When you play 7 Card Stud you recieve three cards at the beginning of each hand. These three cards are called your starting hand. Two of them are dealt to you face down and one is dealt face up in full view of all other players.

A good 7 Card Stud starting hands should have one or more of the following three characteristics:

• Pair or trips. If you have trips you have an excellent starting hand. A high pair is also a strong while lower pairs are more speculative and need help from the board. (as do high but not as much). Pair and trips starting hands have the potential to become very strong hands such as four of a kind and a full house.
• Suited Cards. If you have three of the same suit you have a nice flush draw.
• Connected cards. Cards that are connected can make straights.

If your hand does not fit any of the above characteristics it’s probably time to throw it away. 7 Card Stud is mostly about choosing starting hands since you are often in the pot until the end of the hand. Not always, but often. (Please note that this is with reference to fixed limit where it only costs a fixed amount to call and the bets are relatively small in comparison to the pot.)

Another thing of importance is that the average hand that wins the showdown in a 7 Card Stud is usually a set of trips. (Notice the difference from Holdém where trips is a very good hand). In most pots two pair will suffice but a pair rarely survives. As usual there are no absolut truths about starting hands. On must simply try to choose them with care. If there has been several raises in front I would probably have to throw my 4,5,6 (of different suits) away.

The following are recommended starting hands for 7 Card Stud:

A) All trips (naturally). You will seldomly fold trips.

B) High pairs. Aces through tens. These are good hands that can develop into strong trips or even stronger hands. 

C) 3 connected cards of the same suite. You can draw to the straight flush but you are more likely to end up with a straight or flush.

D) 3 cards of the same suite. Flush draw.

E) 3 connected cards. Straight draw.

F) Low pair with good kicker. This is a speculative hand which can be played as long as no one else has shown strength.

We suggest you stick to these starting hands and you should stay out of most trouble. (As we said it is not an exact science but more of a guideline). We would say that it is fair to play these hands even if the pot is raised. Even so, if there is lot’s of action and your hand fit’s the above characteristics, you still might have to throw it away depending on the players you face and how they act. 

One other aspect of the game to remember is that your hand strength varies depending on what cards are showing. If you have a pair of aces your much better of if there not showing. Imagine you have aces in the hole and a 9 showing. The next card is an ace giving you trips. You are now showing A,9 which is considerably better than AA and more likely to get more money in the pot.

Please continue to the next chapter strategy where you will learn more about how to play as each hand evolves past the first three cards…