Jeff Lisandro - The King of Stud Poker

Over the past ten years, stud had been in danger of becoming poker’s forgotten game. The rise in popularity of games such as Texas Hold’em and Pot-limit Omaha threatened to force one of poker’s oldest variants to take a backseat but one man could have reignited the seven-card stud flame and that is Jeff Lisandro.

Born in Australia but now residing in Salerno, Italy, Lisandro is a highly respected cash game specialist, making his living by grinding out hundreds of hands, day after day. He is also a well-known face on the tournament circuit and his first recognised cash was back in 1995 when he came 5th out of 113 entrants at the Festival of Poker in London for a £1,200 score.

Despite being proficient in most pokers disciplines, he certainly knows his Omaha poker strategy, Lisandro’s real strength is in seven-card stud variants, a point he proven time and time again. In fact the first of his 31 cashes at the World Series of Poker came in a $1,500 Seven-card stud event at the 1997 WSOP where he finished 12th from 160 players, winning $2,800 for his efforts.

Over the next few years, Lisandro started to build on his reputation as one of the best stud players in the world and in 2007 he won his first WSOP bracelet after besting a field of 213 in the $2,000 Seven-card stud event to get his hands on the coveted piece of poker jewellery and $118,426.

Just two years later and Lisandro would have a WSOP to remember – one that would put him in the record books and plant stud back on the poker playing map. On June 6th, 2009 Lisandro won the $1,500 seven-card stud event, then 12 days later he took down the $10,000 World Championship seven-card stud hi/low event for over $430,000.

Remarkably Lisandro’s winning streak continued and he won a $2,500 Razz event on June 22 to become only the fourth player in history to win three bracelets in one year and the first player to win a bracelet in each of the stud disciplines.

While the popularity of stud had fallen in recent times, Lisandro’s amazing performance at the 2009 World Series of Poker put the game back in the public eye and probably guaranteed it will be around for many years to come.

For many years, Stud was the game of choice in back rooms of restaurants, home games, bookies, and casinos alike. But since the boom of Texas Hold’em that occurred in the early 2000′s it seems Stud Poker has been lost in the shuffle a bit. Many great players, such as Phil Ivey, made their start in stud and still continue to play it today. While, it may not be as attractive to some tournament players, because you can not push all-in at any moment; the game of stud should be an attraction to anyone who loves mental warfare and strategic poker.

There are many different forms of stud, ranging from stud games that play against the dealer, such as 3 card Caribbean stud, to games that are played against other players, such as seven card stud hi/lo. In due time, we will look at the many forms of stud, studying strategy and philosophies amongst each one. However, today I will focus on the most common form of stud found in casinos and online, seven card Stud Hi.

seven card stud is an ante game, where each player is required to post an ante, which is normally 10% of the big limit, before receiving any cards. There are 7 “streets” in stud: a street refers to players receiving cards. After players post their antes each player receives 2 face down cards and one face up card. The player with the lowest card showing, 2 is the lowest possible, is then forces to “bring-in.” This is a bet of double the ante. This player may also raise the limit, which is the small limit, if they wish. All other players act from left to right, calling, folding, or raising. After betting is complete the players receive “4th street.” This is a face up card that refers to the 4th card they receive. The player with the highest showing card now must act first. They can bet the small limit or check. After the betting is complete, players receive another face up card, “5th street.” Players must now bet the big limit for the remaining streets. After betting, the last face up card is dealt as “6th street.” Once players bet again they receive “7th street,” which is a face down card. Players now have their last opportunity to bet.

Players will have 4 cards exposed and 3 concealed. It is also important to add that players can raise on any street, but they may only raise the limit for that street. After all betting is complete, players showdown their hands. The best 5 card hand wins. The rank of hands is the same as in other forms of poker, such as Texas Hold’em. Royal Flush is the top hand, ranging down all the way to a high card hand. These details of the game of 7 card stud will become very important when we discuss different forms of strategy.

We must ingrain these rules of the game into our minds, as our strategies are based solely around these unique characteristics. Join me tomorrow as we look into 7 card Stud Hi strategies that can help you start making money immediately.