Tara Rice - Stud Poker Player

Variety might well be the spice of life (maybe not married life) so take a look at some of the other games out there in the big bad world of Poker, and Five Card Stud is a great place to start. The grand old man of poker originated during the American Civil War, and it’s still a pleasure to play (even if you’re not tired of Texas Holdem Poker). Although it’s nowhere near as popular as Hold’Em which is clear from its conspicuous absence from the World Series of Poker it’s still a great game. Oddly enough this game tends to be more popular over in Europe, for some reason it’s a popular game in Finland where a variant called Sökö can often be found being played (quite possibly in saunas).

The basics first off; the round begins with each player being dealt one card (face down), followed by one card (face up). If the game is being played with a bring-in, the player with the lowest-ranking visible card must pay the bring in, before betting proceeds from his action.  After the first betting round, played like any normal poker round, a second face-up card is dealt to each player  (you know have 2 cards face up and 1 face down). Betting begins again with the player who has the best poker hand (on his two up cards). This second round of betting is followed by another (third) upcard to each player and a third betting round. In subsequent rounds the player who has to open the round changes to whoever now has the best hand (based on his upcards). Finally, a fourth face-up card and fourth betting round, and now you (and everyone else) has five cards one face down, four face up. Therefore you can have a really good idea what someone might have, yet still is agonizingly illusive. Then you have a showdown, it’s not usually necessary as most 5 Card Stud games end before the showdown as players tend to fold earlier on.

On the pro side it’s a much faster game than most poker variants as so few games go down to a showdown, playing stud online you can manage dozens of hands an hour, if you find a decent site. This rapid turn means that you can wait for quality starting hands, and when you don’t get them there’s not that long to wait for the next hand. The next big plus is that it’s a simple game to learn and you don’t have a chance to get confused with communal cards, or excessive rules. Finally it’ a game where a little skill goes along way, so you can make plenty of cash if you find yourself at a table with people who are more used to Hold ‘Em.

The best way to play Five Card Stud is to have quite a quiet strategy, remember that Five Card Stud is mostly a game of HIGH CARDS and PAIRS. I wouldn’t recommend starting with anything less than a pair or at least one lively card. As a general rule; don’t go chasing straights and flushes, also Aces in the hole are never as cool as they sound. Fold if you’ve not made at least a pair in your first three cards and (almost) always fold if you’re beat on the board (the board rarely lies). As you’ve only got one down card, it’s a lot easier than most poker games to work out opponents’ hands. Pay close attention to how they each play.

Sometimes a change is as good as rest – poker should be as varied as life.

Once you feel like you have mastered a specific poker variant it can become quite tedious to play. Once complacency sets in boredom quickly follows and you can turn from a winning player into a losing one in no time at all.

A great way to keep your mind fresh and improve your overall poker skills is to learn a completely new variant. If you usually play online poker games like Hold’em or Omaha then a great game to look at would be Seven Card Stud.

Seven Card Stud is completely different from games like Hold’em and Omaha as there are no community cards on display. Instead you have to make your decisions based on the visible cards in your opponents’ hands. The first thing this will do is vastly improve your short-term memory because you will need to remember the cards folded in the previous betting rounds.

Your hand reading skills should also improve as you try to decipher the possible made hands and draws each of your opponents may have based on what you can see, their betting actions and the cards you know have already been folded. This in turn will aid your overall concentration and observation, two vital attributes for any winning poker player.

Once you have played enough hands you will almost certainly find your new skills come in handy when playing your usual game. Having the ability to play another form of poker is a great tool should you find yourself losing at your usual game. Instead of trying to chase your losses simply load up another game you know and give that a try instead.

Stud poker is probably the classic version of this age-old card game. There are several varieties, including seven-card and five-card. Some versions call for the player to make the best high hand possible while others, such as Razz and 2-7 low-ball, call for the lowest hand.

One major difference is that position at the table is not determined as it is in Holdem. In this game, the player who “brings in” can change from one round to the next. For example, in 7-card games where the high hand must bring in, the player who has the highest card face up on the first round and the highest hand on subsequent rounds is forced to bet the set amount.

Stud games are known for the mystery that surrounds the hole cards each player has face down. Player’s have the opportunity to use this information to bluff and build pots since the others don’t know what he is holding.
In the last few years, 7-card in several variations has become a regular part of many tournaments. However, this version of the game has taken a back seat to Holdem and Omaha because of television coverage and the celebrity status of many pros. The World Series of Poker has long included a couple of versions of stud, including the low-hand game of Razz. Most players will not see a five-card game unless they are at home or in one of the rare poker rooms that still offer it.

Bets are determined by the limits set from the start. For example, if you sit down in a $2/$5 game players must bet $2 in the first two rounds and $5 minimum for the rest of the rounds in that hand. Poker rooms sometimes play spread limit games, in which the players bet $2 or another minimum amount and any amount up to the high limit – $2/$10 for example. Tip: Make sure you understand how the betting structured before you start.
You will probably hear veteran players call the third card third-street, and so on. The final card is often called the river, just as it is in Holdem and a few other games.

