Three Tips for Seven Card Stud Poker Players

Of all the poker games I play, Seven Card Stud has to be one of my favorites. It's one of the harder games to learn and takes a bit more skill to become a good player. However, if you can become a good stud player, the skills you learn from it will flow over to other forms of poker, making you an overall better player.

Tip #1: Pay Attention To How The Cards Are Dealt

The most important tip I can give an aspiring Stud player is to start paying attention. In a game of Stud, four of the seven cards dealt to each player will be face up. You must be able to memorize what cards have already been dealt out. More importantly is to be able to know what cards have been folded. When a player folds, his cards are mucked. If you can remember what cards were mucked you will be able to make better decisions later on.

Tip #2: Keep Paying Attention To How The Cards Are Dealt

Let's use an example to drive home how important this skill is in Stud. Say we have Ten, Jack, Queen, King and an Ace or nine will complete our straight. If we know that 3 of these cards have been dealt already to other players, this makes our hand not worth playing. Having only 5 outs instead of 8 makes our draw nearly worthless. If we were to miss these cards being dealt, we would likely keep calling getting terrible odds and lose the hand.

Tip #3: Know When To Hold Em And When To Fold Em

You must also be able to fold hands in Stud. Players bluff less often in Stud and if someone is raising you when you have Aces showing, your likely beat. Don't get too attached to a hand and move on to the next.

In Conclusion

Lastly, you will need to have patience. Stud moves a bit slower than other poker games and if have ADD you may get bored and play hands you shouldn't be. observe the table and watch the other players while waiting for the next hand. You will master the game in no time if you can put these three skills together. With a little practice and patience you will be on your way to becoming a top Stud player.