How To Play Stud

Similar to Holdem, Stud is also an ocean that one can immerse oneself in and spend a lifetime exploring. Like Razz you get two dark cards and one up card to start. Three more up-cards follow and then a final down card with betting between each card. The betting limits double on fifth street.

Stud vs Holdem

Holdem players are so used to the communal card aspect of flop games that they sometimes forget that Stud players have their own individual hands. For example let’s say your hand is (As Ad) 4h and your opponent has (Kc Kh) 7d – all of you Holdem players are thinking, “Great, I’m 80% to win this”, but in fact those aces in Stud are only a 66% favourite. This is because your opponent’s hand can improve and your hand could just stay at one pair of aces. If the board paired in Holdem you would both have two pair with your hand obviously being the better two pair – this does not happen in Stud (naturally, you would still rather have the aces in the match-up I have given).

Whether to Play

The two most important decisions in Stud are whether to play the hand at all on third street and then whether to continue on fifth street. Once again, and it cannot be stressed enough, the other cards that are out and how live or dead they make your hand is extremely important. For instance, let’s say a K has raised and your hand is (7h Ah) 7c. Amongst the other up-cards there are no hearts, aces or 7s – you have a playable hand that merits a call. On the other hand, let’s say a Qd has raised and you have (Jd Td) Jh. There is the Ad behind you and you can see two Ts, a J and another diamond amidst the other up-cards. Not so live now, eh?

This issue of live cards is especially important when you decide to play the small pairs i.e. 2s through 9s. Most experts think nothing of folding (5 7) 5 if just one of the 7s is out. It should go without saying that if one of the 5s is out the hand is in the muck even quicker.

It should also go without saying that when playing pairs you prefer your pair to be in the hole rather than split i.e. (Q Q) 6 as opposed to (Q 6) Q. Now your hand is deceptive and if you are lucky enough to make trips they will be concealed.

Fifth Street

Earlier I mentioned that fifth street is a crucial moment in any Stud hand. This is where the betting limits double and usually if you or your opponents call a bet here it means you’re going to seventh. This is because the pot becomes so large (remember, there is one more betting round in a seven card stud game than in a flop game) that it’s very hard to fold on the end if there is any chance your hand is good. About the only times you fold on the river (or sixth street) are if you’ve completely missed your draw or if your opponent makes open trips or two pairs which clearly has your hand beaten.

High Pairs

High pairs are your bread and butter in Stud and you must raise and re-raise and try to isolate. Now hopefully you can charge your lone opponent to try and outdraw you. Having said that if you had (K 7) K and a J raised, then a Q re-raised and now an A three-bets your pair of kings is very likely to be beat.

Other Starting Hands

What other starting hands are you looking to play? Rolled up trips is obviously a very strong starting hand and usually you will go all the way until the end. Three flushes and three straights are a little more tricky. Again it comes down to how live your draw is and the higher your cards the better. If you catch good on fourth i.e. a four flush you will usually go all the way to the river. If you miss on fourth street with your drawing hands it’s not a good idea to carry on – your odds on making your flush or straight are not so great any more. Do not fall into the trap of calling on fourth when you hit a blank and then chasing the flush when you make a four flush on fifth. You would now need runner-runner to make your hand which is going to be expensive as well as ending in disappointment most of the time.

Trouble Hands

The trouble with playing a hand like (4 5) 6 is that if you end up with two pair it won’t be a very high two pair yet many times you will feel obliged to call after cards on seventh only to see you’re up against something like kings up. At least the times that you end up with two pair when you start with something like (K Q) J your two pair will be high in ranking and thus stand a better chance of being the best hand.

These unpaired big cards, three-flushing or straightening hands tend to lose value during the latter stages of a tournament. One of the reasons is that it’s not uncommon for most players to have small stacks compared to the large late-stage betting limits. If you are calling a raise from someone who is showing say a Q as their door card it is highly likely they have what they are representing which is a pair of queens. This is because any short stacks that now call are basically telling their opponents, “I’m committed to this hand, I’m going all the way”, so any concept of fold equity is right out of the window. Once the antes are high you do not want to let yourself get anted to death when you have a short stack.

What's Your Board Like?

You have to be aware of how your board looks to other players – let’s say you raised with (As Qs) Kd and now you catch a rag that is completely unrelated to your hand like the 3c. Your lone opponent won’t be particularly troubled by that card so a bet from you is unlikely to pick up the pot. On the other hand, let’s say you called a raise from an aggressive decent player showing the Ad and your hand is (Th Ts) 7c. Now on fourth he gets a rag and you catch the 8c – he’s got to be worried about this card.

As usual, observation of your opponents is crucial; when they raise is it always with a pair or do they have three flushes in their range as well? Do they take advantage of late position and try to steal the antes then?

As I said at the top of the page Stud is a whole planet waiting to be explored and this article barely scratches the surface – I suggest you check out some books on this complex form of poker. Seven Card Stud for Advanced Players by David Sklansky, Mason Malmuth, and Ray Zee, Super System by Doyle Brunson has a good Stud section by Chip Reese and The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide by Michael Craig has two chapters on Stud by Keith Sexton and David Grey which I must credit with helping me write this article.

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Next time we'll take a look at Stud 8 or Better