Over the years, stud players have created a wide variety of games based on the foundation of seven cards with some cards hidden from view. A popular home game is “roll your own.” In this version, players are dealt three down cards to start and choose one to turn face up. This is repeated throughout the hand, allowing each player more choice in what he wants to hide from his opponents.

This wrinkle adds some excitement and danger to the game, especially if a particular card or cards is determined to be “wild” before the hand starts. For example, if deuces are wild, a player should probably keep these in the hole, unless he wants to expose one of the wild cards for effect.

Legendary poker player Doyle Brunson has called Holdem the “Cadillac” of card games. In comparison, stud poker might be a reliable old Chevrolet that many people still enjoy.

Stud poker is also available on most of online poker sites.

	Basic Details
	Country of Origin	:	United Kingdom
	License	:	UK
	Year of Foundation	:	2005
	Software	:	Playtech
	Size	:
	Audited By	:	PWC
	Language	:	English, Spanish
	Accepts USA Players	:	No
	Bonus	:	$600

Paddy Power Poker

Paddy Power Poker Ireland’s leading bookmaker, now quite demanded in the UK too, is listed as a publicly quoted company both in the Irish as well as the London Stock Exchanges. It is another of the projects of the iPoker network, which hosts other such rooms as the VC Poker and Doyles Room, and produced by Playtech, a top name in the U.S. With $3M to be won every month, a free access and assured tournaments, Paddy Power Poker has established a huge fanatic following.

The Paddy Power Poker software is very easy to navigate and the graphics are exceptional. The overall design of the Paddy Power Poker website is quite attractive. Apart from multiple table tournaments, tables are available in head-ups, full and short-handed formats. Moreover, you have a choice of a four-color deck, which should be used, as it is a sensible thing to do if you are playing Internet poker, since the cards cannot be differentiated easily. You can even play four tables at the same time on a 1024*728 screen, without having one overshadow the other.

The helpful software puts everyone at extreme ease and is especially good for new comers and middle range poker players who wish to polish their game skills. The informative tutorials teach you all the necessary game skills that you need to know. And what is more, if you have any queries regarding the game, you can get answers to them from “Ask Dr. Jack.

The site offers an exciting introductory bonus of £250 to every player and a generous sign up bonus of up to $600. Paddy Power Poker has several multi-table tournaments including Hold’em, Seven-Card Stud Hi, Omaha Hi and Hi-lo.

Although, the more prevalent games are the fixed limit and no limit hold’em, but there is a selection of full-ring and 6-max games and a wide range of choice to the limits, which enable you to play the favorite game of your choice. You can begin with mere pennies and go up to rake stakes of $150. They have some alluring bonuses to offer, including free rolls called “win her knickers”. All high stakes are played during peak hours, while the medium & low stakes have open tables at off peak hours.

Paddy Power Poker has recently upgraded its bonus offers, where Generals can gain a minimum of $500 along with other added bonuses. This program has been designed to profit Captains, Majors and Colonels, by allowing them a lower qualifying criteria and a faster accumulation of points, apart from the monthly cash bonus.

Inspite of all its good points, Paddy Power Poker has certain drawbacks. The game pace is much slower than the usual game speed, has moderate traffic during the off peak hours and what is even worse, is that it does not allow US players on its site.

Precisely, the Paddy Power Poker site is an excellent poker gaming site, offering attractive bonuses and a variety of choice of games as well as the limits that can be played online.

Seven card stud is one of the oldest forms of poker that is still played in casinos nationwide. While holdem has been around a long time, holdem was not allowed in many casinos for a long time, especially in Los Angeles. Games such as stud, razz, lowball, and draw poker were king for a long time. As holdem became more popular, stud games began to dry up and as a result most stud games that you will find are usually occupied by older players. This is particularly true of lower stakes stud games.

I have been playing stud most of my life and when I started playing live in 2006, the first thing I noticed was the distinct lack of respect for anyone under the age of 50 that sat down in a stud game. Even today, when I sit down in a stud game I get a lot of confused looks by players that haven’t been used to seeing me play. The floor staff even will react with confusion. When I ask what is being spread, they look at me and usually rattle off the holdem options. I get confused looks when I ask to be put on stud lists.

This type of stereotype can be helpful to you at the poker tables when playing stud. I view being a young person in a seven card stud game with older players almost on par as being a woman playing almost any poker game. Men generally look at women with either disdain or with a total lack of respect. That happens a bit with younger players at stud tables.

The second live poker game I ever played in a casino was a 7 card stud satellite at the WSOP Circuit Event in Tunica Mississippi in January 2006. Five players had been sitting around for a while waiting for the satellite to fill up. When I saw the game, I sat in. The five gentlemen were all much older than me, by at least 20 years or more. After about ten or fifteen minutes, two kids that were clearly holdem players sat down. Now, you will probably look at me and say, “Hey, you are talking about stereotypes and you just made a stereotypical statement.”

