Stud poker rules and game guide

While Texas Hold'em is unquestionably the most popular poker game, it's not the only variant you'll find being played at a . There are a myriad of unique and exciting variations on the standard poker format that have been around for decades. One such variation is Seven Card Stud - a game with a ton of strategy that can be both fun and very profitable.

Stud poker is one of the "traditional" poker games that has been eclipsed in popularity by No-Limit Texas Hold'em over the last decade or so. Still, it does have a small but dedicated following--and many Hold'm players from years past. It is also a favorite game of many old school poker players and is required game for any game in the , a side game where players must buy into a separate game based on the money they won at the main table. Because there isn't an online World Series of Poker, the game is still quite popular on the Internet as well.

The following guide will provide all the information needed to start playing Seven Card Stud poker today. Learn the rules and how to play the game, along with some helpful Stud poker strategy tips to get ahead before starting on any of the top sites offering the game.

What is Stud Poker?

Seven Card Stud is a flop game where each player receives numerous cards, and then makes their best five-card poker hand. A player’s hand can use both their face-up cards, one or both hidden cards, or a combination of the two.

Seven-Card Stud was traditionally a low limit cash game after the No-Limit Texas Hold'em revolution of the early 2000s, but recently there has been a bit of a resurgence in both live and online tournaments, mainly because it is much harder to play perfectly in Stud than in Hold'em. As a result, new age poker pros are learning the game to compete in the bigger winning tournaments. The game is also making a comeback among older school poker players who miss the complexity of having to play boldly on draw streets, rather than just pushing all-in every hand.

Also different from No-Limit Hold'em, is that it is almost never played as a No-Limit bet version. It is typically played with fixed limits (just like Omaha). For example, a $1/$2 game would have $2 the limit for all betting rounds. A $7-$14 game would have a $7 limit for the first round of betting, and a $14 limit for all subsequent betting rounds.

Stud Hi vs Lo

Stud poker does not have a traditional high-only variation but instead has a Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Eight or Better variation which is worth looking into if you want to play something a little different. In this version, the pot is shared between the best high hand and the best qualified low hand. More details on this below.

It is also possible to play Razz in Stud format, which is the low hole card game similar to Omaha Hi-Lo compared to Omaha Ploam. Since Razz is already a very popular game in its own right (and easy to convert to Stud format), there is not much incentive to play it in Stud format except for odd numbered player games or when nine players are wanted and an extra table is available.

Stud Poker Action!

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How Does Stud Poker Work?

There are a few different ways that Stud poker can be played, including 5-card versions known as Ride Bandits and Short-Handed Stud Hi. However, the most common form of the game is Seven-Card Stud, which we will focus on here. Once the basic rules are understood, it is quite simple to pick up the other formats.

Here is a quick overview of how a hand of Stud works:

1. Each player is dealt two down cards ("hole" cards) and one up card (called third street).
2. Starting with the player with the lowest-valued up card, players must match their bet to the two seeds on the table (explained below), and the action proceeds clockwise.
3. Players can check, bet or fold on this initial round, called "Third Street."
4. Another up card (fourth street) is dealt to each remaining player, and the player with the strongest-looking hand (lowest value showings to date) begins the betting round.
5. Every following round follows the same procedure, with another up card ("fifth street," “sixth street” etc.) dealt to all players, and a betting round initiated by the player with the strongest hand.
6. The final up card is also the last betting round, meaning there will be seven up cards in front of each player, and one additional face-down "hole" card.
7. The player with the best five-card poker hand using ANY TWO of their cards (both hole cards, or one hole card and one up card) wins the pot.
8. The dealer button in fix-limit Stud moves one position to the right after each hand.

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As mentioned above, since each player receives more cards than in a game like Hold'em, there are more betting rounds. This means more opportunities to win and also more chances to get creative with your strategies.

Seats, Button and the Bring-In

Like most poker games, Stud has specific seats wherein the dealer button travels in a clockwise direction. There are six forced bets in Stud:

• The Bring-in - This is an optional bet made by the player with the weakest hand showing. It's designed to give them a chance to win the blind bets without having to pay for any cards.
• The Small Ante ([SA] or ante small)
• The Big Ante ([BA] or ante big)
• The Call ([C]) Bet (equal to the value of one bring in/ante small + the previous bet on the street)
• The Raise ([R] Bet)
• The Check ([Chk] or [CK] ) or Fold ([Fold] or [Fil] )action

The goal is to always force action and force players to put money into pots when they don't have a choice. This is what separates fixed limit stud from hold em and omaha.

