7 Card Stud statgery and hand history

[rcgs59]

Hi all welcome to this new thread , I am going to be posting articles on 7 card Hi as well as Hi/Lo strategy and playing moves. Please feel free to ask questions or post comments and hand histories I will try to answer what I can, I am no pro but will try to answer some. Also this web site is an awesome place to visit for information

web site is awesome source of info http://www.7cardstudstrategy.com/


7 Card Stud - Strategy And Rules


Consideration you have to make in changes from Holdem to 7 card stud

Play Texas Holdem To 7 Card Stud Transition



Believe it or not Texas Hold’em and Seven Card Stud are conceptually similar games. They both offer players Seven Cards and then from those Seven Cards the players must make their best five card poker hand. The differences however obviously come in how each game is structured. While each game has cards that are visible to all players, in Seven Card Stud they are not community cards like they are in Hold’em and this alone creates a completely different type of game. While the skills you learn from each game are interchangeable, there are some co7 Card Stud At Fulltilt Poker.

Probably the single most important strategic change you are going to have to make in Seven Card Stud is paying attention to other player’s cards. In Hold’em you can simply watch the community cards and gauge how your opponents respond to them, in Seven Card Stud however you must concentrate on what cards are on the board and what cards may no longer be available. A critical mistake Hold’em players make when first trying out Seven Card Stud is not paying enough attention to everyone else’s cards. Another thing to keep in mind is determining the hands that players might be going for. In Hold’em there is a distinct set of hands that are possible based on the community cards. In Seven Card Stud there are many more possibilities. A good player has to be able to look at all their opponent’s cards and quickly deduce what the opposition might be going for.

It is also important to consider the game play differences of Seven Card Stud when first making the transition. In general Seven Card Stud is played at a slower pace then Hold’em. This is because of the large amount of cards dealt to each player and simply because of the more complicated strategy and reasoning involved in making decisions. This is an important consideration because some players simply are too impatient for the slower pace of the game and end up making poor decisions to speed up the game. Realize you are in for a different, slower game when you try out Seven Card Stud and don’t try to rush things.


Other transitional tips


While it is hard to generalize what a normal hand might be in Texas Hold’em, it’s fair to say that the relative strength of a winning hand is usually less than that of hand required to take down a pot in Seven Card Stud. The average winning hand in Seven Card Stud is trip nines. This should give you an idea of what the competition might be chasing when you are debating whether or not to continue with a hand. Although single pairs and two pair certainly win in Seven Card Stud, you have to be careful and play the hands well, it won’t be as simple to win with them in Stud as it sometimes is in Texas Hold’em.

Here are some other things to keep in mind as you try out Seven Card Stud coming from a Texas Hold’em background:
Play lower stakes at first, your going to need some time to settle in and make adjustments. Do it in a game where the learning is cheap

Watch out for really good players. The range of skill levels in Seven Card Stud goes from awful to mind blowing. A good Seven Card Stud player will literally eat you to pieces if you cannot successfully make the transition to the game and adapt to their play. We would argue that an excellent Seven Card Stud player has more of an advantage over a mediocre player than the same combination in a Hold’em game.
Position is important in Seven Card Stud, but it varies in relation to the strength of the players hands, not because of the dealer button. Be conscious of the adaptive efforts you will have to make when the position can change after each round.


Seven Card stud is a complicated poker game that will require some unique skills in order to be successful. Unlike Texas hold’em or Omaha which utilize community cards, Seven Card stud players have to be aware of much more than just their own cards, but everyone else’s face up cards as well. You will find that memorization is a critical skill needed in Seven Card stud. This article will lay the foundation for what is required to become a good Seven Card stud player. Actual playing strategies and decision making will be covered more in-depth in our intermediate and high stakes Seven Card stud strategy articles. If you are looking for 7 card stud starting hand suggestions and requirements, please read the intermediate article.




Important Seven Card stud skills

Playing Seven Card stud will require you to up your memorization and people reading skills. Many decisions you make will be based directly on what cards are currently in play or have been in play. Failure to put an emphasis on this will result in a plummeting bank account and a lot of agony playing Seven Card stud. Here are some reasons why memorization and card observation are so important in Seven Card stud:

Knowing what cards are in play or have been in play (meaning they were in play but were then folded) helps you determine whether or not your hand has potential to improve, or is doomed to failure. The amount of a certain suit in play or cards of a certain rank are all critical in justifying draws such as flushes, straights and full houses.

By keeping track of the cards in play you also are better able to pinpoint what your opponent may be going for or already has.


Two other skills that are vital to Seven Card stud players are patience and discipline. These are the two factors that will most likely have the biggest influence on your profitability when you first start playing. Most low limit games you will be starting at usually have low antes in relationship to the betting limits. What this means is that you can afford to be patient and wait for the absolute best starting hands. Like Texas hold’em and other games, you want to only play the best, premium holdings. What this means of course is that you will be sitting around a lot waiting.

