Best Stud Poker Online Casino in 2023

Nowadays, Texas hold'em and Omaha are the norms for online poker. However, before they gained popularity, Stud Games were all over, with seven-card stud poker being the most played one.

Stud games are one of the most widespread variations of poker. Stud poker applies to any poker game, in which each player receives a mix of face-up and face-down cards, dealt in multiple betting rounds.

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What is Stud Poker?

What is Stud Poker?

Before diving deeper into stud poker, let's first see what it is. Stud poker stands for every single poker variation that features a game where each player receives a mix of face-up and down cards in multiple betting rounds.

Usually, stud games are non-positional, meaning that the player who bets first in each round may change. That's usually the player who has the best face-up cards.

Stud poker comes with a limited betting structure, meaning that your betting is restricted to an exact amount each betting round.

What is Stud Poker?
Different Types of Stud Poker

Different Types of Stud Poker

As we already mentioned, there are plenty of variations of stud poker, which mainly differ in the betting limits, number of dealt cards, and decks. So, let's quickly go through the most popular ones.

Seven Card Stud

Without a doubt, Seven Card Stud is among the most popular stud poker variants, which features a game in which each player receives a total of seven cards, from where its name comes, dealt face up and down. The tricky part in the seven-card stud is that only the best five-card combination is used for determining who wins the entire pot.

Five Card Stud

Similar to the seven card, the five card stud gets its name from the number of cards dealt to each player. Five-card stud poker is the earliest form of stud poker, which is not that popular among betting lovers these days. However, 5-card stud poker is easier to master, so it is worth taking your time to give it a shot.

Seven Card Stud High Low

Seven card stud high low is a very interesting poker variation, which offers the same experience as seven card stud, but instead of the best hand winning the entire pot, it is split between the best and lowest ranked hands.

Caribbean Stud

Caribbean stud poker is a casino table game which is based on the classical five-card stud, but unlike the usual poker games, you play against the house, instead of against other players. Meaning that you will have to beat the house, making it one of the less preferred types of stud poker out there.

Different Types of Stud Poker
How to Play Stud Poker?

How to Play Stud Poker?

Depending on the variation of the stud poker game you play, the rules will be different. However, the thing that combines them all is that, in each variation, players are dealt face-up and face-down cards.

Considering the fact that seven-card stud poker is the most widespread variation, let's stick to it. In seven-card stud games, each player gets seven cards, and the player with the best hand, the best five-card combination, wins the entire pot. The game begins with two hole cards and one face-up card, dealt clockwise around the table, followed by a betting round.

After that, three more upcards are dealt with a betting round after each. Then the final round consists of dealing the final card (river card), which is a faced down, and the final round of betting after it.

How to Play Stud Poker?
How to Bet on 7 Card Stud?

How to Bet on 7 Card Stud?

The whole betting structure of 7 card stud is orientated around getting the best combination of 5 cards hands to win the whole pot. There are five betting rounds each time in the following way:

Before the dealing, each player should place an ante (depending on the online casino you are playing in).

  • The game begins after each player is dealt two hole cards (face down) and one door card (face up).
  • First Round of betting.
  • Each player is dealt one face-up card (Fourth Street).
  • Second Round of betting.
  • Another face-up card (fifth street) is dealt to each player.
  • Third round of betting.
  • Each player gets the sixth street (face-up card).
  • Fourth round of betting.
  • The final river card (face down) is dealt to each player.
  • Final betting round.

Showdown (the player with the best 5-card combination wins the pot).

How to bet on 7-card stud limit games?

One of the reasons why the 7-card stud is that popular is because it is usually played in a fixed-limit betting structure. At first, that may sound a little bit complicated for those who have never played a fixed-limit game, but it's actually very simple.

Before cards are dealt, each player has to place an ante, which is usually equal to 10%-15% of the big bet.

Once the dealer deals the first 3 cards, the player with the lowest-ranking door card will have to place a bet equal to the ante or complete the bet, making it equal to the small bet.

The first three betting rounds in 7-card stud are considered small betting rounds, meaning that players can only

  • Call,
  • Fold,
  • Raise the small bet (if the player with the lowest card just placed the ante).

Fourth street

When all the action in the third street is done, the game continues with the fourth street, when players get the next face-up card, when the player with the best card can bet, but again limited to the small bet.

As this is a fixed-limit game, players that want to raise can only do it a fixed amount, depending on the table (For example, on a 2$/4$ table, the raise can be from 2$ to 4$, 4$ to 6$..., only a small bet).

Big Bet Rounds

After the fourth street is over, the big bet rounds come, where the minimum bet is the big bet, instead of the small one. Once all rounds are finished, the player with the highest ranking cards wins. In 7 card stud, the standard poker hand rankings:

  • Royal flush
  • Straight Flush
  • Full House
  • Flush
  • Straight
  • Three of a kind
  • Two pair
  • Pair
How to Bet on 7 Card Stud?
How to Win at Seven Card Stud Poker?

How to Win at Seven Card Stud Poker?

As with any other poker variation, the seven card stud requires you to be patient and follow a strategy, in order to be successful.

Which hands to play with?

For example, it is always a good decision to learn which hands you should play with and which not. In Texas hold 'em, you do not want to bet if your hand is weak to avoid weaknesses in the flop, turn, and river. Here is a list of the combinations that are considered very strong.