In Stud, once everyone has their two hole cards, the person with the lowest showing card (by suits' ranking, see below) is forced to make a Bring-in bet. This can be any amount the card room chooses, usually half the small ante. They also get to determine the opening direction for future hands. They can choose to "take it" or make a small bet indicating they have a fairly weak hand, and they believe no one elses' showing is stronger. If they choose to take it, no other players are required to enter the pot, although they can choose to check or bet behind them.

If they choose not to take it, the next highest up card chooses between taking it or obeying the player before them. This is a play meant to give a slight advantage to the worst hand, as they get to choose the direction of play for the current hand. They can choose to force the tough decisions onto players with the stronger hands, and away from players with weaker hands.

For example, let's say there are five players, including the bring in, in on the hand. Player 1 has a queen showing, player 2 has a jack, player 3 has a ten, player 4 has a nine · the lowest showing · and Player 5 has an eight showing. Normally, play would proceed clockwise from the bring-in, with the first forced bet from the player with the highest showing card, the eight.

However, since the bring-in can choose to take it or not, he can make life difficult for the players behind him. Let's say he takes it. Now, the next player with a nine, gets to choose. He can now choose to make a bet, or "smooth call" (calling the bring in, but raising anyone who bets) or he can obey the bring in and simply follow his action.

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In general, the worst hand will almost always take it, while the best hand will almost always opt to follow the worst hand. The idea is to make people think about their options, and whether it is more profitable to play this hand calmly, or if it might be better to try and steal later streets with it. The brings are valuable betting rounds for stealing, especially when short-handed.

After the bring-in, all players have the option to either check (free action), fold (lose your hand) or bet (at least the bring in amount).

Hand Rankings

Poker hands are established in the same order as in Hold'em or Omaha, with a couple twists:

1. Royal Flush - Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten of the same suit
2. ** Straight Flush** - Any run of five cards in sequential order and of the same suit (example: 9-8-7-6-5 of clubs)
3. Three of a Kind - Three cards of the same rank, plus any two other cards
4. Straight - Any defined sequence of four cards (such as 8-7-5-4), plus a fifth "out" card (such as a Jackson). Remember that straights are counted from the highest to the lowest card (for example, A-K-Q-J-10 is NOT a straight; remove the face cards, however, and you have a valid straight: T-J-Q-K-A)
5. Two Pair - Two cards of one rank, a second pair of a different rank, and any fifth card
6. One Pair - Two cards of one rank, plus three random cards
7. Full House - Three of a kind and a pair
8. Flush - All cards in the same suit, but not in sequence
9. Three of a Kind - Three cards of the same rank, plus two unrelated "outs"
10. Two Gutshot - Also called an "incased inside straight draw". You have four cards of sequential rank, one of which is in your hand, and two on the board, with the fifth card being any rank outside that sequence. Example: Your hand holds the 6 of spades, on the board are the 5clubs, 6diamonds and 7hearts, making any 4 or 8 outside that sequence a win.
11. Open Ended Straight Draw - Also called an "open ended straight draw". Opposite of the two gutshot, where you now have four cards of sequential rank, with three on the board and one in your hand, allowing you any 5 or 9 outside that sequence to make a straight.
12. High Pair - The pair has the higher score and any three unrelated "kickers"
13. Lower Pair - The pair has the lower score and any three unrelated "kickers"
14. Hi-Lo (eight or better) - A standard hand scoring as a high or low hand in the game of Omaha. See below for more details on qualifying low hands.
15. No Pair - When none of the above qualifications have been met, the player with the highest unpaired card wins the pot (known as a "high" or "main" pot). Face cards (Jack, Queen or King) are high cards, while numbered cards rank according to their value (with Aces considered the highest card, making A-2 a legitimate hand). Suits have no bearing on hand or pot value.

