Seven Card Stud Rules and Strategy:
Seven Card Stud is a poker game where every player is dealt two face-down and one face-up card in the beginning. Three more face-up card and one more face-down card are then dealt one by one with a betting round after each deal.
Seven Card Stud is a High game, except some rare cases when it is played as High/Low. A player of a High game should aim to high hands, so the main principle of Seven Card Stud strategy is to build on hands that already are high or have a good probability to become high in the future. Besides, when playing Seven Card Stud or any other Stud poker game, you should take into the account that some of your cards are revealed to other players at the table. This can be disadvantageous for winning big money with a good hand, but, on the other hand, it can help you build more effective bluffs.
Another thing to take into the account is that you can see some cards of other players as well. Knowing some of the cards you can evaluate the probability of other players having strong hands and to base your strategy on this. If, for example, your entire hand can not beat up-cards of another player, you should consider folding, unless you have a good probability to complete a higher hand. Seeing cards of other players also helps you to evaluate your odds more precisely. For example, if you see a king upon the up-cards of another player, you should reduce the odds of a king arriving to you on the next turn.
Other aspects of Seven Card Stud strategy are quite similar to most other poker games where cards are dealt or revealed one by one. Having a worthwhile starting hand, such as a high pair, you should fast play to eliminate as many players as possible at the early stage of the game. If your starting hand is a trip, it already can win the pot, and besides, can become a full house or four of a kind. In the case of a trip you should slow play it to keep other players in the game and to increase pot odds. This is also right for flush or straight draw. These draws, however, are much more valuable when they have at least one or two high cards, so in case the flush or the straight will not be completed, you will have a chance to get a high pair.
With bad starting hands you should bet as few as possible, and if someone else bets aggressively, you should not afraid to fold. Even if the person is bluffing or does not evaluate his odds correctly, you should not risk much money with a barely hopeful hand. However, relative strength of a hand in Seven Card Stud depends a great deal on the board. If you do not see any potentially high hands, you can stay with a hand you should fold in other situation.
