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Seven card stud: how to play
Updated November 2026
In seven card stud each player gets seven cards of their own: three face down and four face up. There are no shared cards. You make the best five-card hand, and you can see most of what your opponents are holding.
- Antes, then 2 down and 1 up
- Lowest up card pays the bring-in
- Fourth street: 1 up, bet
- Fifth street: 1 up, bet
- Sixth street: 1 up, bet
- Seventh street: 1 down, bet
Who acts first
How does a hand go?
Everyone antes. Each player gets two cards down and one up, and the player with the lowest up card has to put in a small forced bet called the bring-in. Betting goes clockwise from there.
Then come three more up cards with a betting round after each, and one last card face down. If you're still in, you've got seven cards and you make your best five.
Your seven cards
Why does the first player keep changing?
After the first round, the player showing the best hand acts first. So the order can change on every street. A player showing a pair of kings acts before a player showing ace-high.
Up cards on fifth street
How does the betting work?
Stud is usually played fixed-limit: bets come in set sizes. There's a small bet for third and fourth street and a big bet from fifth street on, usually double.
In a $2/$4 game you'd bet $2 on the early streets and $4 on the later ones.
$2/$4 game
What does it mean to watch dead cards?
Since most cards are face up, you can see which ones are gone. If you need a heart for your flush and four hearts are showing in other hands or have been folded, your draw is much worse than it looks.
Good stud players remember the cards that folded. That's most of the skill in the game.
You need a heart
Which starting hands are good?
- Three of a kindThe best start of all.
- A big pairGood, especially if your pair isn't showing.
- Three to a straight flushLots of ways to improve.
- Nothing connectedFold it.
What if the deck runs out?
With eight players, seven cards each would need 56 cards. If the deck runs short on the last street, the dealer puts one card face up in the middle and everybody uses it. It's rare, because several players have usually folded by then.
Do you know the game?
Twelve spots in three rounds.
Questions players ask
How many cards do you get in seven card stud?
Seven: three down and four up.
Is seven card stud harder than Hold'em?
You have more to remember, because you need to keep track of the cards that have gone.
Is it still played?
Yes, though much less than Hold'em. It's a staple of mixed games.
Know someone who misses the old games?
Send them this page.