When you look at a kid that sits down with sunglasses, walkman, and baseball cap, do you think seven card stud? No. The other kid actually spoke up and said that he doesn’t normally play stud, but he thought he would help us get the game going. The older gentlemen did a collective sizing up of the two kids and then all sized me up. It was clear that they thought I was one of them.

Their assumptions were initially proven correct with the play of the two kids at the table. They had no real concept of how to play the game. They chased with bad pairs, chased bad draws, and couldn’t read what their opponents were potentially drawing after.

I will continue the rest of this story in my next entry.

Seven card stud is one of the oldest forms of poker played in casinos today and was the most popular game for many years before the increase in popularity of texas holdem. In many areas, especially Los Angeles and Atlantic City, you can still find Stud games at various levels. This article will cover some of the basics to learning seven card stud.

Seven card stud is normally played with a maximum of 8 players. Each player typically put in an ante before a hand is dealt. Each player is dealt three cards. Two cards are dealt face down and the third is dealt face up. The lowest card showing, also known as the door card, makes a forced bet known as a bring-in, which is equivalent to twice the ante in most cases. The player also has the option to make a completion bet. In most games, the bring-in bet does not equal the smallest bet option. For example, in a $3-$6 stud game with a 50 cent ante, the bring-in would be $1. A completion would be $3. If a completion bet is made then, normal limit betting applies; otherwise, players are only required to call the bring-in. After the deal, the next card, known as fourth street is dealt face up as well. In fact, fourth through sixth streets are all dealt face up. The player that is showing the highest hand is first to bet. On fifth street, the betting limits double. In the above example, fifth street forward would be bet in increments of $6. After action is completed on fifth and sixth streets, the river card is dealt face down to each player, followed by another round of betting. After the betting, the players show their hands. The player with the best five card hand wins the pot.

First, before we go into starting hands, let’s touch on the subject of tracking up cards. Unlike holdem and omaha, each play receives their own unique hand in stud. In addition, up to four cards may be exposed in any one player’s hand. Keeping track of up cards, both showing and folded, becomes of high importance. If you have an opponent that is showing a gutshot straight draw that needs a five, and you know that three of the fives have been folded, you know the player only has one out to catch his hand. This type of knowledge is crucial in being able to make decision as to whether to call, raise, or fold in a stud hand.

Position is less of a factor in Stud than in other forms of poker. The main reason is that position can potentially change with each flip of a card. The highest showing hand on each street determines the betting order. As you become more skilled in stud, there will be times that you may be able to use position on third street to your advantage, but as a beginner playing in low stakes stud games, position is next to irrelevant.

Let’s review starting hands for a moment. The best starting hand is a rolled up set, with three aces being the best starting set. Buried pairs are also really strong. As implied by the name, a buried pair is when your down cards for a pair and your door card is unrelated. The strength in this hand is in its deceptive nature. If you have a 3 showing and two tens in the hole, chances are high that you will get a lot of action when you catch a ten and bet out or even raise a bet made into you. A split pair occurs when your door card matches one of your down cards. This type of hand isn’t as easy to disguise and can kill action if you pair up your door card right away. Especially at low levels, when a player pairs their door card, they typically have made a set. A three card flush can either be a really strong hand or a trap hand. While learning, I would recommend playing three card flushes that either include an ace or have multiple high cards. This allows you the chance to improve your hand without having to catch a card of the same suit. Three card straight flush draws are the best type of flush draw to have, but I would play low straight flush draws very carefully. Unless you catch fortunate, a low flush draw can easily be outdrawn. Three card straights are tricky hands to play. Three running straight cards are the best type of straight draws to play, preferably with the straight running to the high side. Gutshot straight draws should be avoided while you’re learning stud.

Let’s look at starting hands a little deeper. As mentioned earlier, you want to keep a close eye on upcards in stud. This is extra important on deciding what hands to play. If you are dealt a high pair, such as kings and see another king and maybe one of your kickers out, then the odds are stacked against you to play the hand. The same holds true for straight and flush draws. When you start with the initial deal and you are dealt a flush draw, if more than two cards of your suit are showing, then you need to get out of the hand. The same holds true for a straight draw. Furthermore, if two or more of any single card needed to complete your straight draw is showing, you need to get out of the hand. You need to also take heed of the same things on future streets in the hand. Starting off on third with a flush draw and all cards of your suit are live is great, but if on the next street you don’t catch a fourth suited card and three other cards of your suit are showing, it’s time to fold.

Seven card stud is an old classic that is beginning to make a bit of a comeback due to mixed games like H.O.R.S.E. Unlike holdem, it is much more complex and requires greater focus and discipline while learning the game. The tips above should give you a great start in learning this classic game. Good luck to you at the tables.