Seven-Card Stud

  Much like the Dinosaurs of old, there was a day when seven card stud ruled the world. Unlike the ancient mega fauna though, seven card stud was not killed off by climate changes, the rise of mammals, or the galaxy chucking large rocks at the planet. This formerly popular version of poker was knocked off its pedestal by coming of Texas Holdem.  Even though seven card stud no longer holds the position of prominence it once had, it is still an excellent game to play. Some play it because they simply prefer it to other forms of poker, others are interested in it for its nostalgic value. The game harkens back to the time of the old west and the gangland days back in the 1920s. Whatever the reason for taking up this game though, it cant be played unless a player knows the rules.  The game begins with each player being dealt two cards face down and one card face up. Some people play this with a Bring-in, which is a forced bet at the start of the game. The player with the lowest card showing is responsible for starting the betting off in this situation. Betting will follow in a clockwise order. The Bring in is considered the first bet. The players following this open may not check. In the event that two players have equally ranked low card, suit may be used to break the tie. There is no absolute about the hierarchey of suit. In fact it changes region by region. This is something a group of players can probably work out on their own.  If there is no bring-in, betting begins with the player showing the highest-ranking upcard. This player may check. If two players have equally ranking upcards, suit should not be used to break this particular tie. In this case the first player in clockwise rotation from the dealer will kick the betting off.  After the first betting round, the dealer will send a burn card to the discard pile. Following this exile of the burn card another upcard is dealt to each player. This will be followed by a second round of betting. The player whos upcards make the best poker hand gets to initiate this round of betting. Even with less then five cards showing the exodus of the less daring players should start at this round. All following betting rounds will continue with this format. After a card is dealt, the person who can make the scariest poker hand gets to set the financial tone by starting off that particular rounds betting.  The second round is followed by a third upcard and betting round, a fourth upcard and betting round. Those who like suspense will love what is dealt next. The final card is dealt face down. So when you look at the table each player has four cards showing and three clutched in a paranoid death grip, close to their chests. More timid players will look at the four cards showing in front of their adversaries and probably give up and go watch re-runs of Gilligans Island until the big boys are done with their showdown.  Mathmatics and seven card stud sometimes dont play well together. If your game includes eight players, there may be a problem. Seven cards multiplied by eight players in addition to four burn cards comes out to sixty. Unless your three year old has snuck some of his Star Wars cards into your deck, you shoud only have fifty-two cards. This leaves the game eight cards short. If the deck does become exhausted there are a few fix options. First of all you can always send the least popular member of the group out to pick up a pizza. This will reduce the number of those playing to seven. Things tend to work out numerically better in this situation. This solution doesnt work for everyone though. In most cases the burn cards can be used. This will complete the hand and save some members of the group from nagging self-seteem problems.   In the event there is still a card shortage the final deal can be altered. Instead of one face down card to everyone, deal one community card, face up, to the center of the table. The group will use this card to complete their hands. The game and betting will continue as normal.