Tips & Strategy

• seven card stud allows a little more flexibility than five-card stud, but you still need to be careful about staying in too long with a questionable hand. Many experienced poker players will tell you that the first round, they are not dealt at least a high pair, a pair in the hole, a pair with a high card, a three-flush, or a three-straight.
• If you are initially dealt a low pair, and your hand does not improve with the next two cards, you should fold. Of course, there is some flexibility here depending on the betting and other players’ cards. However, if you don’t have much of anything after the first four cards, you should consider folding.
• In the first round, if you are dealt a three-straight or a three-flush, stay in. But if you do not improve to a four-card straight or flush after two more up cards, fold. However, if after five cards you have a four-card straight or flush, draw the sixth and seventh card unless you think another player has you beat, or many of the cards you need are dead.
• If you are dealt three of a kind (a.k.a. trips) in the opening round, count your blessings. However, be careful about how you bet. Three of a kind might be strong enough to win the hand without any improvement, so you don’t want to drive anyone out too quickly. In the first couple of rounds keep the betting moderate: Call bets and don’t raise. If your hand still looks like a winner once the high streets roll around (fifth to seventh ), start raising the stakes, since the remaining players are less likely to give up on their investment in the pot.

• If you are playing at a tight table and your two hole cards are a high pair, your early round of betting strategy should be conservative. If you have a pair of Aces in the hole and a 4 showing and start with a big bet, people will fold, figuring you have something buried.
• If you are playing at a loose table and you are dealt a high pair, you can be a bit more aggressive with your betting. Players will be more willing to stick around in seven card stud since hands take longer to develop. And don’t worry if some player’s fold-it will decrease the number of people competing for the pot.
• If you begin with a high split pair in the early rounds, many experienced poker players will tell you to raise the betting. At this point, your hand is strong but not unbeatable and you’ll need to catch another good card or two. You want to get rid of some players while it is cheap to do so. (The betting gets much higher in the later rounds, and people who have made it that far are less likely to fold.) With opening high pairs, always consider if another player has a higher door card, in which case you should moderate your betting because he or she might have a pair that can beat you.
• As in five-card stud, keep a close eye on what your opponent’s up cards are and try to remember what cards have been folded. If you know what cards are dead to you and what “outs” you have remaining, you are in a better position to know if your hand can be improved. Likewise, by having a sense of what cards are on the table, you can get a better read on your opponents’ hands. Your ability to make an educated guess becomes crucial as you enter the later and higher-betting rounds.
• The betting gets serious in the last three rounds of seven card stud. Assess your hand and your opponents’ hands it you feel like you’ve got the winning hand, bet aggressively in the last two or three rounds. If you’ve made it this far but are unsure if your hand has what it takes to win, you have two options. You can fold, of course, or decide whether drawing another card is worth in the money.
• Use scare cards to your advantage. These are exposed cards that improve your hand or set up a potentially stronger hand. For instance, if you receive a suited Queen on fourth street to go with your King, your opponents will now worry you have a straight or a flush. Likewise, keep an eye on your opponents’ high cards.
• With three hole cards, two of which are dealt in the first round, bluffers are emboldened in seven card stud. However, don’t just bluff willy-nilly. It is necessary that your exposed cards have potential. For instance, if you have three-suited cards (three cards of the same suit) exposed and are betting heavily, your opponents might think you have a flush. Also, if you are bluffing in seven card stud, your betting should be consistent.