In Seven-Card Stud there are five betting rounds instead of four as in Hold'em. The game is played with an ante instead of blinds. In Stud there are no community cards. The player's hands decide the order of action. On the first round of betting the player with the lowest card has to make a bring-in bet and on the later betting rounds the player with the best hand showing has to act first.

Game Play

1. All players receive two cards dealt face down (hole cards) and one card dealt face up (upcard). The cards are dealt one at a time.
2. The player with the lowest upcard has to make a bring-in bet.
3. The betting continues clockwise with the player to the left of the bring-in.
4. A fourth card is dealt face up. The action begins by the player with the best upcards and continues clockwise.
5. A fifth card is dealt face up. The action begins by the player with the best upcards and continues clockwise.
6. A sixth card is dealt face up. The action begins by the player with the best upcards and continues clockwise.
7. A seventh card is dealt face down. The action begins by the player with the best upcards and continues clockwise.
8. All players make out the best possible 5-card poker hand.

Example

Seven-Card Stud

Start Hand		4th		5th		6th		7th
Final hand
Straight (king high)

Action begins

Action ends

Ranking of hands

1. Straight flush (the best straight flush: A-K-Q-J-T all of the same suit)
2. Four of a kind (the best four of a kind: A-A-A-A-K)
3. Full house (the best full house: A-A-A-K-K)
4. Flush (the best flush: any ace high flush)
5. Straight (the best straight: A-K-Q-J-T)
6. Three of a kind (the best three of a kind: A-A-A-K-Q)
7. Two pair (the best two pair: A-A-K-K-Q)
8. One pair (the best one pair: A-A-K-Q-J)
9. No pair (the best high hand: A-K-Q-J-9)

In Stud there are five betting rounds as opposed to the four betting rounds in Hold'em. The game is played with an ante instead of blinds. In Stud there are no community cards. The players' hands determine the order of action. In the first round of betting, the player with the lowest card must make a bring-in bet and, in subsequent betting rounds, the player with the best hand showing has to act first.

Before the cards are dealt

Depending on the size of the game, an ante may or may not be used. The table below lists the antes, bring-in bets and opening bets for different limits.

1. All players put the ante in front of them.
2. The dealer collects the ante and puts it into the pot.

The cards are dealt

All players receive two cards face down (the hole cards) and one card face up (the up-card). The cards are dealt clockwise, one at a time. This hand is called the starting hand.

The first round of betting

1. The player who has been dealt the lowest up-card is required to start the action by placing a bring-in bet. If two or more players have the same rank of up-cards, then suit becomes the deciding factor as to which of them is to make the bring-in bet. The lowest suit is Clubs followed by Diamonds, Hearts and Spades. This means that the 2 is the lowest possible up-card.
2. After the bring-in bet is played, the action continues clockwise. The player to the immediate left of the bring-in has the option of folding, calling or raising. A raise is the size of the opening bet (see the table) and a call is the size of the bring-in bet.
3. The betting proceeds until all players who have not folded have contributed equally to the pot.

The second round of betting

1. The dealer deals a fourth card face up to all remaining players.
2. In this round and all later betting rounds, it is the player with the best up-cards who has to act first.
3. The smaller bring-in bet is no longer utilized. If a player pairs his up-card, he has the option of betting a small bet or he can make the bigger bet that is used in subsequent betting rounds. This option occurs only for the player who pairs his up-card.

   Example

   It is a $5-$10 Seven-Card Stud game. A player holds (X-X) 8 and on the second betting round he catches another 8 for a board of (X-X) 8 8. He now has the option of either checking, betting $5 or going ahead and making the $10 bet.

4. The betting begins clockwise from the player who was first to act and ends when all players who did not fold have contributed equally to the pot.

The third round of betting

1. The dealer deals a fifth card face up for each remaining player.
2. The player with the best up-card acts first.
3. All bets are the size of the bigger bet.

   Example

   It is a $5-$10 Seven-Card Stud Game. There are three players remaining in the hand. Player A holds (X-X) 8 8 K, player B holds (X-X) Q 2 Q and player C holds (X-X) T J 9. Player B has to act first as his board cards are the best. He can check or bet and then the action continues clockwise from him.

4. The betting moves clockwise from the player who acted first and finishes when all remaining players have equally contributed to the pot.

The fourth round of betting

1. The dealer deals a sixth card face up to all remaining players.
2. The player with the best up-cards acts first.
3. All bets are the size of the bigger bet.
4. The betting proceeds clockwise from the first player who acted and ends when all players who did not fold have contributed equally to the pot.

The fifth round of betting

1. The dealer deals a seventh card face down to all remaining players.
2. The player with the best up-cards acts first.
3. All bets are the size of the bigger bet.
4. The betting continues clockwise from the player who acted first and ends when all remaining players who did not fold have contributed equally to the pot.
5. If someone gets called on the last round of betting, there is a show down. The player who gets called is forced to flip his three down cards face up on the table. The other players then have the option of either mucking their hands or, if they have it, of showing the winning hand.