Seven Card Stud - Tips and Strategy?

[GaF]

Anyone any pearls of wisdom to offer in advance of this afternoons focus game? This is a straight copy and paste from another web site....

7 Card Stud Poker - Seven Card Stud Poker Rules and Strategy Tips
	The basic objectives and strategies for 7 Card Stud Poker shown here are those generally agreed to and recommended by the experts on flat limit games. An understanding of these basics is needed for all levels of competitive play. Solid intermediate and expert level poker usually requires extensive study of the more advanced game tactics and considerable hours of actual casino or online playing experience.
	7 Card Stud Poker - Game Rules
	Highest hand wins || Ace plays both high and low for straights || Three raise limit per round || Cards speak
	7 Card Stud - Card Distribution and Betting Procedure
	Example: $2/$4 Seven Card Stud games. After all players have anted $.25 or so, (1.) Each player is dealt two cards face down and one face up. The player with the lowest up card makes an forced bet of either $1 half minimum bet or $2 full bet (player's choice) to start the game. The rest of the players, in clockwise order, either call the opening bet, raise it, or not call and "fold" their hands back to the dealer. (2.) All get a fourth card face up followed by a round of $2 betting. From this round on, the player with the highest up card(s) is always first to check or bet. (3.) After the fifth card is dealt face up, the minimum bet goes to $4. (4.) The sixth card is dealt face up and there is another round of $4 betting. (5.) The seventh and last card is dealt face down and followed by the final round of $4 betting. The dealer then determines the highest hand and awards the pot.
	Seven Card Stud Strategy
	General Strategy: Seven Card Stud is a HIGH card game. More winning hands are decided by the highest pair of two pair or just the highest pair, than by straights, flushes and other big hands. So if you start with a straight or flush draw, it should have at least two high cards or at least one card that is higher than anything up on the board. These draw hands and low pair starting hands need to improve or turn a high pair quickly to justify continued play. Any time your high hand is beaten on the board, fold, unless you think you still have the best draw hand. Fast play early high hands ( that could win without improvement) to thin out the competition. Slow play draw hands to keep other players in to increase the pot odds in case you hit.
	Definitions: HIGH CARDS - 10 thru A . LOW CARDS - 2 thru 9 SPLIT PAIR - Starting hand with one of your pair cards down and the other up. CONCEALED PAIR - Starting hand with both of your pair cards in the hole and your side card kicker up. DOOR CARD - The exposed upcard of a starting hand. DEAD CARDS - Cards that have been revealed and no longer in the deck. FAST PLAY - Bet, raise and re-raise to get as many other players out as possible. SLOW PLAY - Just check and call along to keep other players in the game and increase the pot odds. CHECK-FOLD - Check when you can and fold if you are bet into. Gladly accept all free cards offered.
	Playable Starting Hands: HIGH TRIPS - (AAA down to 101010). Fast play these. Your opponents will put you on a high pair. LOW TRIPS - (999 down to 222). Slow play until your 5th street bet. Keep 'em guessing. HIGH PAIR - (AA, KK, QQ, JJ, 1010). Fast play these, split or concealed, if they are not overcarded on the board. Try to narrow the field and play fast until threatened by a higher hand. LOW PAIR/ High Kicker - Slow play split or concealed low pairs with a kicker that is higher than any upcard on the board. Fold this hand if two or more of your key cards are dead. Check-fold if you don't get trips or two pair on the next card. CONCEALED LOW PAIR/ No High Kicker - Slow play for trips on 4th street. Fold if one or both of your pair cards are dead. Check-fold if you don't make trips or two pair on the next card. HIGH OVERCARDS - Two or three high cards that are higher than anything on the board. Slow play and check-fold if they don't make a high pair on the next card. HIGH 3 CARD FLUSH - (2h 10h Kh). Must have at least two high cards. Fold if three or more cards of your suit are dead. Slow play and check-fold if you don't make a four card flush or a high pair on the next card. HIGH 3 CARD STRAIGHT - (9 10 J ) to Q K A). Slow play and check-fold if you don't make a four card straight or a high pair on the next card. ANY 3 CARDS TO A STRAIGHT FLUSH - (5d 7d 9d). Fold if four or more of your key straight and flush cards are dead. Slow play and check-fold if you don't make any four cards to a straight or a four card flush.
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	Strategy Tips: When you start with a high pair, fast play to eliminate as many players as possible. Slow play starting draw hands like three to a straight or a flush. You want to keep other players in to build the pot odds. Slow play starting trips until the fifth card. You want some players around with this powerful starting hand. Usually don't begin with a small pair unless they are concealed or your sidecard can beat the board. Don't play three to a low straight or a low flush. Watch the board closely for key cards that can seriously diminish your chances of making a good hand and for opponents hands that look dangerous. Play cautiously and fold out early if it looks like the tide is turning against you. Beware of the paired door card. If an opponent is playing a pair in his starting hand, and pairs his door card (first upcard), the odds are two out of three that the door card is part of his pair. A paired door card presents a strong possibility that the holder has a dangerous set of trips. Unless you are playing a strong draw hand, usually fold if your complete hand is beaten on the board by an opponent's upcards. Try to find reasons to fold both your starting hands and those that develop on the later streets. Look for a dead card in the denomination that you need and for two or three dead cards in the suit that you are drawing to. Look for too much strong competition developing for the winning hand. When you can't find reasons to fold, you can then proceed aggressively.. Study your opponents, especially when you are not playing hands and can pay careful attention. Do they find more hands to play than they fold? Do they bluff? Can they be bluffed? Do they have any "tells" (give away mannerisms) that disclose information about their hands etc. Get caught bluffing once in a while. It is a way to vary your play and not be too predictable. You win pots that you don't deserve when your bluff works. You lose a few chips when it doesn't work but it will get you calls from weaker hands down the line when you are really strong and need the action. The first four cards are the major key to winning at Seven Card Stud games. If your starting hands develop according to plan, you can be a strong favorite to win. If they don't, you get out early and escape the expensive second best experience. The three card starting hands recommended above are those with the best chance of producing a dominant four card hand. Good four card hands that are carefully played don't always win but they win a lot more than the others.