In a hi-lo eight or better game, a qualifying low hand can split the pot with the high hand. A qualifying low hand consists of five cards (two of which may be from a player’s hand), with no pairs and with a total cumulative value (all cards added together) of ten or less. Examples include a low straight (such as 5-6-7-8-9, known as a "wheel"), or a low flush (such as 3-clubs, 5-clubs, 7-clubs, 9-clubs, and the 2 or 10 of a different suit). Face cards do not count, and Aces are considered low (making the best possible low hand (a wheel) an A-2-3-5-7).

If more than one player fields a qualifying low hand, the pot is split among them, with the main pot going to the highest of these low hands. If no qualifying low hand exists (i.e., the best hand is unmade) the pot is awarded entirely to the high hand.

At the showdown, a player can use any two of their cards to make their best hand. So they could use their two hole cards, or one hole card and one up card, or even both up cards. High cards (or "kickers") are very important, as they can be the difference between losing a potential hand-winning hand.

Having an ace as a kicker is generally much better than having a six or seven, and it is often advisable to play for odds on your ace kicker, as it will win you many more pots than it loses. With all these factors to consider, Stud requires far more memory work than Hold'em, as you need to keep track not only of your own cards but all the cards that have been played.

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Betting Structure of Stud Poker

There are two main structures used for Stud poker at the casino or online:

• Sixth Street Fixed Limit : By sixth street, players have received three cards and made one bet on them. This means that players have significant investments into the hand and are less likely to back down, making more aggressive play profitable. As such, most Stud games are played with a "fixed limit" structure beyond third street. That means that the size of the bets and raises remain constant throughout an hand - usually equal to the size of the ante-bet(s). Double and triple bets are not permitted, nor is "changing gears" (switching from a small raise to a large one, or vice versa).
• Sixth Street Pot Limit : On later streets, the game plays much like Pot Limit Omaha, with players free to bet or raise any amount equal to the total amount of money in the pot at the time of the bet. This makes nut draws extremely expensive, but also allows players to build massive pots on a shoestring investment in early streets.

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Online poker rooms typically offer both variants. Live games are predominantly Fixed Limit.

Antes in Stud Poker

Antes are used in Stud games to ensure there is always money in the middle to win, as it is much easier to bluff or bet successfully when there is already some money in the middle. Like blinds, antes force players to play and pay regardless if they feel they have a hand or not, thus increasing action and excitement.

Fixed-limit Stud comes in two different ante varieties:

• First Three Cards Ante (also known as "Low Antes" or (LA)) - Here, each player pays two small anten to receive their first three cards. After examining their cards, each player then pays a single, larger antr big chip ante; usually twice the bring-in amount. Betting on fourth street begins normally, with the bring-in and so on.
• **Five-Card Ante **(FCA or high ante) - Here, commonly found in short-handed Stud games, each player is dealt all five of their cards at once, and is required to pay a single, larger antbette chip. This ante bet is roughly double the bring-in amount. There is no separate bring-in bet with FCA Stud, and the first betting round starts with the player with the lowest showing card.

Short-handed FCA Stud is fast-paced and action-packed, and is a fantastic way to get in a lot of hands in a short period of time.

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How to Play Basic Stud Poker Strategy

Unlike No-Limit Texas Hold'em, where the majority of players take a "fold everything but pocket aces" approach early in a tournament, Stud strategy calls for an entirely opposite style. Since seeing extra cards for extra investment helps balance out your overall long-term chances of improvement, it is almost always profitable to play more hands in Stud.

That said, you do not want to play every hand that comes your way. Some starting hands are clearly much stronger than others. By using the rough hand strength ranking system outlined below, you can quickly and easily decide which hands are worthy of investment, and which should be folded immediately.

Start Off Right with Strong Starting Hands

When deciding which Stud hands to play, it's useful to rate them according to relative strength. While hand values in Stud are obviously far more complex than in Hold'em due to players seeing multiple boards and possessing extra hole cards, the following guidelines can help quickly sort strong starting hands from weak ones.

