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Stud Poker Strategy

Sunday, March 6th, 2011 by Phil

Stud Poker Strategy

Stud poker isn’t as popular as it once was, but many people still enjoy playing stud poker. Good stud poker strategy requires a thorough understanding of starting hand values. It also requires the ability to count outs and read opponents. If you don’t possess these poker skills, you’ll lose a lot of money playing stud poker.

Stud poker comes in multiple variations, but razz and 7 card stud are the most commonly played. If you’re a Texas holdem making the switch to stud poker, you’ll need to develop some new skill sets to be able to adjust to the new game.

7 Card Stud Poker Strategy

The goal of 7 card stud poker is the same as most other forms of poker–to win pots by either forcing your opponents to fold or by making the best five card hand possible. You get three cards face down and four cards face up in a 7 card stud game. Those face up cards give players a lot of valuable information–information that isn’t available in community card poker games like Omaha or Texas holdem.

Since you’ve seen so many of which cards are in play, making decisions in 7 card stud becomes much simpler.

Each player is dealt three cards. The first two cards are dealt face down, just as they are in Texas holdem. The third card, however, is dealt face up for all to see. The player who has the lowest card is forced to post what is called the “bring in.” The player who brings in also has the option to raise. After this, each player acts in turn.

The fourth card that is dealt is once again face up. A round of betting follows, and the fifth card is then dealt. The fifth card, too, is dealt face up. The cycle repeats itself for the sixth card, when it is once again dealt face up.

The seventh card is dealt face down. The seventh card is the final card that is dealt in any given hand.

After the seventh card is dealt, the hand is over. The player who has the best five card hand wins the pot at showdown.

Razz Poker

Razz poker is dealt just like 7 card stud. But in razz, your goal is to make the worst possible hand, not the best. The best possible hand in razz poker is A2345, which is the lowest possible hand. The second best possible hand in razz poker is A2346.

Razz poker strategy requires being able to read how strong their hands are based on what hands are showing and whether or not their hand is likely to improve. Bluffing isn’t an important skill in razz.

7 Card Stud Strategy Tips

Developing good starting hand requirements is an effective start to a winning 7 card stud strategy. If you start with a good hand, you’ll be more likely to have a good hand at the showdown. But if you start with trash in 7 card stud, then you’ll usually finish with trash too. And since a lot of stud players crave action, they stay in hands too long and lose money. Don’t be that guy.

A pair of aces is a strong starting hand in stud. But three suited cards or three connected cards makes for an even stronger starting hand, because of the potential of making a straight or a flush. But you need to pay attention to what cards the other players have. If you’re at a table with six players, and you have three hearts, and three of the other players have hearts showing, then your chances of hitting your flush just got a lot lower.

Beware of people who raise a lot in 7 card stud games. Most of the time they have a strong hand. In Texas holdem, raises are as likely to be bluffs as anything else, but not in stud.

Pay attention to the cards that are dealt during a 7 card stud hand. Your hand’s value will change with every card that’s dealt. So will your opponents’ hands.

Reading other players and putting them on a range of hole cards is an important 7 card stud skill too. If you play Texas holdem well, this is a skill you’ve already developed. Being able to read your opponents and their hands will give you a big advantage in a 7 card stud game.

Common sense is a component of good 7 card stud strategy. Don’t donate your money. Don’t gamble without thinking about what you’re doing.

Set goals for your hands, and make them prove to you that they’re worth continuing to play. If you have a flush draw and wind up with a middle pair, be willing to give the hand up. Being a calling station in 7 card stud is a BIG mistake.

Value bet your strong hands. Fold your weak hands. You’ll win money this way.

Razz Strategy Tips

Razz is tricky. You can start with a phenomenal hand but end up with garbage. In other stud games, strong starting hands usually have showdown value. But in razz, if your hand doesn’t improve, you don’t win.

For example, you don’t have to improve pocket aces in a 7 card stud game in order to have a potential winner at the showdown. But if you have A23 as your starting cards in razz, your hand is useless if you get dealt QKA3.

Hand selection is critical in razz. You can’t get away with playing questionable starting hands in razz. 2KQ is unplayable. You’d have to be dealt nothing but low cards for the rest of the hand in order to even have a chance of winning. The good news is that starting hand selection also makes razz strategy a simple strategy to learn.

Fold if you don’t have at least two great starting cards after the initial deal in razz. And if you have three good starting cards, consider raising. 238 is a playable hand, even though it isn’t ideal. A23 is the best possible starting hand, and stuff like 234 is excellent too.

You also have to be willing to throw hand away if they don’t improve. Don’t chase hands in razz. Razz players who are willing to give up are able to win money.