7-Card Stud Poker

7-Card Stud combinations are as follows, in decreasing order of value:

• Royal flush
• Straight flush
• Four of a kind
• Full house
• Flush
• Straight
• Three of a kind
• Two pairs
• Pair
• High card

Click here to learn how to use the various combinations to make a poker hand.

The dealer always distributes cards in clockwise order, starting with the first active player next to him. The dealer is the equivalent of the traditional casino dealer.

Antes (initial bets) must be put into the pot by all players (Your ante is placed automatically and is determined by the table limits or the stage of the tournament.

Starting with the first active player next to him, the dealer deals two face down cards (the hole cards) one at a time to each player, then a third card, face up. Once all players have received their three cards, the player with the lowest face up card is obliged to start the betting: this is called the Bring In. The amount of the Bring In corresponds to the table’s small limit.

The following determine which card is lowest:

• The value of the card, from low to high : 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace
• The suit of the card, from low to high rank (used if two players have the same low card) : Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades

Once the Bring In has been placed, the first betting round begins with the first active player next to the player that placed the Bring In, in clockwise order. In each betting round, as the situation permits, players have the following options:

Check: If no player has placed a bet, you can check, i.e. not bet but remain in the game.

Bet: Add a bet to the pot.

Call: Put the same bet into the pot as the previous player.

Raise: Place a higher bet than the previous player.

Fold: Not bet and lose the right of winning the pot (forfeit the game).

The next betting round starts once all players remaining in the game have checked (whenever this choice is available) or have placed bets for the same amount.

The dealer burns the top card of the deck (which means it is dealt to the side and not used in play), then deals the fourth pocket card (the Fourth Street) to each player, face up. The second betting round then begins with the player who has the "action," i.e. who can make the highest ranked combination with his two up cards. In case of a tie (two players with hands of equal rank), the "action" goes to the first active player next to the dealer, in clockwise order.

The dealer burns the top card of the deck, then deals the fifth pocket card (the Fifth Street) to each player, face up. The third betting round then begins with the player who has the "action," i.e. who can make the highest ranked combination with his three up cards. In case of a tie, the "action" goes to the first active player next to the dealer, in clockwise order.

The dealer burns the top card of the deck, then deals the sixth pocket card (the Sixth Street) to each player, face up. The fourth betting round then begins with the player who has the "action," i.e. who can make the highest ranked combination with his four up cards. In case of a tie, the "action" goes to the first active player next to the dealer, in clockwise order.

The dealer burns the top card of the deck, then deals the seventh pocket card (the Seventh Street) to each player, face up. The fifth betting round then begins with the player who has the "action", i.e. who can make the highest ranked combination with his five up cards. In case of a tie, the "action" goes to the first active player next to the dealer, in clockwise order.

NOTE: The following method is used if there are not enough cards left in the deck to deal a seventh card to all players:

• If the total of burned cards and cards remaining in the deck is insufficient to deal another card to all players (cards of players who have folded cannot be used), the dealer shuffles and deals a single community card face up in the centre of the table.
• If the total of burned cards and cards remaining in the deck is sufficient, the dealer shuffles them and deals one more card to each active player.

After the fifth betting round, all the players who still have their three pocket cards form the highest possible five-card poker hand using all cards in their hand in order to win the pot. The first player to show his cards is the player who bet or raised last. If no one bet in the previous round, the player who had the action at the start of the fifth betting round shows his hand first.

The player with the highest ranked hand in the showdown or when all other players have folded, wins the pot. The pot is shared equally among players having identical winning hands. Wins from the pot are added to the winning player’s total stakes on the table. If the player is sitting at a cash game table, total stakes will automatically be paid into his or her Espacejeux account upon leaving the table.

Loto-Québec’s online gaming website offers you 7-Card Stud limit poker.