Stud Stategy for Beginners - 7 Card
Starting hands and Third Street
Seven card stud poker is a highly strategic game which involves a large amount of skill. As with any strategy guide this is general advice, however, if you stick to it you should increase your success rate. There are two areas of game play covered in this guide, your starting hand and how to play Third Street as these are the two most fundamental aspects of game.
The first thing you should do once having been dealt the cards is to see if they have any potential. For instance, if you are dealt a pocket T spades, 9 spades and an 8 diamonds door the hand will be very weak if you can see other players have been dealt sevens, and almost useless if you can see sevens and a jack. The only time this concept does not apply is if you are dealt a pair of aces or kings, in that situation the hand can normally be played.
Here is a list of the best starting hands, this should make it easier when deciding whether to play your hand or not.
- Three of the same card, beginning with three aces and then downwards.
- The high pairs, i.e. from two aces down to two jacks. If the pair is hidden the hand is even stronger as it allows for deception. The door card also makes a difference; a high ranking card is more valuable.
- High value, adjacent ranking cards in the same suite, for instance an ace and king of spades.
- Medium ranking pairs and medium ranking adjacent cards.
- High value, nearly adjacent ranking cards in the same suite, for instance an ace and queen of spades.
The most important part of a Seven Card Stud game is Third Street. This is when you have to decide if a hand is worth playing and how to play it. One of the most valuable skills is to know which hands to play, it is possible that you will start with nothing and end up with a decent hand thanks to the community cards; however, in the long run this is not a good strategy. The most important thing to consider is which cards you can see have been dealt and how many players are in the pot. Knowing these two things can on occasion make it wise to throw away an otherwise good hand. For example, if you are holding (J-J)7 and you can see both the other jack and one seven you should fold. This is because the chances of you holding the best hand when all cards have been dealt are very small. It is essential to keep track of which cards have been dealt at all stages of the game.
By understanding your starting hand and how to play it during Third Street you are well on your way to playing a successful game.
