Seven Card Stud Rules
Seven Card Stud is the classic poker game played before Hold’em took over. There are no community cards and no dealer button. Each player builds an individual hand from seven cards, three face down and four face up, and the exposed cards are public information you use to read the table. The best five-card hand at showdown wins.
The objective
You are making the best five-card poker hand from your seven cards. Because four of every player’s cards are face up, much of the skill is remembering exposed cards, tracking what is still live in the deck, and reading whether an opponent’s board can beat you.
The streets
Antes
Every player posts a small ante before the deal instead of blinds.
Third Street — bring-in
Two down cards and one up card to each player. The lowest up card posts the forced bring-in. Ties are broken by suit, clubs lowest and spades highest.
Fourth Street
A second up card. From here on the best hand showing acts first. An open pair allows a double bet.
Fifth Street
A third up card. Betting limits double to the big bet from here onward.
Sixth Street
A fourth up card, so each player now shows four cards and hides two.
Seventh Street
A final card dealt face down, then the last betting round and the showdown.
Hand rankings
Seven Card Stud uses standard poker hand rankings, strongest at the top. Only your best five cards count.
| Hand | Example |
|---|---|
| Straight flush | T♥ 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ |
| Four of a kind | K♠ K♥ K♦ K♣ 4♠ |
| Full house | Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 8♣ 8♠ |
| Flush | A♣ J♣ 9♣ 6♣ 3♣ |
| Straight | 9♦ 8♠ 7♥ 6♣ 5♦ |
| Three of a kind | 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♠ |
| Two pair | J♠ J♦ 5♣ 5♥ 9♠ |
| One pair | T♦ T♣ A♠ 8♥ 4♦ |
| High card | A♠ Q♦ 9♣ 6♥ 2♠ |
A worked example
At showdown Alice’s seven cards are K♠ K♦ 7♣ 7♥ K♥ 2♠ 9♦. Bob’s are A♣ A♦ J♣ J♠ 5♥ 6♦ Q♠.
Alice’s best five cards are K-K-K-7-7, a full house, kings full of sevens.
Bob’s best five are A-A-J-J-Q, two pair, aces and jacks.
A full house beats two pair, so Alice wins the pot despite Bob holding the higher pair.
On SPN
SPN Stud tables use fixed-limit betting with configurable small and big bet sizes. Antes and bring-ins are collected automatically, and the shared community card on a short deck is handled for you. Dealing is provably fair and tables are bot-free.
Frequently asked questions
What are the streets in Seven Card Stud?
A hand runs across five betting rounds named by the card count. Third Street is the first three cards, then Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Street each add one up card, and Seventh Street deals a final down card. Betting limits double starting on Fifth Street.
What is the bring-in?
The bring-in is a forced bet on Third Street posted by the player showing the lowest up card. It opens the betting. Ties are broken by suit, clubs lowest and spades highest.
How many cards make up my hand?
Each player is dealt seven cards, three face down and four face up, and makes the best five-card poker hand from any of them. There are no community cards.
Who acts first on each street?
On Third Street the bring-in acts first. On every later street the player with the best poker hand showing acts first.
What happens if the deck runs out?
With eight players a full deck can run short on Seventh Street. When that happens a single community card is dealt face up in the middle and shared by everyone still in the hand.