  • Three of a kind
  • Higher Pairs (from 8s)
  • Broadway cards (better if suited)

Of course, this is a great start, but after you gain some experience, it's good to add more commonly played hands that you are willing to use, as you may miss some great opportunities.

Play big hands for value

If you happen to get one of the combinations that we mentioned, you should consider the option to bet for value. Those combinations are considered the best starting hands, so you should play your hand smartly and take the most out of it. Depending on the situation, you can even take advantage by betting all the allowed money.

Learn how to bluff

Bluffing in seven-card stud may be the hardest skill that you should learn. As plenty of the dealt cards are already exposed, it may be quite difficult to bluff, but if you set your own rules and learn how to evaluate if it is worth bluffing, you can always benefit.

How to Win at Seven Card Stud Poker?
What to Look for in Stud Poker

What to Look for in Stud Poker

There are some tactics that you can "steal" from professionals, which can give you a huge advantage against the remaining players.

Discarded cards

If you are planning on starting stud poker, you should really work on your ability to follow discarded cards, as they may be a game-changer.

As stud poker variants feature cards that are dealt face-up, you should memorize them and evaluate not only the potential of your hand but also the others.

Just to support those statements, let's say you have a straight draw, and you only need a 10 to make it. But, if all of the 10s were discarded, you can fold and not put any more bets, as your straight draw will not become straight.

On the other hand, if a remaining player tries to bluff, by representing a certain hand, you can easily read it. Let's again face a straight-draw example. If your opponent bluffs for a straight, the needed card is 8, and you have it in your hand. You will be able to win the pot if you followed the rounds and memorized that all the other 8s were discarded.

Reading abilities

Similar to knowing how to read the discarded cards, you may also take advantage if you develop your skills by evaluating what your opponent is waiting for if he has a straight draw or a flush draw.

How other players act

This is one of the most important factors that separate professional poker players from beginners and applies to any type of poker, no matter if it is a seven-card stud, five-card stud, Omaha, or Texas hold'em. You must pay attention to what other players are doing, and how they act, even if you are folded in a certain hand.

Nowadays, reading others has become a little bit harder, with the era of online poker. However, you can still benefit from developing your reading abilities.

For example, you can determine if your opponent is bluffing or not, just by seeing how fast he is betting, and how much he is betting. Pretty much every signal can be beneficial for you, but you need to learn how to spot any of them.

What to Look for in Stud Poker
Discover Top Stud Poker Casinos

Discover Top Stud Poker Casinos

As we mentioned, stud games are not as popular as they were in the past. However, you can find stud poker games in the top online casinos. Of course, it is always good to choose between the best ones, like:

  • 888Casino
  • BetVictor
  • Level Up
  • Bwin
  • CasinoIn

Seven Card Stud with Real Money

No matter which online casino you choose to join for playing seven card stud, we highly advise you to first start playing with virtual currency (if available), of course, if you are a beginner.

Once you gain some experience and start playing smoother with more confidence, you can set up your limits, so you can start using real funds. Here are some important factors that can help you manage your funds even better:

  • Always set a budget for a game and never exceed it.
  • Always play when you are in a good mood, you will get better chances of winning.
  • Stay focused and pay attention to the action, no matter if you fold.
  • You cannot get good results if you are scared or nervous.

Win at seven card stud as a beginner

In order to help you be more successful in seven card stud, we are going to give you some basic rules that you should stick to, especially if you are a beginner who has no experience playing online poker.

  • Respect a raising ace,
  • Raise if you have a hole ace,
  • Stick to playing only highly ranked hands,
  • Learn how to bluff,
  • Try to develop your reading skills,
  • Set your own limits for the game,
  • Don't put all the money in a single game,
  • Try to use the cards dealt face down as a benefit.
Discover Top Stud Poker Casinos

FAQ

Everything you need to know about casinos

What is stud poker?

Stud games apply to any variation of poker in that each player is dealt a mix of face-up and face-down cards in multiple betting rounds.

What is seven-card stud poker?

Seven-card stud poker refers to a stud poker game, in which players receive a mix of 7 face-up and face-down cards. Only the best five are used for determining the winning hand.

What is five-card stud poker?

Similar to the seven-card stud poker, the five-card variation gets its name from how the hand is dealt. In five-card stud poker, each player receives a mix of 5 cards.

How do you play a seven-card stud game?

The game of seven-card stud poker begins with two downcards (hole cards) and one upcard (door card) followed by the first betting round. Next, there are three cards, face up, with a betting round after each. The final betting round comes after the last downcard is dealt, after which the best 5-card hand wins the pot.

How to win at the 7-card stud?

There is one simple answer to this question: you have to be disciplined and focused. You should always pay attention to action, no matter if you have already folded. You have to memorize the discarded cards and set hands that you are willing to play with.

What is seven card stud high low?

Seven-card stud high low is a popular poker game, similar to the seven-card stud, but instead of the best hand getting the whole pot, it is split between the best-ranked and worst-ranked hands, from where its name comes, seven card stud high low.

Why is poker called stud?

Stud stands for a group of poker games that have similar characteristics. Instead of playing with hole cards on the table, like in Texas hold 'em, in stud, players are dealt a mix of face-up and face-down cards.