HOW TO PLAY CASINO POKER
SEVEN CARD
STUD
Seven Card Stud is by far the most popular game among casino Poker patrons. Perhaps the reason is the
game's apparent simplicity or its close resemblance to the poker games played at home. The generally
lower betting limits also make the game attractive to casual players. A standard 52 card deck is used,
without Jokers, and there are no wild cards. It is played on a table generally seating seven players.
The dealer begins the game by dealing cards to all players seated at the table, beginning with the player
immediately to the dealer's left, and then continuing clockwise around the table. Seven cards in total will
eventually be dealt out to each player.
The first two are dealt face down to all players; only you get to see the first two cards dealt to you, as do
each of the other players with their two cards. These are called, appropriately enough, "down cards".
Then, in turn, four cards will be dealt face up to each player, one for each round of betting; these cards,
called "up cards", are exposed for all players to see. Finally, in the last round, a seventh down card is also
dealt to each player.
Before any betting takes place, each player will, therefore, receive a total of three
cards in the first round -- two down cards and one up card.
If you stay in the game through all rounds of betting, at the end you will have three cards face down which
only you can see, and four cards face up which your opponents can see as well. You, of course, can also
see your opponent's up cards. The object of the game is to use the seven cards and make the best five-card
Poker hand out of them.
The hierarchy of hands is the same as that which, applies to Video Poker. But in
Seven Card Stud you have a total of seven cards to chose from, and this provides for a great variety of
possible hands. Some players may be showing a possible strong hand in the four cards face up, but have
nothing in the three cards face down. At other times the four cards showing may look like garbage, but
when combined with the three cards only that player sees eventually make a great hand.
These sections were written by Victor
Royer
www.vegas.com
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Betting Intro
Seven Card Stud