[rcgs59]

The Best Starting Hands In 7 Card Stud

Like Texas Hold’em, Omaha or any other poker game, probably the most important decision you will make is what starting hands to play. Time and again new players and experienced players cost themselves hundreds and thousands of dollars simply by playing too many hands. You need to adopt a strategy of being very selective when deciding whether or not to play a starting hand in Seven Card stud. It will represent the difference between winning and losing! This article will break down the best starting hands for Seven Card stud and give you some tips for each hand.


Three of a kind

This is without a doubt the best hand you can start with in Seven Card stud. Usually with this hand it’s okay to slow things down a little and see if you can bring someone along for the ride. Always be aware of the rank of your three of a kind however. The stronger trips containing face cards will slow play better, while the lower hands say six or below you might want to slow play only a little or not at all. This all depends on your opponents playing style and the cards they are showing.
Tens or better wired

A wired pair is when both of the paired cards are concealed and no one else can see them. This is always a powerful hand when you have a concealed pair, but remember you want them to be high in rank. Don’t get caught up in the idea of playing every wired pair, play only the best. Usually a hand like this warrants aggressive betting and raising from the get go. If your door card is a face card, you can take a particularly strong stance and most likely will get respect from your opponents.

Jacks or better split

A split pair is when one of the paired cards is concealed and the other is showing. While this is also a strong hand, you want an even higher pair then you would when your cards are wired to make up for the inherit weakness of one of your cards being exposed. This is another situation where you will want to play aggressively from the onset and try to eliminate players from the hand. If you pair your door card, watch out for players who stick with you or even raise. A paired door card is a pretty consistent sign of trouble in Seven Card stud and anyone that stays with you could have a really good hand.

Three high cards to a flush

The real important part about this starting hand is to make sure the cards are high in rank. Low ranking flush cards are just bad news in Seven Card stud. Often times if you make the flush someone else’s will be higher and if you miss your flush, since your cards are low in rank you can’t really pick up anything else that would be that powerful. Stick to flush cards that are eight or higher and sometimes don’t even play those, the best are those containing face cards or an ace. If you don’t catch a card you need by fourth street you need to seriously consider giving up on the draw. Trying to see cards for as little as possible is a good strategy with this type of hand.

Three high cards to a straight

This is the most questionable starting hand on this list and you need to exercise caution when proceeding with it. Look for hands that contain tens through aces because middle or low ranking straights are just bad news in Seven Card stud. Like when playing the flush hand, make sure you are well on your way to completing the hand by fourth street or you probably will end up costing yourself a lot of money and not completing the draw.

[rcgs59]

Reading opponents in 7 Card Stud

Looking at the cards on the table and then being able to make a logical deduction as to what your opponents might hold is a critical skill in Seven Card stud. There are a few things you can look for right away that might help you figure out what an opponent holds:

Watch out for players who have paired their door card (first up card). There are a couple of situations likely when this happens. Either they have completed to three of a kind or might very well be holding two pair. Your knowledge of other cards out on the board or ones that have been folded will help you figure it out.
Players who have an ace as a door card can cause trouble. Many times they will have nothing more than this ace, but it is very common for players to simply always bet or raise with an ace in the initial rounds. Be certain to take notes on players, which will help you deduce what might be going on when someone has an ace as their door card. Try a stop raise to slow down an overly aggressive player with an ace.

When playing Seven Card stud online, you won’t be able to watch a player’s reaction to their own cards or to your cards, instead you will have to judge their reaction based on how long it takes them to make their decision. The old auspice holds true here in that players acting weak are usually strong and players acting strong are usually weak, or at least semi bluffing.

Playing drawing hands in Seven Card stud

Generally speaking drawing hands are speculative in Seven Card stud and they should only be played in a few situations:
When you are starting with high ranking, powerful cards
When the pot is absolutely huge

When your hand has turned into a potential powerful drawing hand
If you find yourself in one of these situations then it is fine to play a drawing hand but you need to make sure that your cards are live, meaning still available. If some of your cards are already in play, the chances of you hitting your draw are significantly reduced. Also remember that if you are on a draw from your starting three card hand and you don’t improve by fourth street, the profitable play is usually to fold. Keep in mind though that improving does include pairing up a high ranking card too.

Getting a free card in 7 Card Stud

Getting a free card is one of the best tactics to use in Seven Card stud. What you are basically doing is betting or raising on one street in order to get the next card for free. It goes something like this: You hold TT9J on fourth street and your sole opponent is showing AK. Your opponent bets into you. Rather than just calling, you decide to raise, which is basically saying to your opponent “I can beat your aces or kings or whatever else you might have”. Your opponent will most likely only call unless they have a very powerful hand. Now what most likely will happen is your opponent will check on fifth street in which case if you haven’t improved you can go ahead and check too and all of the sudden you get a free card on sixth street. It’s a great way to buy yourself some time to improve your hand.

Make sure to read our other articles on Seven Card stud strategy. Nearly all topics are covered and we even have suggestions and reviews of the best rooms to play Seven Card stud at.

