-
Seven Card Stud Guide For Beginners
-
Seven Card Stud Guide For Beginners
May 2nd, 2009 by admin
This guide was written for people that have little to no experience with playing 7 card stud online but it contains some tips that players with years of experience may find useful so enjoy.
Seven card stud is a poker game that is played both online and at home games and tournaments across the world. It follows a fairly simple format so learning how to play Stud is easy. Learn how to win money playing 7 card stud on a consistent basis is a totally different story though. The difference between a winning stud poker player and a losing stud poker player can be found by looking at the hands they play and fold.
In 7 card stud you want to be playing either strong starting hands or position. You might be wondering how you can play your position. Using your position at the table and in the betting sequence is a integral part of a winning seven card stud strategy.
Before you start playing stud poker online there are a couple things you should know first. The average player’s skill level in Stud is much greater than the average player’s skill level in Texas Hold’em. This problem seems like it should be opposite but its true and I will explain why. Many new online poker players tend to be “followers”, I like to call them sheep. They automatically start playing Texas Holdem because that is what a majority of online poker players play. Perhaps they saw Chris Moneymaker or Doyle Brunson playing Holdem on ESPN and they want to be like them. In today’s society playing Texas Holdem is “cool” and most of the wannabes end up playing Holdem.
Holdem is a very simple game to play and master. You can practically base every decision you make off a one of the many charts found online. Seven card stud requires much more skill than that. I’m straying off the topic though. The reason why Stud players are generally better at stud than Holdem players are at Holdem is because:
- The players found at the Stud tables are there by choice, not because its popular or its the “cool” game to play. This means there is a reason for them being there. In most cases it is because they have a solid understanding of seven card stud and its strategies.
Texas Holdem is a magnet for new and inexperienced poker players. Of course there are new Stud poker players or players that play badly because they lack the patience required to be a good player but the vast majority of these players play Holdem.
If you have never played seven card stud or poker in general at an online card room I have a few tips for you. The first thing you should know is that you do not have to play for real money. Every online poker room offers “play money” tables. This is a great solution for players for several reasons:
- Its absolutely free, you don’t have to give the room your credit card/banking info. There is no pressure to play for real money at online poker rooms. You can receive unlimited play money.
- Experience - If you are totally new to online poker playing at the free tables is great practice. You will get the feel for how the buttons work and learn how to use the table options.
- You will also be able to learn from costly mistakes without it costing you anything. Many play money poker players take it very seriously. Of course since the chips have no value and you can get more if you lose you will see a lot of players that bet every hand and generally just play terrible poker. You will gain some solid experience regardless though, especially information like:
- Which hands usually win in Stud.
- Why playing weak hands will end up costing you money.
- How bluffing and position can be used to your advantage.
Once you are ready for the real money tables there one last concept that you should keep in mind. Bankroll management in seven card stud and poker in general is a discipline players use to make sure they never play at a table where the bets are too much for them to afford. Playing at stakes that are too much for your bankroll is just like throwing your money away. For seven card stud ring tables you should have 40 times the big bet. So if the stakes are $5/10 you should have at least $400. If you only have $25 you be playing at the $.10/.20 tables, or whatever is closest.
-
7 Card Stud Hi-Lo
Razz Poker
Stud Poker Rooms