7-Card Stud
As new things come along, sometimes the old ways disappear. History is full of examples of this. The Mayan language practically ceased to exist after the Spanish decided they needed all of South America for their own purposes. In the world of poker, 7-Card Stud is giving way to the Holdem craze.
When starting things off in 7-Card Stud, those of you who are used to posting blinds will have to adjust to an ante system. Instead of being able to just fold your cards for free, and only pay to play when you have a hand worth playing (except if you are the blind), just sitting down will cost you in 7-Card Stud. At the beginning of the game, each player puts their ante into the pot. There is no set rule for how much the ante should be, that will be determined before the game starts. After the ante, each player is dealt two cards, face down and one face up. The person with the lowest exposed card must pay the "bring in". This is a forced bet that is half of the small bet (in a fixed limit game). After the bring in is paid, players can raise, call, or fold. In other words, they can bet as they are used to with any other game of poker.
Once the betting has finished, another exposed card is dealt to each player. This fourth card is followed by a second round of betting. This round of betting is started by the person with the highest exposed hand. In other words, if your two exposed cards are both Aces, you are the person who will kick the betting off. This motif holds for all future betting rounds. The best exposed hand begins the betting.
A fifth card is dealt to all players. This card, like the one before it, is an exposed card. For those playing fixed limit games, this is the point where the big bet comes into play.
A sixth card is dealt, face up. After this there is yet another round of betting.
The 7th and final card is dealt face down. This gives each player four exposed cards and three that are still a mystery. The final round of betting now commences. The winner is the person who can make the best five card hand with their seven cards.
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