[rcgs59]

PokerStars Game #37105249772: Tournament #223754159, $8.00+$0.80 USD 7 Card Stud Limit - Level II (40/80) - 2009/12/23 18:54:37 ET
Table '223754159 4' 8-max
Seat 1: KastrOo (898 in chips)
Seat 2: FLHT Bagger (2823 in chips)
Seat 3: rcgs59 (1117 in chips)
Seat 4: CallyMolly87 (1261 in chips)
Seat 5: elhasi (2072 in chips)
Seat 6: Geldberg (1195 in chips)
Seat 7: GAGALUP (984 in chips)
Seat 8: tork04 (650 in chips)
KastrOo: posts the ante 8
FLHT Bagger: posts the ante 8
rcgs59: posts the ante 8
CallyMolly87: posts the ante 8
elhasi: posts the ante 8
Geldberg: posts the ante 8
GAGALUP: posts the ante 8
tork04: posts the ante 8
*** 3rd STREET ***
Dealt to KastrOo [4d]
Dealt to FLHT Bagger [Ts]
Dealt to rcgs59 [Js 6d Jd]
Dealt to CallyMolly87 [3s]
Dealt to elhasi [4c]
Dealt to Geldberg [7h]
Dealt to GAGALUP [Kc]
Dealt to tork04 [5h]
CallyMolly87: bets 40
elhasi: folds
Geldberg: calls 40
GAGALUP: folds
tork04: folds
KastrOo: folds
FLHT Bagger: raises 40 to 80
rcgs59: calls 80
CallyMolly87: calls 40
Geldberg: calls 40
*** 4th STREET ***
Dealt to FLHT Bagger [Ts] [Kh]
Dealt to rcgs59 [Js 6d Jd] [Th]
Dealt to CallyMolly87 [3s] [Ah]
Dealt to Geldberg [7h] [Td]
CallyMolly87: bets 40
Geldberg: calls 40
FLHT Bagger: calls 40
rcgs59: calls 40
*** 5th STREET ***
Dealt to FLHT Bagger [Ts Kh] [9h]
Dealt to rcgs59 [Js 6d Jd Th] [Jh]
Dealt to CallyMolly87 [3s Ah] [7s]
Dealt to Geldberg [7h Td] [Ks]
rcgs59: bets 80
CallyMolly87: raises 80 to 160
Geldberg: calls 160
FLHT Bagger: calls 160
rcgs59: raises 80 to 240
CallyMolly87: raises 80 to 320
Betting is capped
Geldberg: calls 160
FLHT Bagger: calls 160
rcgs59: calls 80
*** 6th STREET ***
Dealt to FLHT Bagger [Ts Kh 9h] [2s]
Dealt to rcgs59 [Js 6d Jd Th Jh] [6s]
Dealt to CallyMolly87 [3s Ah 7s] [5d]
Dealt to Geldberg [7h Td Ks] [3c]
rcgs59: bets 80
CallyMolly87: raises 80 to 160
Geldberg: calls 160
FLHT Bagger: calls 160
rcgs59: raises 80 to 240
CallyMolly87: raises 80 to 320
Betting is capped
Geldberg: calls 160
FLHT Bagger: calls 160
rcgs59: calls 80
*** RIVER ***
Dealt to rcgs59 [Js 6d Jd Th Jh 6s] [9c]
rcgs59: bets 80
CallyMolly87: raises 80 to 160
Geldberg: folds
FLHT Bagger: folds
rcgs59: raises 80 to 240
CallyMolly87: calls 80
*** SHOW DOWN ***
rcgs59: shows [Js 6d Jd Th Jh 6s 9c] (a full house, Jacks full of Sixes)
CallyMolly87: mucks hand
rcgs59 collected 3584 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3584 | Rake 0
Seat 1: KastrOo folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)
Seat 2: FLHT Bagger folded on the River
Seat 3: rcgs59 showed [Js 6d Jd Th Jh 6s 9c] and won (3584) with a full house, Jacks full of Sixes
Seat 4: CallyMolly87 mucked [Kd Ad 3s Ah 7s 5d 8s]
Seat 5: elhasi folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)
Seat 6: Geldberg folded on the River
Seat 7: GAGALUP folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)
Seat 8: tork04 folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)

[rcgs59]

7 Card Stud Bluffing Tips

In Seven Card stud, bluffing is definitely an important tactic. The usual advice in low limit hold’em games is to simply play straightforward and don’t bluff too much. Seven Card stud is a whole different ball game (Poker game!) and we suggest you employ a good bluffing strategy right away. Bluffing in Seven Card stud will bring you many advantages:

It will confuse your opponents and mix up your playing image.
It will allow you to remain profitable when cards are cold or antes are high.
It will allow you to neutralize moderate to strong opponents or crazy opponents who are also quite the bluffers themselves.

A good bluffing strategy in Seven Card stud will involve bluffing in a few different forms. The first is semi bluffing. This is where you are betting or raising with a hand that you think is good but certainly might not be the best hand. In this case you probably would prefer that your opponents fold, but you are okay if they call too because your hand does have some strength. The second is pure bluffing. This is where you literally have nothing or very little, but you feel that a certain play will give you an advantage and maybe win you the pot. You don’t have to be successful every time you are on a pure bluff, there are advantages other than the money in the pot. The most important thing to remember about any kind of bluffing is that you are not doing it simply to bluff; rather you have noticed a good situation where a bluff is likely to succeed. The best bluffers in the world are able to notice player’s weaknesses and then go in for the kill with a well timed deceptive move. Remember, don’t just bluff because its part of poker, do it when it’s the right move to make.