Basic Stud Poker Starting Hand Values

• Strong VERSUS: A-A-A, K-K-K, A-A-K, A-A-Q, A-A-J, A-A-10, K-K-Q, K-K-J, K-K-10, A-A-2, A-K-K, A-Q-Q, A-Q-J, A-Q-10, A-J-J, A-J-10, K-Q-Q, K-Q-J, K-Q-10, K-J-J, K-J-10, Q-Q-Q, Q-Q-J, Q-Q-10, Q-J-J, Q-J-10, J-J-J, J-j-10, 9-9-9, 9-9-10, 8-8-8, A-2-3 (suited), A-3-4 (suited), A-4-5 (suited), A-5-6 (suited), A-6-7 (suited), A-7-8 (suited), A-8-9 (suited), A-9-10 (suited), 3-4-5 (suited), 4-5-6 (suited), 5-6-7 (suited), 6-7-8 (suited), 7-8-9 (suited).
• Good VERSUS: K-A-A, K-A-K, K-A-Q, K-A-J, K-2-3 (suited), K-3-4 (suited), K-4-5 (suited), K-5-6 (suited), K-6-7 (suited), K-7-8 (suited), K-8-9 (suited), Q-2-3 (suited), Q-3-4 (suited), Q-4-5 (suited), Q-5-6 (suited), Q-6-7 (suited), Q-7-8 (suited), Q-8-9 (suited), J-2-3 (suited), J-3-4 (suited), J-4-5 (suited), J-5-6 (suited), J-6-7 (suited), J-7-8 (suited), J-8-9 (suited), 2-3-4 (suited), 3-4-5 (suited), 4-5-6 (suited), 5-6-7 (suited), 6-7-8 (suited), 7-8-9 (suited), 8-9-10 (suited), 3-4-6 (three, two), 4-5-7 (four, five), 5-6-8 (six, six).
• Fair VERSUS: A-K-2, A-K-4, A-Q-2, A-Q-4, A-J-2, A-J-4, K-Q-2, K-Q-4, K-J-2, K-J-4, Q-Q-2, Q-Q-4, Q-J-2, Q-J-4, J-J-2, J-J-4, J-2-4, J-4-6, 2-3-3 (two, three), 3-4-3 (three, three), 4-5-3 (four, four), 5-6-3 (five, five), 6-7-3 (six, six).
• Weak VERSUS: A-K-5, A-Q-3, A-J-3, K-Q-3, K-J-3, Q-Q-3, Q-J-3, J-J-3, J-3-5, 3-3-4 (three, four), 3-4-4 (three, five), 4-5-4 (four, six), 5-6-3 (five, five), 6-7-3 (six, six), 7-8-3 (seven, seven).
• Very Weak VERSUS: 2-3-5 (two, five), 3-4-5 (three, six), 4-5-5 (four, seven), 5-6-3 (five, five), 6-7-3 (six, six), 7-8-3 (seven, seven), 8-9-3 (eight, eight).

Note that this list contains only the first three cards a player sees; unlike Hold'em, Stud hands are constantly changing and improving (or deteriorating) with each new card received. Thus, the true relative strength of any starting hand versus those of your opponents can only be determined after seeing all five of your own cards.

How to Calculate Pot Odds in Stud

Understanding pot odds -- the relationship between the size of the pot and the amount of money you must invest to continue in a hand -- is absolutely critical to successful Stud play.

To see how pot odds work, imagine a $10 pot with $5 left to call an opponent's bet. Should you win, you will net $15 ($10 pot plus $5 rake), for a profit of $5. In this scenario you are getting odds of 3 to 1 on your money -- a very good wager. Conversely, if you believe your chances of winning the hand are less than 3 to 1, it is mathematically impossible to profit on the call, and you would be wise to fold.

Because Stud players are required to contribute money to the middle prior to the first betting round (the ante), those pot odds change slightly in Stud as opposed to other games like Hold'em and Omaha. Essentially, you've already invested part of your buyback in the pot before any betting options present themselves.

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Let's examine a few scenarios to see exactly how Stud pot odds vary from Hold'em. In both examples, there is $10 in the middle, and you are sitting with a hand worth approximately $15. Scenario One - Standard Hold'em Scenario:

• An opponent bets $5; the pot now stands at $15, giving you pot odds of 3 to 2 on your money. You have to beat your opponent only 60% of the time to show a profit.

