Written by Seven Card Stud is one of the original poker games. Many accounts will tell you that it has origins which date back to the early part of the 19th century. Whether you believe these stories or not there is certainly some evidence to suggest that versions of poker similar to that which we recognise today were being played at that period. More apocryphal stories will claim that cowboys played it, or civil war soldiers or frankly anyone who can to the reputation of poker being a proper man’s game.
Regardless, until Texas Hold’em became the main game, Seven Card Stud was clearly the most popular poker variant especially in the eastern United States. It is certainly a similar game to Hold’em but with a few fundamental differences which we shall explain.
It’s usually played between two to eight players – any more any you start to run out of cards in the deck. Each player is dealt two cards face down and one card face up by the dealer who rotates amongst the players. The player with the lowest ranking face up card must make the first (pre-determined bet). Two equally low ranking cards will be ranked by suit. The first round of betting can now begin and if two or more players remain in the game after this, each player is dealt one more face up card. Before each card distribution a burn card is discarded. Each deal is named as follows – fourth street, fifth street, sixth street and seventh street and is followed by a round of betting.
It is unlikely a game will reach seventh street and consequently the showdown but if it does the player with the best five cards according to poker hand ranking will win. The lack of community cards gives the game a unique flavour to what is certainly a unique game.
It’s worth noting that in the rare case where nobody has flopped in an eight person game, the dealer will run out of cards. In this case various rules can be used, most usually the use of the last card as community card or the reuse of the burn cards.