Bluffing tips and considerations for 7 Card Stud

Semi bluffing is usually best in the early rounds of Seven Card stud. Your board will often look fairly intimidating but not quite complete, so you need to complete your hand in the eyes of your opponents by betting and raising aggressively. The reason this is best in the early rounds is because that is when you have the best chances of convincing an opponent to fold. As the round carries on and your opponent’s hands fill up and the pot gets bigger, they will be less likely to fold. Semi bluffing can also be a sound strategy when you pick up a small pair on your board. An aggressive strategy here can convince your opponents that the small pair showing is not the only thing you have.

Bluffing is a very complex topic in any poker game. It requires a mix of excellent poker skill and a true feeling for how your opponents play. One of the best features in online Seven Card stud that will help you bluff is note taking. Be sure to keep detailed notes on your opposition so you can learn to recognize the best situations from which to deceive your opponents. In general there are a few things you can keep in mind when it comes to bluffing in Seven Card stud:

New players are generally pretty bad and unless they see something that clearly is an excellent hand on the board they will be hard to convince to fold.
Good players on the other hand tend be very analytical. While regularly playing against skilled Seven Card stud players is not the best idea, when you find yourself in the pool with them, make sure you adapt to their high skill level by throwing in some tasteful and strategic bluffs.

You will need the help of your board cards when you bluff. Like mentioned earlier, make sure you are at least bluffing for a good reason and not just because someone told you poker players should bluff.

[rcgs59]

Avoiding The Common Mistakes In Stud

Seven Card stud can be a very complex and intricate game. There are many subtitles and nuances that make it more difficult than other poker games. Although a basic working knowledge of the game and how it’s played is fairly easy to establish, mastery of the game is a lifelong quest and along the way there are certain to be some road bumps. This article will cover some of the common mistakes you might be guilty of committing as you make your way through the ropes of Seven Card stud. If you can learn to recognize these early, you’ll be better suited to eliminate them from your game and reap the rewards that their absence brings. We’ll start with an in-depth examination of two common mistakes then list some of the other prevalent errors.

Chasing draws in 7 Card Stud

This is without a doubt the biggest mistake new players make when learning Seven Card stud. There are so many clues that can tell you whether or not you are making a good decision by drawing and so many times new players simply ignore them. More often then not it is plain as day that you are drawing dead. All it takes is an increased emphasis on keeping track of what cards are in play or have already been folded. In order for your draw to have a good chance of coming, a majority of the cards you need must still be live! If you are on a flush or a straight draw and at least two of the cards you need are already on the board then you need to pull the plug on that hand right away. New players cost themselves hundreds and thousands of dollars by chasing futile draws that have very little chance of succeeding. Remember, go after draws when the pot is big, your cards are live and if you make your hand it has a good chance of winning.



Not taking the ante into consideration

In Texas Hold’em you can find a comfortable way to play and usually stick to it. Although changing your game to keep up with your competition is important, there usually isn’t a huge emphasis on changing your game as a result of how the game is structured. That is not the case in Seven Card stud. The antes have a supreme reign over the style of the game and you must take them into consideration or your bankroll will disappear. While there are games that feature a proportionately low ante, the games where the real money is at (the high limit games) usually have high antes in relationship to the betting limits and require a much more aggressive style of play. The mistake is not making the adaptation for either situation. In a low ante game, it is certainly beneficial to wait around for strong hands while in the high ante game if you sit around waiting for premium hands the antes will take a considerable chunk out of your stack and you will have trouble playing a hand to its maximum when you finally get it. Learn to recognize high and low ante proportions and make a game plan for playing in each type of game!

Other common mistakes to watch out for:

Playing second best hands: Drawing with a second best hand is a surefire way to lose money in any form of poker, but it’s especially costly in Seven Card stud. If you think an opponent is on a draw for a hand that will ultimately be better than what you’re drawing too, then you have to ask yourself why you are still in the hand!
Not being aggressive enough in the beginning: When you hold strong pairs or two pair, you need to be aggressively to protect your hand and weed out drawing opponents.

Not observing your opponents:

We have touched on this many times now; you simply must pay attention to your opponent’s cards and take note of what they do when certain cards fall. You also need this information for your own hand.

__________________

[rcgs59]

Tips For Heads Up 7 Card Stud


Playing any heads up poker game is challenging since you’re not playing against a full table. You need to start identifying how the other player you’re up against plays heads up. Are they playing loose or tight, do they play passively or do they take charge of the pot. This will depend partly on how you play so you can't prejudge their heads up skills by how they have been playing. This is very true for 7 card stud.

You want to figure this out within the first hands of heads up play. Does your opponent call every bet or does he fold to your completed bet. Or are they playing passively by checking, calling and folding to your bets. Watch out for aggressive behavior, do they complete your bring in's, 3 bet when you limp raise or limp raise themselves.