Scenario Two - Standard Stud Scenario:

• There is $10 in the ante; you add your $5 call, for a total pot size of $15. However, you also have to count your original $2 ante money as part of your investment in the pot, leaving you with a true net profit of $13 should you win. This gives you pot odds of 4.9 to 3 on your investment, or roughly 5 to 4. At these odds you would need to win the hand 80% of the time to show a profit.
• Alternately, you can view it another way. You started with $12 in the pot ($10 from the ante plus your $2 bring-in contribution); your $5 call adds $15 to that, for a grand total of $27 in the middle. Against an opponent worth roughly $15, you will win the pot roughly 60% of the time. On those winning occasions you will scoop a $27 pot, paying out $15 to your rival, leaving you with $12 in profits off your original $12 investment. On losing occasions you will have to post another $12 in ante and contributions; your opponent meanwhile will post only $2, leaving you to dig $10 out of your own pocket for every losing instance. Put another way, for every $120 you invest, you will lose $100, while your opponent risks only $20. These numbers give you an overall breakeven win percentage of approximately 53%.

What this means is that in Stud, you must look at the relative strength of your hand and estimate your chances of improvement and winning against that of your opponent before committing your self. If the odds are not in your favor, it is best to fold.

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Strategy Angel #1: Improvement & Odds of Winning

To succeed in Stud you must focus more on the overall developmental possibilities of your hand as contrasted to Hold'em, where most of the work happens on the community boards.

Each time you see a new card it can improve your hand, or it can hurt by making a pair or flush possible for one of your opponents. Depending upon the texture of the board, different hands become favorites, underdogs or tossups. Thus, it is imperative to quickly gauge how your hand stacks up against your rivals', and what the odds are that your hand will improve on a coming street.

You must always be counting cards and keeping track of which ranks have been dealt and which remain. If your hand includes an ace, you know that you have a good chance of improving via a flush draw, an open-ended straight draw or both. If your cards are highly ranked you can probably slow down and play a waiting game, hoping for low cards to come out in order to break expensive paired boards.

Conversely, if you are dealing with low cards you'll usually want to see as many of them as possible in an attempt to hit a flush or straight draw, or complete a pair of jacks or better. Be aware that slow-playing a monster (holding a very strong hand) can sometimes be a mistake, particularly in low-limit Stud games where players are apt to stay in with marginal hands.

In general there are two major hand types: connectors and pairs/high cards. Connectors tend to flop more outs and generate many more drawing opportunities, and therefore should be played more aggressively than a pair of jacks or kings.

For example, let's say you pick up the following two hands:

• 10-9-9
• K-K-4

Intuitively, most players will want to hold the Kings, considering them the stronger hand. However, in the long term the 10-9-9 hand will prove far more lucrative.

Why? Because with your kings you will frequently find yourself stuck, with nowhere to go and no way to generate further outs; the most you can hope for is to flop a set, which will often be counterfeited on later streets. In contrast, the sequence of cards containing 10, 9 and 9 offers numerous possibilities. You can flop a straight or a flush, or see a four or a five to fill a full house, or catch a 6, 7, 8 or J to improve to two pair or trips.

While it is true that your Kings will win against the 99 when you both end up on a paired board, the 10-9-9 sequence has the ability to generate action and big pots through multiple drawing opportunities.

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Strategy Angel #2: Value of the Ante

Every time you pay an ante you are investing money into the pot. Therefore, studies have shown that players will play weaker hands more aggressively in Stud games with higher antbes, while clamping tighter with three-card kitty in Fixed-Limit Stud Low Antes games.

This makes sense, as players front more money in high-antbe games and are therefore willing to throw away money to see more cards and more action. By increasing your bets along with your rivals', you can capitalize on this behavior and pick up extra chips. For example, raise whenever a player with a front-loaded sequence (such as 6-7-8) makes it out cheaply. Chances are, he will be forced to chase on the next street, upping the ante significantly.

On the flip side, in low-antbe Games you will often have to contend with players staying in on four-card and worse hands far into tricky boards, hoping for a lucky card. In this environment you'll win more chips by slow-playing your big hands and trap your rivals with large bets and raises.

Strategy Angel #3: Keep Them Honest

Remember, in Stud your opponents can see three of your five cards at all times; in Hold'em they only witness five community cards. This means players must be far more aggressive at getting to showdown, as it is far more difficult to bluff or represent a hand.

