7 Card Stud Poker
7 Card Stud Poker forms the base of all other poker games. Rather, all other poker games owe their origin to 7 Card Stud Poker. The word Poker has its origins in the French card game Poque. This again originates from the German word, pochen, meaning to knock. Of course, 7 Card Stud Poker is very similar to a Persian card game, Nas.
7 Card Stud Poker is essentially a combination of Nas and Poque. The first game of poker in the United States was in 1829 at New Orleans. This was a game of twenty card decks. The game spread through Mississippi and got the trade name of cheat game. Finally, it became poker.
Stud Poker became popular during the American Civil War. The first version of the game was the five-card stud. However, 7 Card Stud Poker emerged from the milieu in the twentieth century although there are no recorded instances. It became very popular and was still the popular poker game until the eighties. Thereafter, Texas Hold’em took up the popularity. Now, casino players love to play both forms of the game.
Although Texas Hold’em gains over 7 Card Stud in popularity charts, yet 7 Card Stud is still a raging game among many casino players. Red’ Hodges is the greatest 7 Card Stud Poker player to have ever lived. Most of the poker tournaments support poker games similar to 7 Card Stud or variations of it.
Poker Hands
As with any other poker game, the highest possible hand in 7 Card Stud is a Royal Flush. The other hands in the order are Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, and Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card. 7 Card Stud does not have any community cards and you have to form the hand with the dealt cards only.
Progress of the Game
7 Card Stud Poker begins with putting a small amount in the pot by each player. This is towards your participation in the game. There are six stages in this game- Third Street, Fourth Street, Fifth Street, Sixth Street, the river, and the showdown. Every player receives two facedown cards and one face up card.
Player with the highest bet starts the game. This is the third street. It is either check or bet. Every other player has then to either call by matching the first player’s bet, raise by increasing the bet amount or fold by withdrawing from the hand. Every player thereafter receives three more face-up cards one at a time. You also pass through three more betting rounds of fourth, fifth and Sixth Street.
Seventh card is face down and is the river. After the final betting round, players who have not folded enter showdown. Every player displays his or her cards starting from the player placing the bet last. Every player names the best five card hand possible with their cards like two pair, full house, and similar others. Highest-ranking hand player wins the game and the pot.