Heads Up Play In Stud


Don't forget everything you know and get sucked in with bad starting cards you will lose a lot of antes while chasing a bad hand. A lot of players will get trapped by low or medium pairs. If your starting cards are paired but low card then see what happens. Don't chase a low pair or draw all the way to a showdown because you will often lose.

If you opponent is a loose aggressive player you will have to be prepared to take your cards all the way to a showdown. This is because the player will complete every bring in and limp raise if you complete his and so on. So be aggressive with big cards and pairs, don't go for draws because they aren't the best of hands heads up.

But when you get a hand with good starting cards be aggressive if you get a good hand then bet or raise and take it all the way to the showdown. If they act first and bet, raise it. Or, if you act first check raise your hand to use their own aggressiveness against them because a loose aggressive player will almost always cap it.

The real challenge is when you come across another player who plays the way you do. You will need to adjust your game for short handed and heads up play. For example if you are a tight or semi tight aggressive player going heads up against the same type of player then opponent will complete a lot of your bring ins, but when you play back at them they will fold.

Playing Head Games In 7 Card Stud

When playing heads up you will need to know more then just how to play the game, you will also need to keep your eyes on your opponent. After you have figured out how they play you can manipulate the game based on what you learned. Some players will mostly concentrate on their own game which makes things easy but most will be looking to figure you out too.

You may find that they play tight for the first few hands then start playing loose. Don't get too comfortable with your opponent because they could just be getting a feel for your playing style. So try not to give away what's hiding face down or if you've got a high pair showing, or a draw then if your good at it, bluff.

[mmsdan]

Rose (or anyone)
Should I have slowed down and C/R to try and get more value here or just keep leading out since there were multiple players in the hand?
(6th hand of the tourney so no reads)

PokerStars Game #39870431081: Tournament #242364678, $1.00+$0.10 USD 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo Limit - Level I (25/50) - 2010/02/16 20:51:33 ET
Table '242364678 5' 8-max
Seat 1: numberVI (2080 in chips)
Seat 2: skrudy (2425 in chips)
Seat 3: mmsdan (2430 in chips)
Seat 4: KujiSan (2475 in chips)
Seat 5: SND75160 (3598 in chips)
Seat 6: POOCHERMAN (2842 in chips)
Seat 7: chamburg5201 (1940 in chips)
Seat 8: GuamJan (2210 in chips)
numberVI: posts the ante 5
skrudy: posts the ante 5
mmsdan: posts the ante 5
KujiSan: posts the ante 5
SND75160: posts the ante 5
POOCHERMAN: posts the ante 5
chamburg5201: posts the ante 5
GuamJan: posts the ante 5
*** 3rd STREET ***
Dealt to numberVI [4c]
Dealt to skrudy [3h]
Dealt to mmsdan [Ac 9d Ad]
Dealt to KujiSan [6c]
Dealt to SND75160 [3d]
Dealt to POOCHERMAN [2d]
Dealt to chamburg5201 [5h]
Dealt to GuamJan [Jd]
POOCHERMAN: brings in for 10
chamburg5201: calls 10
GuamJan: folds
numberVI: folds
skrudy: folds
mmsdan: raises 15 to 25
KujiSan: calls 25
SND75160: calls 25
POOCHERMAN: calls 15
chamburg5201: calls 15
*** 4th STREET ***
Dealt to mmsdan [Ac 9d Ad] [As]
Dealt to KujiSan [6c] [Tc]
Dealt to SND75160 [3d] [8d]
Dealt to POOCHERMAN [2d] [7d]
Dealt to chamburg5201 [5h] [6s]
mmsdan: bets 25
KujiSan: calls 25
SND75160: calls 25
POOCHERMAN: calls 25
chamburg5201: calls 25
*** 5th STREET ***
Dealt to mmsdan [Ac 9d Ad As] [9s]
Dealt to KujiSan [6c Tc] [2h]
Dealt to SND75160 [3d 8d] [Th]
Dealt to POOCHERMAN [2d 7d] [5s]
Dealt to chamburg5201 [5h 6s] [Qh]
mmsdan: bets 50
KujiSan: calls 50
SND75160: folds
POOCHERMAN: calls 50
chamburg5201: calls 50
*** 6th STREET ***
Dealt to mmsdan [Ac 9d Ad As 9s] [Ah]
Dealt to KujiSan [6c Tc 2h] [Qs]
Dealt to POOCHERMAN [2d 7d 5s] [5c]
Dealt to chamburg5201 [5h 6s Qh] [Jc]
mmsdan: bets 50
KujiSan: folds
POOCHERMAN: calls 50
chamburg5201: calls 50
*** RIVER ***
Dealt to mmsdan [Ac 9d Ad As 9s Ah] [Kd]
mmsdan: bets 50
POOCHERMAN: folds
chamburg5201: calls 50
*** SHOW DOWN ***
mmsdan: shows [Ac 9d Ad As 9s Ah Kd] (HI: four of a kind, Aces)
chamburg5201: mucks hand
mmsdan collected 740 from pot
No low hand qualified
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 740 | Rake 0
Seat 1: numberVI folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)
Seat 2: skrudy folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)
Seat 3: mmsdan showed [Ac 9d Ad As 9s Ah Kd] and won (740) with HI: four of a kind, Aces
Seat 4: KujiSan folded on the 6th Street
Seat 5: SND75160 folded on the 5th Street
Seat 6: POOCHERMAN folded on the River
Seat 7: chamburg5201 mucked [4s 8c 5h 6s Qh Jc 9h]
Seat 8: GuamJan folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)

