Derived from stud poker, seven-card stud is one of the most popular poker variants in east coast casinos and in home games all around the country. It is also a well-known poker game in west coast casinos, so it is no stranger to the avid gambler gracing the tables of Vegas.
Two cards are dealt face down to all of the players and then one card is dealt face up. If the player chooses to play with a “bring-in,” then the player who has the lowest up card is the one who has to pay the bring-in. The betting then proceeds in clockwise order. The bring-in is what is considered to be an “open,” so the next player may not check. If there is no bring-in, then the first round of betting begins with the player with the highest ranking up card performing a check.
After that first round of betting, an up card is dealt to the players, which is then followed by a second betting round that begins with a third up card and starts with the player who can form the best poker hand with their up cards. There are fewer than five cards that are face up, so that means there can be no full houses, flushes, or straights, but throughout the game, the player with the cards that can construct the best poker hand will go first in the game.
So those are just a few basics as to how the game of seven-card stud begins. You may be wondering how a game with more than seven players can exist since a deck of cards only has 52 in it and players are dealt seven cards a piece. It is very rare that players don’t fold early in the game, which frees up cards and also gives you better odds of being a winner in the game. Besides, that’s what you’re hoping for…to win the game.