
Prior to the poker boom, most films and books depicting poker games used Draw or Stud poker variants. War films and written historical accounts in particular recounted games of Five-Card Stud played among the ranks of soldiers enjoying a break from the American Civil War in the 1860s.
Five-Card Stud evolved into the more popular Seven-Card Stud that carried through to modern-day poker games, especially in casino settings. Both versions of Stud were popular in the days of the American Old West, and it was the game in play when Wild Bill Hickok was murdered during a Dakota saloon poker session in 1876. In the fictional world, theater buffs may recall that the original final scene in “A Streetcar Named Desire” depicts Stanley Kowalski playing Seven-Card Stud with friends.
Today, Seven-Card Stud is common in its various forms at major notable poker tournament series and in mixed cash game settings. If you want to play the game, read BetMGM’s beginner’s guide to Seven Card Stud and join BetMGM Poker.
What is Stud Poker?

Any poker game of the Stud variety simply means that a hand consists of a number of individually dealt face-up and face-down cards. There are five cards for each player in 5-Card Stud and seven cards per player in 7-Card Stud. There is also a Six-Card Stud version that is much less common. Razz is a low-hand variant of Stud that has become a part of many mixed game lineups.
Seven-Card Stud can be played in its standard form or as a high-low split game. This may be written as hi/lo or hi-lo, high/low or high-low, Stud-8 or Stud 8, Eight-or-Better or 8-or-Better. This allows players to compete for a regular pot with a high hand and/or a qualifying low hand (eight-high).
A Seven Card Stud vs. Texas Hold’em comparison reveals that in Stud, cards are dealt to individual players throughout the hand. Conversely, Texas Hold’em players combine their two hole cards with the five community cards on the table. This makes for completely different game dynamics.
Seven-Card Stud Rankings
The poker hand rankings for the basic Seven Card-Stud game are the same as for Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and any other basic poker game in which the highest hand wins. There is no low hand.
From best to worst:
- Royal flush: A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit
- Straight flush: Five cards in order and of the same suit, i.e. 9-8-7-6-5 suited
- Four-of-a-kind: Four of the same number or rank, i.e. 8-8-8-8-3
- Full house: Three cards of one rank and two of another, i.e. 8-8-8-3-3
- Flush: Five cards of the same suit, i.e. K-J-8-5-2 suited
- Straight: Five consecutively ranked cards, i.e. J-10-9-8-7 of any suit
- Three-of-a-kind: Three of the same number or rank, i.e. J-J-J-3-2
- Two pair: Two pairs, i.e. K-K-8-8-3
- One pair: One pair, i.e. K-K-7-5-2
- High card: Highest card plays with no higher rankings made
Another set of rankings important in Stud is the suits. This is important when determining the player who will perform the bring-in. If two or more players display cards of the same rank, such as a pair of kings, the suits will determine the dominant hand:
- Highest ranked suit: Spade
- Second-highest ranked suit: Heart
- Third-highest ranked suit: Diamond
- Lowest-ranked suit: Club
As you can tell, when it comes to determining the bring-in, two of clubs is the lowest ranking card of all.
Seven-Card Stud Rules & Play
Seven-Card Stud is a poker game for two to eight players. The betting cycle is two cards down, four up, and one final card down. The goal is for a player to make the best five-card poker hand, at least better than any opponent.
A hand plays out in the following way::
- The dealer gives each player two face-down and one face-up card (third street).
- The player with the lowest-ranking face-up card pays the bring-in, an opening bet that is normally half of the minimum bet.
- The first round of betting continues clockwise.
- The dealer then burns a card and deals each player a second face-up card (fourth street).
- The player whose face-up cards make the best poker hand begins the second round of betting with a check or bet.
- The dealer then burns a card and deals the third face-up card (fifth street).
- The third round of betting begins with the player showing the best face-up hand.
- Each player receives a fourth face-up card (sixth street) after the dealer burns.
- Fourth-round betting begins with the player showing the best face-up hand.
- The dealer burns a card and then delivers one face-down card (seventh street) to each player still in.
- The fifth and final betting round begins, again, with the player showing the best face-up hand.
- Once all bets are in, the player holding the best five-card poker hand wins.

A unique situation can occur in Seven-Card Stud when playing a full table. With only 52 cards in the deck and up to seven streets, the dealer may run out of cards toward the end of the action. In that case, the dealer can use the burn cards. In the rare event that there are still not enough cards, the dealer can provide the fifth card as a face-up community card instead of a face-down card for each player. It’s an interesting shift that can change the dynamics at the table.
Seven-Card Stud Poker Game Tips
Here are some pieces of evergreen advice to consider when playing Seven-Card Stud.
First, be sure to memorize the best starting and most playable hands. In descending order of strength:
- Three of a kind.
- Strong pairs of aces, kings, queens, or jacks. (Pay attention to the kicker – J-J with an ace kicker is stronger than J-J with a deuce kicker.)
- Strong suited connectors, such as A-K-Q , K-Q -J, or Q-J-10.
- Medium pairs of tens, nines, and eights, and medium suited connectors, such as J-10-9, 10-9-8, and 9-8-7.
- Strong suited semi-connectors, such as A-Q + J, K-J +10, or A-K + 10.
Second, make a mental note every time an opponent folds a face-up card. This information can help you calculate outs and odds for improved betting decisions.
Third, forget about position. Poker games like Texas Hold’em may convey advantages to specific table positions depending on the situation, but Seven-Card Stud is more democratic. It’s all about the holdings, so the dealer position makes no difference.
Fourth, a bet on third street can be looser than on subsequent streets. Many times, however, representing a hand with a bet on third street may necessitate betting all the way through to seventh street.
Fifth, flushes on third street are usually worth betting, as are straights on third street that beat opponents’ face-up cards.
Sixth, remember that betting options double on fifth street, so pots can build and become expensive more quickly.
Finally, get to work on your poker bluffing game. Seven Card Stud is known as the bluffing variant par excellence because there are more cards to see on the board, making it more difficult to read. Work on reading your opponent’s state of mind, betting patterns, the texture of the board, and implied and pot odds. If you have a strong hand, try to represent something different that will keep your opponents in the game. This can be more difficult if your up cards (the cards your opponents can see) include an ace. Players who see an ace tend to assume strength and play accordingly. However, if you’re showing an ace with an otherwise weak hand, you can scare opponents into conceding the pot.
Play Poker Stud Online at BetMGM
Get started with Seven Card Stud and other popular variants such as Texas Hold’em and Omaha when you play online poker at BetMGM. Explore cash games, sit and gos, and online poker tournaments, and try your hand at different betting structures, including Limit, No Limit, and Pot Limit. If it’s your first time, use the BetMGM Poker welcome bonus to smooth your path into the exciting world of online poker.
BetMGM Poker offers Seven-Card Stud games. Learn the basics and how to Improve stud play.