[mmsdan]

Just seeing if the same hand above can be converted and posted.
http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/feral_cow_icon.gifCows play poker with cow chips (http://www.feralcowpoker.com/converter.php?version=1.10)
PokerStars Limit Stud Hi/Lo ($1.00+$0.10) t25/t50 ante t5 - 8 players

Seat 1: t2,080 [X] [X] http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/4c.gif
Seat 2: t2,425 [X] [X] http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/3h.gif
Seat 3: t2,430 http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/Ac.gif http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/9d.gif http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/Ad.gif http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/As.gif http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/9s.gif http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/Ah.gif http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/Kd.gif (Hero)
Seat 4: t2,475 [X] [X] http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/6c.gif http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/Tc.gif http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/2h.gif http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/Qs.gif
Seat 5: t3,598 [X] [X] http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/3d.gif http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/8d.gif http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/Th.gif
Seat 6: t2,842 [X] [X] http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/2d.gif http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/7d.gif http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/5s.gif http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/5c.gif
Seat 7: t1,940 [http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/4s.gif] [http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/8c.gif] http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/5h.gif http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/6s.gif http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/Qh.gif http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/Jc.gif [http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/9h.gif]
Seat 8: t2,210 [X] [X] http://www.feralcowpoker.com/images/cards/ouch/Jd.gif

3rd Street: (t40) (8 players)
Seat 6 brings, Seat 7 calls t10, 3 folds, Hero raises to t25, Seat 4 calls t25, Seat 5 calls t25, Seat 6 calls t15, Seat 7 calls t15

4th Street: (t155) (5 players)
Hero bets t25, Seat 4 calls t25, Seat 5 calls t25, Seat 6 calls t25, Seat 7 calls t25

5th Street: (t280) (5 players)
Hero bets t50, Seat 4 calls t50, Seat 5 folds, Seat 6 calls t50, Seat 7 calls t50

6th Street: (t480) (4 players)
Hero bets t50, Seat 4 folds, Seat 6 calls t50, Seat 7 calls t50

River: (t630) (3 players)
Hero bets t50, Seat 6 folds, Seat 7 calls t50

Hero showed, HI: four of a kind, Aces
Seat 7 mucked
Hero won t740

[rcgs59]

I would of raised more on 3rd to chase some out, and maybe a check raise on 4th, but always doing the max bet for sure, not sure if you could of bet higher than the 25 or 50, ? limit, if you could of I would of bet higher

[mmsdan]

I would of raised more on 3rd to chase some out, and maybe a check raise on 4th, but always doing the max bet for sure, not sure if you could of bet higher than the 25 or 50, ? limit, if you could of I would of bet higher

It was a limit game.

Idk, being OOP and with no reads I just wasn't sure how to massage the pot to get the most value out of the hand without chasing other players away.

Saw the HH on fcp for the hand that you were knocked out of the $4.40/180 last night.
Unlucky that the CL made that thin call and binked a 5 outer on the river. GG

[rcgs59]

The Importance Of Remembering Cards


When you are playing 7 Card Stud, Seven Card Stud HL or Razz online you have a wealth of information available to you. One of the common mistakes that players make when they play is that they don’t use this information to make better, more informed decisions. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up with focusing on the hand that we have ourselves and not concentrating on what is happening around us. This can be especially true if we are multi-tabling or doing other things on the internet whilst we are playing Seven Card Stud online. When you begin to take more notice of the information available you in STUD, you will realize that there is a strong correlation between this and your success. Put simply, the more you make decisions based on the information provided to you, the more success you will have. This may seem like one of the most basic things you have heard, but it is one that is often overlooked.

The first bit of information that I want to talk about is the folded cards of our opponents. You should be taking notice of all the cards that are showing so you can use it to make better decisions in future betting rounds. If you have a flush draw and notice that a lot of your outs have already been folded by your opponents, then you should adjust your strategy for the hand accordingly. This information is freely available to you and you are doing yourself an injustice by not using it.
Imagine having players tell you what they folded in a game of Texas Hold ‘em. This information would be invaluable to you, just as it is in 7 Card Stud. Every decision you make should be based on what you have, what your opponents have and the possibility of making a better hand. By knowing what has been folded, you can greatly increase your decision making performance in the third factor mentioned; drawing to a hand. When you calculate your pot odds, eliminating several outs can alter the outcome. This is where knowing a more accurate amount of outs comes to your assistance.