By continually betting, raising and putting pressure on your opponents, you'll force them to make difficult choices and play suboptimally. Many Stud players will abandon hands they should continue on due simply to the additional cost of the ante and brings. By routinely betting or raising in these situations you can bully your opponents out of pots they shouldn't have folded.

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7 Stud Poker Tips to Boost Your Game

1. Pay attention: Since you have more cards than your opponents do, you must be able to keep track of what you're holding, as well as the board and your opponents' shows. Anything less than complete concentration will cause you to make costly mistakes.
2. Don't limp in with garbage: Stud is a natural extension of Texas Hold'em; you still want to be dealing with high-ranked cards that will allow you to connect with the board and play big pots. Don't enter pots with low, disconnected cards -- you'll find yourself constantly chasing and failing to justify the amount of money in the middle.
3. Look for strong starting three-card hands: As discussed previously, you want to be seeing cards like aces, kings, queens, jack and strong connected sequences. Avoid low, disjointed cards like 2-4-5 or similar.
4. Count your outs: Outs are cards that can improve your hand. For example, if you're trying to fill a flush, every suit below the highest one you've played has the potential to save you. Counting outs is essential to knowing whether you can afford to call a bet -- you need to know your odds of improving and winning the pot.
5. Be aggressive: You need to be willing to bet, raise and pursue pots in order to succeed at Stud. Your opponents can see three of your five cards, so you must be proactive about setting the tone for the hand.
6. Watch the brings: Since the bring-in and bring-bet are usually very small, these bets offer excellent value. Often you'll get great odds to call and see an extra card, which can improve greatly on later rounds.
7. Keep your opponents' outs in mind: Whenever an opponent bets or raises, you need to be thinking about the outs they may have to beat their hand. If someone raises with fourth pair on a T-8-4 board, you know they either have a set, jack-jack or better, a gutshot straight draw or a backdoor flush draw. Knowing what outs they have puts you in a far better position to make correct decisions about how to proceed with the hand.

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How to Play Razz Stud Poker

The most popular form of lowball poker,  (7-Card Stud Lowball or "Razz") is the low version of  where your objective is to win by showing the lowest hand possible.

Aces are always low, and flushes and straights are ignored. Players use exactly seven cards to make their best low hand. To understand how to calculate the winning hand, take a look at this example:

Ace-King-Queen-Jack-Ten is a full house and breaks as follows: The best card is an ace, so the high pair is A-8-4, which beats A-7-2, which is A-K-Q-J-T (full house, tens over kings). Confused? Good -- lowball is a tough game to learn, and even the best players make mistakes. 

An eight-player Razz Stud game proceeds identical to regular 7-Card Stud. Starting with the player to the left of the dealer, each player must ante (usually half or a quarter of the minimum bet) to begin. Then, starting with the individual to the left of the dealer, each player must match that bet to see the first three cards. These are all dealt face down. 

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The individual with the lowest combined value of his or her two exposed cards (third street) and one down card (second street) begins the betting. This individual is called the bring-in. If two players tie for low, the suepot will be built between them. 

Bets and raises continue identical to regular 7-Card Stud. The real twist comes when players can use to complete their hands. Whereas in regular 7-Card Stud players try to make the highest five-card poker hand possible, in Razz Stud the objective is reversed. 

Players use their three best cards from their hand, plus the best three cards from the board to make their best five-card poker hand. Because aces are low, the best possible poker hand in Razz Stud is 5-4-3-2-A. Any poker hand with a pair or higher (other than 5-4-3-2-A) will lose to a straight or flush with all cards under ten.

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7 Card Stud Hi Low 8 or Better

Stud Hi-Lo (also referred to as 8-or-Better) is a game in which players can win half of the pot with the lowest hand possible (per Razz Stud rules), and the other half with the highest hand possible (per traditional High Stud rules). Identical hand battles occur with both hands being of the same value and suit.

For example:

• Your best low hand is A-7-6-5-3
• Your best high hand is A-K-Q-J-T (also known as Aces full of Queens)

In this situation you scoop the entire pot, receiving half for your low hand and half for your high. In another example:

• Your best low hand is 7-6-5-4-3
• Your best high hand is 10-