Have to confess - I struggle as much with the fixed limit concepts as I do with the 7 card stud.....

[GaF]

Re: Seven Card Stud - Tips and Strategy? Another article

7-Card Stud

Poker

At one time, this was the most popular of all casino poker games. It's one that practically everybody knew how to play. Today, it shares the spotlight with Texas Hold'em and Omaha, but the number of Stud games in Las Vegas is still greater than either Hold'em or Omaha. In a typical Stud game you'll find from five to eight players. On a slow day, there may be only four players at the table, including yourself, and if this happens, don't play ­ unless the card room manager agrees to reduce the rake (3-4% approximately, but varies according to casino) until at least one additional player enters the game. On a busy day, the manager might try to squeeze an eighth person into the game, but if everybody decides to play a round, he may end up with too few cards come seventh street (see below). The Buy-in: To begin play, you must first buy chips, either from the brush at the podium or from the dealer. You'll almost always be asked for at least a $20 buy-in in a typical $1-3 game, though smaller card rooms will let you in for $10. The Deal: The house dealer begins by giving each player one card face down, from his left. He continues with a second down card and finishes by giving each player a third card face up. This is referred to as the "door" card. Make certain you watch and remember the door cards. These give you a great deal of information about how you can proceed with your own hand. If, for example, you have a pair of sevens with a five and two other players have a seven showing, your pair is considerably weaker than it would be if no sevens have shown. We can't emphasize this enough: pay attention to the cards around the table -- even if you have to look at them before you look at your own cards.

