Hold’em has taken over the poker universe and is the most popular game in the world right now, but multi games like H.O.S.E. and H.O.R.S.E are quickly gaining steam at the casinos and online.  People are getting a little bored with Hold’em and are looking for other games to spice it up a little bit.  Well, in order to be successful in any of these multi games, you are going to have to get back to the roots of the game and become proficient at 7 card stud if you want to win the cash.

7 card stud was once a game that dominated poker rooms and households alike.  All of a sudden, The World Series of Poker started getting televised and everyone wanted to become a professional Texas Hold’em Poker player and become an instant millionaire.  Now, with the popularity of H.O.R.S.E, 7 card stud is making a mild come back and people are realizing this is a true poker playing game.

The fact of the matter is that 7 card stud makes up 60% of H.O.R.S.E.  Razz Poker is just a variation on stud and uses the same basic principles.  After you play regular stud, you finish up with Stud hi/low before starting all over again.  If you are a great stud player, you can clean up in this cash game or tournament.

Most Hold’em players get into a very bad habit of chasing down hands.  They are used to playing common cards and not actually working a hand and betting against other people’s board.  Stud Poker makes you not only keep track of your hand, but every card that is played.  Part of the art of stud is to know which cards for your draw and your opponents draw have been burned.  When their hand is not made on the board, you will make your play based on your hand and the perceived chances that they were able to draw out.

For instance, if you are holding a 34 in your hand and they are the filler cards for the straight that your opponent looks to be chasing down, you already know that he has only 6 live cards.  Maybe two 3’ and three 4’s were already folded by other players who have dropped out of the hand.  He is not paying attention to the other hands and is throwing good money in after a bad chase.

The other thing about stud is that the more experience you gain, the better you will be able to read players hands based on pre-flop action and how they follow it up on 4th and 5th street.  If someone is banging away pre-flop with a 5 showing, you are pretty assured that they are sitting on a set or a monster high pair under.  If they catch another 5 or catch AKQ on one of the streets, you know your mid pair is in a lot of trouble.  By paying attention to everything, you will find that you are much more successful than the average player at stud.

If you have never played stud, you may find all of this a little difficult in the beginning so do not play for high stakes.  Go play online at the quarter tables until you get the knack for this.  As you get better, you can move up in level until you are in the games that you usually play at.  When you really get comfortable, it is time to exploit weaker players and get in on the H.O.R.S.E tourneys and cash games.  Just remain patient during the Hold’em and Omaha stages and then drop the hammer when the stud games are being played.  Make the chasers pay and build your stack to get the coveted first prize money.

Seven card stud eight or better is a popular split pot version of stud that is played in many casinos and in major tournament sets throughout the country. Many people that start playing this game try to approach the game like seven card stud and end up with big losses at the table. This article will introduce you to Stud eight or better and give you some beginning tips to help speed your learning curve.

The rules for stud eight or better are almost identical to regular stud. The low card is still the bring-in on third, and the high hand opens the betting on all subsequent streets. The main difference in the two games is the low element of the game. A player can win half the pot if they hold a five card hand with five unique cards eight and below. This is known as a low. An ace can play high or low. Straights and flushes do not affect a low hand. The best low hand is the wheel. (A-2-3-4-5) If more than one player holds a low, then the best low hand wins the pot. For example, a 3-4-5-6-7 is lower than an A-2-3-4-8. The first player holds a 7 low and the other player has an eight low. In the event one player has both the best high hand and the best low hand, the player scoops the entire pot. The same thing occurs when no player hold a low.

The object of stud eight or better is to scoop pots. In order to do that, you need to start with hands that give you the best opportunity to scoop a hand. Starting hands in stud eight are much different than regular stud. First, as a beginning player, you need to stay away from almost all pair, including buried pairs with the exception of aces and occasionally kings. King are to be played very sparingly and I personally recommend not playing them against a raising ace.

Any pair from nines to kings are one way trap hands. You need to stay away from them. Some people will recommend playing low pair when you play stud eight. While learning the game, I recommend staying away from them. Playing low pairs is tricky and can be a losing proposition if you are still learning the game. Big straight draws and big flush draws should be avoided. Many regular stud players have a hard time getting away from these types of hands when first learning stud eight. I was the exact same way. In regular stud, big straight and big flush draws are potentially powerful hands. In stud eight, they are trap hands. At best you are drawing to half the pot.

Ideally you want to start with a three card low hand that is coordinated in some way. A low three card straight hand or a low three card flush hand are very powerful starting hands. Even gutshot low straights are decent starting hands. After low three card straights and low three card flushes, you want three low cards with an ace. Examples are 6-3-A, 7-2-A, and 7-3-A. As mentioned earlier, the only pair that you really should play safely is aces. Ideally, you will want a low card as a kicker with your aces. That way you have a chance to draw at a low. Another advantage is that if you start with aces and a low kicker and you pair your kicker, not many people are going to put you on two pair. Chances are they are going to put you on low and you can pick up some pots when a player playing a bad pair or a weaker two pair calls you down.

Let’s talk about eight low draws. Eight low draws are very tricky to play. You can play them profitably, but you must be careful. The best eight low draw to play is a three card straight or three card flush. These are relatively safe to play. Otherwise, playing an eight low can be costly, even an 8-2-A. Any 7 or better low beats you, and even a better eight low. This is one spot where position can actually help you in stud eight. If you are in late position against either just the bring in, or against high cards, then you can play the eight low draw. If other low cards come in the pot before you, you would be wise to fold all eight low draws other than three card low straights and flushes.

Let’s talk about playing rolled up sets for a minute. You may wonder why I mention playing sets as they seem pretty simple to play. Actually, you will want to play any rolled up set fast in stud eight, especially a high set. Most stud players will slow play a rolled up set in regular stud, and would be right to do so. In stud eight, this is a mistake. First, this is a one way hand only in most cases. You will not be able to take low. While you will start with the best hand, unless you improve to a full house, you hand can be outdrawn by a low straight or flush. Also, if you let a lot of low cards in, you are almost certain to chop the pot. Playing the hand fast will likely force some of the low draws out and give you better odds.

The next tip is the most important tip I can give you as a stud eight or better player. If you do not improve on fourth street, abandon the hand unless it is checked to you. When you miss on fourth street, you must catch two out of the remaining three cards in order to make a hand. While possible, you are drawing at long odds to catch your hand at this point. If your hand improves to a four low on fourth, you are almost even money to make your low. The rule of thumb that I used as a beginning player was that either I had to improve to a four low, a four flush, or catch a pair of aces on fourth in order to continue in the hand. In most other cases, I abandoned the hand.

Stud eight or better is a complex but profitable game for those that start off playing a solid game. You will find that many players that play this game really don’t grasp many of the concepts covered in this article. As a result, you may find most low limit stud eight games to be very profitable. With the above tips and practice, you should have the tools needed to become a solid stud eight player in short order. Good luck, and see you at the tables.

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.