Seven card stud is one of the more traditional variations of poker, and is also one of the more popular ones because of its 7 card excitement. There can be some monster pots in this great game due to the number of cards that each player is dealt. Also, the odds change drastically in 7 card stud, since each player is dealt 7 cards, instead of in holdem where there are 5 community cards and each player receives two face down. This article will walk you through the betting structure of seven card stud, and some of the possible examples of what could happen in a game.

To understand the best ways to bet in 7 card stud, you first must know how many betting rounds there are, and how many players you are playing against. If you go to the last of the 7 cards, you will have the chance to bet five times. If you are playing against a small number of players, you have the opportunity to bet with mediocre hands, since the odds of winning have increased. However, if you are playing with a full table of 7 players make sure to watch what hands you are betting, since there will almost always be one player who has a good hand.

Each player is dealt 2 face down cards, and one face up card, and then is given the chance to bet. In my opinion, this round of betting, and the last round of betting, is the most important part in the game. You have to make your decision now if you want to slow play, bluff, play your hand aggressively, loosely, or fold. If you can make an accurate choice now, you will be on your way to playing at the top of your game. Of course, there are some exceptions to this, such as if your opponent is dealt 3 aces on 4th, 5th, and 6th street, and you decided to bluff in this opening round. Unless you had a monster, and I mean MONSTER, you would definitely want to abort your initial plan of bluffing and make the decision to fold.

What, if any amount, you decided to bet should not only depend on your cards, but what your opponents face up cards are and what position you are in. It's hard to give the exact way to play the certain cards since there are so many combinations, and situations are always different. But, it is in my opinion that to be able to play 7 card stud well, you have to be able to play loose. What I mean by this, is you have to see the potential in your three starting cards, since you have the possibility of seeing 4 more cards. Hands can change drastically when you have 4 more cards to come, and it is important to realize this.