Possible Hands (52-Card Deck) Straight flush 10 Four-of-a-kind 13 Full house 156 Flush 1277 Straight 10 Three-of-a-kind 13 Two pair 75 One pair 12 No pair 1277

Openers: In stud, either the low or high card showing must make the initial wager equal to the low end of the game limit you're playing. So, if you are in a $1-4 game, the opener must be for at least $1. This is not a standard rule, however, as many casinos start with a mere 50-cent opener. Typically, in Las Vegas, low card opens the game. If, however, there's an ante (which could be anything from 10 cents on up), then high card opens. You don't have to open for the minimum amount -- you can start off with a raise if you like but you must begin the betting. Betting Rounds: Once the first wager goes into the pot, each player in turn, starting from the left of the opener, can either fold, call, or raise (and eventually reraise if there's a raise beforehand). Don't bet out of turn, not just because it disrupts the game, but also because it gives away information about you and your hand. Always wait your turn.

Starting Hands Three of a kind Three cards to a straight flush Three cards to a flush Pair of aces or kings Unseen pair of queens or jacks Three high cards to a straight Any unseen pair Preferably with a high card kicker Any three cards in sequence Three high cards Two toward a straight or flush

Starting Hands: Naturally, when you have to open the betting, you must bet something, but what if you have a very good hand already. On extra strong hands (three of a kind for example), don't scare others out by betting aggressively. Your most important decision begins with those first three cards(!) so you must know the rudimentary starting hands. They are: One recommendation: An excellent low-limit beginner's book is the classic 7-card Stud "The Waiting Game" by George Percy. If you start with three of a kind, you have an excellent chance of winning the pot at the end of seven cards. If you've analyzed the other players in the game (a must) and think they are willing to gamble with you, then by all means, bet aggressively (don't show off). If you have too many rocks in the game (players who, like you, play only the best starting hands), bet conservatively to keep them in the pot for a round or two. Three cards to a straight flush offers several options and should be played initially the same as three of a kind. What you're hoping for, of course, is a straight flush or even a royal, a flush, or at the very least, a straight. You might also get other decent hands, but if you do, make certain you know where you stand with them. If you have Ace-king-queen, for example, and you've seen a king and two Aces in other hands, you are in a weak position. Play carefully! A pair of aaces or kings in your first three cards are very strong -- especially if they're hidden. (Note: No matter what kind of pair you have, if you don't improve by the fifth card, you should seriously consider folding, especially if there's any betting and raising going on.) You should probably bet these cards aggressively, wagering the maximum or raising the maximum. The goal is to discourage drawing hands from continuing against you. If you bet meekly, somebody who has a border line hand gets a cheap, or even free card that could smother your fire. The general rule of thumb for cards of lesser value than a high pair is to be cautious. Watch the betting; watch the cards. If you see your "outs" dwindling because somebody else is getting the cards you need, be prepared to get out of the hand. If you started with a borderline hand and managed to make it stronger by the fifth card, get aggressive. At this point, you want to force out other borderline hands that are waiting to see one more card. About half the people who play poker will tell you that you must understand odds and probabilities. While it's very helpful to get a grip on this concept, you can play the game of poker even if you don't have Einstein's mathematical brain. You will, however, be shaving a few dollars off your bottom line. If you can't deal with pot odds, card odds, or implied odds, make sure you can keep track of the cards that are out. At least you won't be getting the worst of it. (For the mathematically brain dead, there's a very good book that will give you lessons in figuring odds and probabilities in general and in particular as they relate to poker. It's called, coincidentally, "Poker Expertise Through Probability" by Robert Riley.)

[GaF]

Re: Seven Card Stud - Tips and Strategy? Those of you experienced in 7 card stud - what "one liners" would you offer beginners?

[Valiant23]

Re: Seven Card Stud - Tips and Strategy? Probably a bit late, but I'm happy to chase until 4th street, then I'm dependant on reads etc... Look at what other people are folding.

[GaF]

Re: Seven Card Stud - Tips and Strategy? rofl at Mr V's avatar :lol :lol :lol :lol Yes - too bloody late now mate :tongue2