | €0.50 | €1 |
| Cap at 3 raises | Cap at 3 raises | Cap at 3 raises | |
| Unlimited raises heads up | Unlimited raises heads up | Unlimited raises heads up |
| Stud de 0,10 - 0,20 € | Stud de 0,25 - 0,50 € | Stud de 0,50 - 1 € | |
| Número máximo de jugadores: | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Buy-in: | €10 | €20 | €30 |
| Ante: | €0.10 | €0.20 | €3 |
| Force: | €0.20 | €0.40 | €6 |
| 4th Street: | €1 (€1 or 2 w/ pair) | €2 (€2 or 4 w/ pair) | €3 (€3 or 6 w/ pair) |
| 5th Street: | €2 | €4 | €6 |
| 6th Street: | €2 | €4 | €6 |
| 7th Street: | €2 | €4 | €6 |
| Cap at 3 raises | Cap at 3 raises | Cap at 3 raises | |
| Unlimited raises heads up | Unlimited raises heads up | Unlimited raises heads up |
| €5 - 10 Stud | €10 - 20 Stud | |
| Maximum number of players: | 8 | 8 |
| Buy-in: | €50 | €100 |
| Ante: | €5 | €10 |
| Force: | €10 | €20 |
| 4th Street: | €5 (€5 or 10 w/ pair) | €10 (€10 or 20 w/ pair) |
| 5th Street: | €10 | €20 |
| 6th Street: | €10 | €20 |
| 7th Street: | €10 | €20 |
| Cap at 3 raises | Cap at 3 raises | |
| Unlimited raises heads up | Unlimited raises heads up |
