Seven Card Stud Poker - What a Poker Game

You might say that any Poker game can be played high-low' - that is, the pot is split between the stud poker player with the highest hand and the stud poker player with the lowest. Effectively, they are combinations of Low-ball games and straight Poker The most popular of the high-low games is Seven Card High-low Stud, although Seven Card Stud can also be played as a straightforward high-only poker game.

Each stud poker player receives two cards facedown Id- towed by four faceup cank There is a round of betting between each of the faceup cards. After the betting on the fourth faceup card, a further card is dealt facedown and there is a final round of betting before the showdown.

stud poker players make the best five-card hand possible from the seven cards they draw. The hand may be either high - in which case the highest hand is determined in the usual way - or low, when precedence follows the rules of

Low-ball (see above), and the lowest hand is A, 2,3,4,6, not of the same suit stud poker players may try for both the high and the low hand, and may use as many of

the same cards in each hand as they like. For example, a stud poker player holding 'A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and +6 can make an almost unbeatable high poker hand of a straight flush - 6, 5.4,3,2 - and a winning low hand of A, 2, 3, 4 and +6.

At the end of the final round of betting, stud poker players must declare whether they are aiming for the high hand or the low hand, or both.

This is usually done by selecting different colored chips to represent the three.

Each stud poker player conceals a chip in their band, and reveals it on top of the table at an agreed signal from the dealer. Alternatively, many stud poker players simply use their

thumbs: thumbs up for high, thumbs down for low, and thumb horizontal for high-low, again all declaring simultaneously at an agreed signal from the dealer

High-law games can be hazardous for the inexperienced - and even for the experienced - Stud poker player This is because of what is known as the squeeze. If, for example, you hold 7,5,3. 2, 1 of difterent suits, with 7, 5, 2, and another card showing, you stand a very good chance of winning the low hanct But there are two other stud poker players in the game.

Five Card Stud Poker

General rules of poker apply to five card stud, such as the pack of cards, rankings of cards and hands, etc. The number of stud poker players at Five Card Stud can range from 2 to 10. The dealer deals each stud poker player face down one card, or the hole card. Next, he deals each stud poker player a face up card. Next, he places the pack face down on the table in front of himself so that the cards are handy for the following part of the deal. The hole is the only card which remains unknown to the opposing stud poker players. The stud poker player with the highest ranking upcard makes the opening bet. The next bettor, left of the first better can fold, stay, raise the pot, or reraise. Once finished, the dealer deals another upcard to the stud poker players.

The second round of betting is begun by the stud poker player holding the highest-ranking hand with the two upcards. He can either drop out, check, or bet. The next bettors can either play or stay, drop or fold, raise, or reraise. After this round, the dealer deals each stud poker player another card face up in the proper rotation, now three upcards plus a hole card. The third round of betting commences and is exactly like the second. After the third betting round, the dealer deals each stud poker player one upcard for a total of five cards.

Next is the fourth and final round of betting which is just like the previous rounds. The only difference is the a bettor can choose to call, instead of playing or staying.

The showdown begins when all betting is completed and the stud poker players starting with the call hand turn over their hole cards.

Nick shones - Pro Poker Player and instructor. Top3poker editor.

Be a Pro Poker Player at Top3poker.com.