Stud

Seven-card Stud used to be the most popular poker variant in the U.S. until community card games like Holdem and Omaha came along. Stud is often played with a hi/lo split, just like Omaha, and it is a game in which beginners don’t really stand a chance to upset skilled opposition.

A game of Stud begins with the ante (no blinds are used here). The ante is usually about 10% of the minimal bet. Cards are then dealt (one a time on a clock-wise direction). Each player ends up with two hole-cards and a face card. The person with the lowest face-card begins the betting by bringing it in… If there’s a tie, suit is used as tie-breaker.

The first round of betting is followed by another face-up card dealt to all the players who are still in the hand. This time, the person with the highest showing 2-card poker hand needs to open the betting.

Fifth and Sixth streets both consist of two face cards. Every time, the player with the highest showing partial poker hand begins the betting.

7^th street is another hole-card followed by the last round of betting and showdown. In Stud Hi, players with the highest 5–card hand they can make using their 7 cards in any combination, win. In Stud Hi/Lo the pot is split between the highest and the lowest hand. The same player can win both the high and the low hand in which case he scoops the pot.

Stud is particularly hard on the deck, since players all receive 7 cards. Because of this, player numbers are somewhat limited. In case the dealer runs out of cards to hand out by the end, mucked hands can be reused to this end.