7-Card Stud: Basic Strategy

  Luck is what separates the winners in 7 Card Stud from the losers at the poker game. It isnt that the winners are the ones who get lucky in the end. It is actually quite the opposite. It is the losers in poker who need to rely on luck to get them by. Winners know that poker is about using skill to cancel out the luck element in the game.  It is the bad player who keeps calling each bet and hopes to get lucky on the last one or two cards. The skillful player does everything they can to either eliminate the rest of the players from the game, so that they are not in the hand anymore if a lucky card falls at the end, or makes sure they are not feeding the pot with a hand that has no chance of victory.  There are some very basic things the beginning player can do to tip the balance in their direction. First, be very finicky when it comes to starting hands. If you are selective, and play only starting hands that have a legitimate chance of winning, than you are one step ahead of a lot of folks who will be at the table with you.  Experience and skill are determining factors in any sport. No high school quarterback is ready to play against the Chicago Bears defense, and neither is a new player ready to play at a table with folks who have been playing the game for years. Ideally a player wants to sit at a table with opponents who are far less experienced than they are. The goal will be to take advantage of their inexperience, and then take their money. Remember; try to play tables where everyone is a level or two below you.  It is also helpful to know your competition. This can be done through simple observation. Instead of heading for the snack tray when you fold, or watching re-runs of Married with Children, stay at the table and observe what goes on. Figure out plays inferior hands, who folds at aggression, who bets with draws, who calls bets with weak hands and long-shot draws, who can be bluffed, who bluffs, etc.  Also, if you think your beat, you probably are. Avoid calling unless you have a good reason, like you have a competitive hand or you are attempting to trap an opponent.  Finally, when you get a strong draw, raise aggressively. For example, if you hit a good draw, like a four-flush on Fourth Street, raise, dont call. It is very possible that doing this will make your opponent fold what may have been a better hand while you hold on to your strong draw.