How to Get ahead in 7 Card Stud
Stealing the Ante
Once you have understood the basics of starting hands and how to play them in Third Street it is time to start considering betting strategies and antes. Like all games of poker, the best betting strategy is one that is both secure and aggressive. Once you have decided whether to play a hand you should do so with aggression, but make sure you only play hands that are worthwhile. The only exception to really aggressive betting is if you are holding the best starting hand, for instance if you have three aces you can normally wait until fourth or fifth street to be aggressive as your opponents will not expect it and this gives you the upper hand.
A fairly secure way of increasing profits is by stealing the antes. In an average game, if you manage to steal the ante about 40% of the time then you should be making a profit. You do not always have to have such a good hand in order to do this, for example, if a card that does not really help your hand but connects your show card to the rest of your hand appears in Fourth Street, you may be able to win by betting as if you had a big hand. Opponents will often fold if they are holding a small pair on Fourth Street if you are playing aggressively and have a higher showing card than them.
Stealing the ante also adds an element of bluff to your game, if you are a player who only ever raises with secure hands then the other plays will be weary of this and the pots will never raise very high. In general, it is only worth considering trying to steal the ante if you hold the highest or second highest face up card. A good example of when to do this would be if you have the second highest face up card and the highest face up card still has to bet. This suggests that you have a strong hand since you raised with a higher card on show. But be cautious with this strategy, especially if the highest face up card holder is a good and generally aggressive player.
It is sometimes possible to re-steal if you think another player is attempting to steal the ante. You can try and do this if you have a higher ranking face up card and your hand has some value, for instance a three-straight or a flush. Since you were likely to call anyway, it does not hurt to try and re-raise if you suspect the other player of trying to steal. In general, do not try and steal if any of the other players have the same face up card as you, the other players will realise that you do not have the hand you are trying to represent.
