Stud Poker
There are many different stud games to choose from and these games all have a variety of face up and face down elements. These games are non-positional, which means that the player beginning the betting round will alter from round to round.
Some of the popular Stud variants include 7 Card Stud, 5 Card Stud, Razz, Eight or Better, Caribbean Stud and Mississippi Stud.
Of all of the different stud variants, 7 Card Stud is the most well-known. Before Texas Hold ‘Em ascended to its current position of being the most popular poker game, Seven Card Stud was the most popular poker game. Many people still have a preference for this game but it is not as commonly featured on a number of online poker sites. This may limit the amount of players that develop an understanding and knowledge of 7 Card Stud in the future, but it remains a poker game that is worth knowing how to play.
Prior to the game beginning, there is a need for every player involved with the game to place an ‘ante’ into the pot, which means that there is money to play for. As with stud games, you will not find any community cards in 7 Card Stud. Play begins with the dealer dealing in a clockwise fashion until all players have three cards. The initial two cards delivered to a player will be placed face down, becoming the hole cards, while the third card will be placed facing upwards.
7 Card Stud features five betting rounds, which should flow around the table in a clockwise fashion. The betting begins with the player holding the lowest ranked card (of the upward facing cards) placing a token bet into the game, this is called the bring-in. If more than one player has the lowest ranked card, the order is decided by suit in order of clubs and then diamonds and then hearts and then spades. After this bring-in bet has been undertaken, the Third Street kicks in where every player (starting off with the player located at the left of the bring-in player) can raise, fold or call.
After this, every player is provided with another card that is delivered facing up. The player that holds the highest pair of up cards will begin the bet. This is called the Fourth Street and if a player holds an open pair, they are allowed to make a double bet.
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After this, every player receives another facing upwards card, called the Fifth Street. The player that holds the biggest combination of their up cards starts the betting round. This process is repeated in the following round, which is Sixth Street.
There is then The River and every player still in the game will receive a final downward facing card. The player that begun the previous round begins the betting round here as well. There then follows the showdown and the player that holds the best hand is the winner.
7 Card Stud Hi/Lo
7 Card Stud Hi/Lo follows the same pattern to 7 Card Stud but has a difference with respect to how the game is won. In the showdown, the poker player who hands the best highest level hand will take half the pot and the player with the best lowest level hand will take the other half. It is possible for a player to hold the best high and low hands. If there is no player with a low hand, the player who holds the best high hand will take the whole pot.