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The next piece of information that will serve as an indicator is your opponent’s ‘door’ card. The door card is the showing card of the three cards dealt. As you progress through the hand, you may well find that your opponent’s door card has been paired. When this happens we must proceed with caution if we don’t have an overly strong hand ourselves. When the door card pairs it can often be the case that the player has made two pair, trips or even a full house. It is important to recognize this and to make our decisions according to what we believe they have, as well as the strength of our own hand. It is of vital importance that we don’t get caught up in a hand just because we have two pair or trips when it is highly likely that we are behind. The information is available to us so there is no reason why we can’t use it.
The last piece of information that I want to discuss with you is the use of the hand histories. When you are playing online 7 Card Stud and places like Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars, you have access to the hand histories. If you see players getting involved in big hands, or you are looking to ascertain what kind of hand a player was betting so strongly with when he lost, you can use the hand history. Maybe his door card was an ace and he was trying to represent a much stronger hand than he actually had? Maybe he is a solid player but was unlucky to lose when his opponent completed a hand on 7th street? By checking the hand histories you can work out how your opponents are playing certain types of hands. You can even work out how solid your opponent is by the way that he plays the hands. This information is invaluable to you and will serve you well in future decision making against them.
To sum up, the concept that I have discussed is a very basic one, but on many occasions players can forget to use it. Information in Seven Card Stud is readily available to you and can save or make you considerable amounts of money. Observe what is happening around you, get the information and use it to your advantage. Information is a weapon you can add to your arsenal and is handed to you on a platter when you play online.

[rcgs59]

Poker Term Dictionary
Most new Stud poker players have seen a word in the chat box that they didn't recognize. I have defined most of the major Stud poker terms along with some general poker terms here. Asking the other players at the table what a Door Card is will probably result in the other players laughing at you or worse. Knowing the lingo in Stud will also help you better understand our 7 Card Stud, Razz and Stud HL articles. I have added some links to our rules articles for each game below.

Ante - An ante is a forced bet that all players have to place before the dealer will begin the hand. Should a player not place the bet, they will not be included in the hand that is due to be dealt.
Bluff - A bluff is a fictional indication that a player is holding a strong hand. A player makes a bluff with the intention to scare opponents out of the hand.
Boxed Card - A boxed card is a name that is given to a card that is found to be facing up while being in the dealers deck. Should a situation like this happen, the card is burned and ignored with the next card in the deck taking its place in the game.
Bring In - This is a forced bet that follows the initial cards that are dealt to each player within the stud poker variants. A bring in is similar to an ante but it is only required to be placed by the player with the lowest exposed card.
Bubble - The term bubble describes a player who is eliminated from a game or tournament in a position that is the final unpaid finishing placement. This means that any players who are eliminated after this player would receive a financial prize for their performance in the game/tournament.
Burn - Burn is a term that is given to the process of the dealer discarding of the top card of the deck. The process is that the dealer will remove the card from the top of the deck and place it face down on the table, never revealing the cards value to players.



Buy In Fee - This refers to the amount that a game or poker tournament charges players to enter into the action. The money is then used to create a prize pool that will be split between a certain number of finishing places so that players who perform well in the tournament or game get a good return on their initial investment.
Call - A term that describes when a player signals their intention to remain active within a hand by staking an equal amount of chips into the central pot.
Check - An action of play that sees a player pass up the right to be the first player to bet into a pot while still remaining within the hand.
Check - Raise - A method of play where a player passed up the opportunity to make a bet into the central pot but they raise any bet that is placed into play by any other player that acts after them. This is generally seen as an indication of a strong hand.
Come Hand - This is a name for a hand that needs to be improved with the addition of another one or more cards/ An example of this would be if a player was chasing either a flush or a straight.
Community Cards - The term community cards refers to the cards that are brought into play by the dealer and placed into the center of the table. These cards are for all players to use to try to create the strongest possible hand that they can.
Complete - The name given to a bet where a player wagers the full amount of a bet rather than a partial bet that would be placed by a player who opts to bring in on their forced bet.
Counter Bluff - A play that is used to act against a bluff from another player. This sort of play is very rarely seen unless a player is experienced and highly analytical.
Door Card - This term is used to describe the first exposed card of a players hand. The door card is the third card to be dealt to a player. Also known as an up card.
Gutshot Straight - Term used when a player has a possible straight draw but the cards that are required to complete the hand are of a value inside the cards already held. For example if a player was holding cards: A-K-Q-10, the need for the player to get a J would be described as a Gutshot Straight. A more common term for this is better known as an inside straight draw.
Heads Up - Name given to a playing situation where only two players are involved in the hand.
Hi-Lo - A variant game that sees the highest and the lowest hand share the central pot. The game usually has a set value that would mark the difference between high and low cards, for example anything below an 8 would be seen as a possible low hand.
Hole Cards - A name that is given to the cards that are dealt to the player at the start of the game. These cards are dealt face down and so would not be visible to any other player. Another name given to these cards is Pocket Cards.
Limp / Limping In - Term used to describe when a player calls a bet amount that is equal to that of the big blind. The term is only used on the first round of betting that is conducted before the flop.
Live One - A name given to a player who is very active within the game, playing a high percentage of their hands. These types of players are usually weak - aggressive players and so can provide a good player with a prime target in order to increase their bankroll.
Loose - A term that can offer the same meaning to two types of players of completely different strengths. A weak loose player tends to play a higher percentage of hands while getting themselves into situations that prove costly to their bankroll. On the flip side of this there are the strong players. These types of players look to play loose to increase the amount within a central pot while they represent a strong hand.
Maniac - Name given to a player who plays their hands very aggressively, being happy to raise and re-raise a bet with almost any hand. These players can prove to be hard to play against as you are unable to make a read on their actions.
Monster / Monster Hand - Term that is given to the top strength hand that is available at that point in the game to which you are hoping to win a large pot.
Outs - A name given to a number of cards that can improve a players hand should they enter into a pot with a hand of lower strength than any other player. Out cards are often used to help players calculate their pot odds in order to make a more informed betting play while playing their hand.
Overcall - A term that is given when a player calls a hand that already has at least one player who has also callled.
Rebuy - A rebuy offers a poker player the opportunity to re-enter a poker game or tournament after they have been knocked out or they are below a threshold of chips that is seen as a low amount.
Semi Bluff - A term given to a play that is made by a player when they are holding a low strength hand but want to show that they have strength in their hand. A bluff becomes a semi bluff if the player is bluffing with a hand that has potential to win the hand should they get a call from one or more players. An example would be that the player was holding a low pocket pair.
Showdown - A poker showdown is found at the end of a complete hand. Once all the rounds of betting have been completed and all the community cards have been placed onto the central board, if the hand still has 2 or more players active a showdown will take place. This means that the players will reveal their hand and the winning player decided as per the stud poker hand rankings.
Up Cards - The term is a name that is given to the cards within a players hand that have been dealt face up by the dealer. Because these cards are exposed, opponents are given the opportunity to draw information about the possible hands that you could be in possession of.

