7-CARD STUD HIGH

The highest ranking hand wins the pot. The game is normally played with an ante of 10%to 25%of the initial bet, though certain games may have no ante at all. To start the hand each player is dealt two downcards and one upcard. The low card determined by suit in alphabetical order (club, diamond, heart, spade), begins the action on the first betting round with a forced bet. On all subsequent rounds the high card acts first. If there are two hands of equal high value, the player to the left of the dealer position will act first. All active players will receive three more upcards and a final card face down, with a betting round after each card. At the completion of each hand all active players will have 7 cards -three cards face down and four cards face up. A player may use any combination of 5 cards to make their best high hand.

Seven card stud is normally contested at limit poker. Usually the limit is fixed and a player must bet that amount, except on the initial forced bet, completing a bet or going all-in. Most fixed-limit games have a double limit, with the lower limit used on. the early rounds and the higher limit (which is usually double the’ lower limit) on the later rounds. The lower limit is used initially, and the upper limit after the fifth card or an open pair. On the showdown a player uses his best five-card poker hand selected from the seven cards he possesses.

7-CARD STUD LOW (RAZZ)

The lowest hand wins the pot. Aces are low in all cases.Straights or flushes do not impair the low card value of a hand, so the best possible hand is 5-4-3-2-Ace. The format is similar to 7- Card Stud High except the high card (aces are low) is required to make the forced bet on the first round and the low hand acts first on all subsequent rounds. The lower betting limit will be used on the third and fourth cards and the higher limit thereafter. The presence of an open pair does not effect the betting limit on the fourth card. All Seven Card Stud Rules apply equally to RAZZ, unless otherwise noted.

SEVEN CARD STUD RULES

1. The winning hand must show all cards prior to the pot being awarded. Dealers will assist in reading hands to the best of their ability, although it is the player’s responsibility to protect his or her hand at all times. The player instituting the action must tum their hand over first upon completion of all action and the best hand wins.
2. When a bettor miscalls his hand causing another player to discard a possible winning hand, he forfeits his rights to the SEVEN CARD STUD pot. In RAZZ,a bettor must verbally declare a pair before spreading the hand.
3. No rabbit hunting. No one other than the dealer is allowed to touch the discards.
4. Check and raise is permitted.
5. A bet and three raises are allowed for each betting round. Completing an opening forced bet does not count as a raise. There is no limit of raises with only two players remaining. The player who puts in the forced bet may open for the full limit if he chooses.
6. String bets or raises are not allowed. A player must put in the full amount of chips at one time or verbally declare the raise.
7. A player who puts a single chip into the pot that is larger than the bet to him is assumed to have called the bet unless he announces “raise.”
8. A player may get full action on his money, though only a full bet constitutes a bet or raise. Anything less than a full bet is considered to be action only.
   
   Example: In a $5 and $10 game, on the last card, the first player bets $10. The next player goes All-in for $18. The next player may call the initial bet of $10 and $8 action (a total of $18) or may raise the initial bet of $10 to $20. The $8 is action only, not a raise.
9. Suits do not count in the ranking of hands to determine the winning hand. The ranking of suits is used only to determine the lowest card for a forced bet.
10. A card placed face up in the deck (a boxed card) shall be treated as if it were not there. It will be replaced by the next card below it in the deck. The joker shall be treated as a boxed card. If it is dealt to a player as a down card it will be replaced after that round of cards have been dealt. If a player does not call attention to the joker among his down cards before acting on his hand, he has a foul hand and forfeits all rights to the pot.
11. A player must be at the table to receive a hand. If a player antes or asked to be dealt in, but is unable to make it back to the table in time to act in his hand, he forfeits his ante and has a dead hand. The forced bet will be put in forthe player, if that obligation applies.
12. If a player does not have the correct number of cards on the deal. he receives his ante back and is out of the hand. If it is not discovered before there has been an opening bet the player has a foul hand and forfeits all rights to the pot and all monies involved.
13. A misdeal is not called because an ineligible player is dealt a starting hand. A misdeal occurs when a player who has anted is dealt out, provided attention is called to the error before there is action.
14. Any hand that remains intact is not dead until it has been killed by the dealer. A hand that has been discarded b u1 has not touched the muck may be retrieved and ruled a live hand, even if the dealer has touched it, provided the act 01 throwing it away has not induced another player to muck his hand. To have the hand considered live, turning it up may only be done by the owner of that hand or the dealer acting at the owner’s explicit request. A hand thrown away and turned face up by another player or is requested to be turned up by the dealer by another player is not a live hand and may be used for informational purposes only.
15. If a player folds his hand after making a forced bet or on c round of checking, his seat will continue to receive a card until there is a wager.
16. When a player turns any of his upcards over after a bet has been made, he concedes all rights to the pot.
17. A player must have seven cards in order to win. Any other number of cards constitutes a dead hand. Players must protect their own hand at all times.
18. If a player’s first or second hole card is accidentally turned up the third card is dealt down. If both cards are dealt up, the player has a dead hand and receives his ante back. If a card is accidentally dealt off the table and:
    a) it is an upcard, it must play
    b) it is a downcard, it will be treated as an exposed card.
19. If a dealer deals a dead seat a down card (the first or second card) and the error cannot be corrected, it is a misdeal providing there has been no action. If it occurs on an upcard, i will be corrected by moving the card to the proper position. it occurs on the final down card and cannot be corrected, th hands will play.
20. If a dealer burns and deals a card before a round of betting ha been completed that card or cards must be eliminated from play along with an additional card for each remaining player i the hand. After that round of betting has concluded play the resumes in a normal fashion.
21. If a dealer burns two cards or fails to burn a card, if possible move the cards to the right positions to rectify the error. If happens on a down card, and there is no way to tell which car was received then the player must accept that card.
22. If a dealer turns the last card face up to the first player all remaining players will receive their last card face up. The player who was high on the sixth card remains high and betting continues as normal. If players have already received down cards before a card is accidentally turned up, any remaining players will continue to receive their final card down. The exposed card or cards will be replaced after the last player has received his final card.
23. If a player makes an open pair on the fourth card, that player has the option of betting either the higher or lower limit for the hand; i.e., in a $5 & $10 game, if the player makes an open pair on the fourth card that player has the option of betting either $5 or $10. If he bets $5, the next player or players may raise in increments of $5 or $1O.If that player checks all other players in turn have the option to bet either $5 or $10. An open pair on the fourth card does not affect the betting in RAZZ.
24. If the dealer is going to run out of cards before all will deal down to the last card in the deck. Scramble that card along with the burn cards, cut, burn a card, and continue to deal the final card to the remaining players. In the event that there is not enough cards using this method to give the remaining players a complete hand the dealer will mix the last card and the bum cards, cut the deck, burn a card, and turn the top card face up. This card will act as a community card for the players that do not have a complete hand.
25. The splitting of pots among players will not be allowed under any circumstances. All hands must be played to completion.

* in games of 3 – 6 or lower, less than 5 bets of the lower limit is a short buy.
** in games larger than 3 – 6, less than 5 bets of the higher limit is a short buy