7 Card Stud Poker Strategy Part 2

Now that we have the factors out of the way let’s take a look at some 7 Card Stud strategies.

Take a minute to look around the table. How many cards of the same suite do you see? Who is the first person to raise, or re-raise? What is their position? Are they close to the dealer or farther away? If they are close then they may think they have a good hand so it would be good to keep an eye on them as the game progresses.

If someone raises the bet, don’t be afraid to re-raise. This may result in a loss here or there, but it will show your opponents that you are not afraid of their raise or of losing a hand that you are confident in. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to fold. There is no shame in folding a hand, even if it looks to be good. When you have a gut feeling or can judge by the cards other players are showing, that your hand is weaker it is better to fold and lose a little money than to call huge raises and lose a lot of money. As well this will throw off your opponents as they will not know really what to expect from you as you play.

It can be tricky to hold yourself back, but if you have a good hand wait until later in the game to make bigger raises. Let your opponents become married to the pot, then raise and re-raise as much as possible. This will accomplish 2 things for you, it will weed out some players as they fold. As well it will increase the pot, and if you truly have the better hand this will result in a better take.

Were your first 3 cards the same suite? If so look around the table if everyone’s up card is the same suite as yours odds are that you won’t get the final 2 cards needed for the flush, however if your suite is not shown, you may have a chance to get the final 2 cards to complete your flush. In this scenario I would bet but not too high until I saw the next card unfold.

When considering a straight, again observe what your opponents are showing. Are the cards that you need face up in their hand? This will highly lower your probability of getting the straight and you should play this hand much more carefully. Although it is still possible to get the straight, if that is the only option that you see with the initial deal either wager low or folding are not bad options.

Here are is some strategies to keep in mind during at a low stakes game. Players in a low stakes 7 Card Stud game often refuse to fold their hand. No matter how bad their hand is it seems they would rather risk it then to let their hand go. This is a trap, and it can be a big trap.
Do not be afraid to fold even when the players around you don’t know when. By folding you are saving your money for betting pots, and by your opponents not folding it gives you a better chance to take all they have.
When you have an Ace as an up card there is a little bit of controversy as to how you should play. Some people would say bet, and raise when possible. Lets take a closer look at that approach to see if it offers any benefit to us? If we always raise on the Ace, our opponents will be more apt to call our bluff and ignore the card as if it were a 9 or even a 4. This is the strategy that we recommend. A few times fold the Ace if you have nothing to back it. Sounds like a bad idea but here’s where it gets interesting. Later in the game if you receive another Ace up card raise high. Players tend to remember how other people play if they remember you folding the last couple Aces’ they may think you have a wonderful hand. The first response from many players is to fold or stand off a little. This allows room for your bluff to take place and a chance to gain the pot.

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