[rcgs59]

Strategies For Short-Handed Seven Card Stud Poker


A short handed table is typically six players or less and it requires a different playing strategy then when playing with nine or more people at a long handed table. You will still need to pay your antes the same every hand no matter how many people are at the table unlike Hold'em where only two players pay a blind per hand. Read the article below to improve your short handed 7 Card Stud skills. I have added some links below to our other Seven Card Stud strategy articles. The author of these articles is a well respected member of 2+2 and has several major Stud tournament titles under his belt.
7 Card Stud Rules
7 Card Stud Hand Selection
Beginners 7 Card Stud Strategy
Intermediate 7 Card Stud Strategy
Advanced 7 Card Stud Strategy
Bluffing in 7 Card Stud
7 Card Stud Tournament Strategy
Common Mistakes In Stud
Heads-up Stud Strategy
Texas Hold'em To 7 Card Stud
Remembering Cards In Stud Poker
7 Card Stud Vs Stud H/L
Stud Poker Dictionary
Stud HL Strategy
Lowering Starting Hand Requirements

The major change when playing short handed is you will need to lower your starting hand requirements so you will be able to play a wider range of hands. Your other opponents will be doing the same therefore making the table looser. So lower connectors that you wouldn't play regularly now have better odds of winning because everyone has lowered their standards.

Juicy Stud Poker Action & High Traffic - The Stud poker traffic (all 3 variants) at Full Tilt Poker is the 2nd highest online and there are plenty of weak players at the tables. They accept US players and have developed a new way to play poker, Rush Poker. This new format allows you to play 4-5 times the number of hands per hour. If you receive a junk hand you can just fold and be moved to a new table with a new hand. You will receive a special bonus in 2010 at Full Tilt when you sign-up through this web site. Enter the referral code STUDBONUS during registration and you'll receive a 100% match bonus up to $600.

Play Loose In Stud

If you play too tightly you will still win some hands but a lot less then the rest of the table. While your folding the other players will be anteing in to see the 4th street and so on. Even though you’re paying less each hand by only paying the starting ante if you fold you will see your stack start to decline because you’re the only player not winning any pots. This is the same with any variation of poker as the pot odds change depending on how many players are in the game.
Hands that have a higher value in a long handed game like high suited connectors (9,10) lose some of their value because shorthanded games struggle to supply sufficient pot odds to correctly draw to them. High value face cards increase in values because they are more likely to take the pot without any improvement. Such as an Ace with a semi high kicker because this hand is worth raising before you see the 4th street.

Play Aggressive In Stud

You will also need to play more aggressively in short handed games. When playing in a long handed game you want to play about 15 to 25 percent of the hands your dealt but in short handed games that number increases to approximately 33 percent. Position won't play into it since the order of action changes with every hand but it's still important to see how the person acts, do they check or raise.
Cards will increase in their value every time a new street is dealt. A middle pair or even a bottom pair's value can increase after the 4th street so where you would regularly fold if that was all you had now you need to stick around especially if the other players have also shown they are loose and aggressive as well.
Since this isn't Hold'em at the end of the 7th street you will have 3 cards face down and four showing. This can make it easier for the other players to guess what your holding especially when a middle to high pair is face up. Most players would fold and the hand wouldn't go to a showdown but if part of your best hand is face down it may go to a showdown so continue to be aggressive so you don't miss your pot.
You will need to remain somewhat cautions even though the drop in starting cards is standard it can become far more tempting to become committed to a pot with a substandard hand. You will need to put on your poker face because there is a lot more gambling involved then with long handed play. But this doesn't mean there's less value in laying down a made hand.