Poker Rules

Since poker comes in so many forms, there is no one set of correct poker rules. Each variation of the game needs to be explained to be played properly. Every variation of poker, however, is based on a base set of poker rules or guidelines. Once you understand these guidelines you'll be able to pick up on each variation of the game a little more easily.

The casino poker variation that likely relates the best to your back-room poker games is seven-card stud. Seven-card stud can be found in almost every casino poker room in the United States, and can easily be called the most popular variation of the game.

To get your head around the game properly, read this walk-through of a standard seven-card stud game. Remember the basics, we are all competing against everyone at the table, and we need to have the strongest poker hands to win.

To begin with we'll define the conditions of the game. For simplicity's sake, we'll use a set of conditions very common in casino poker rooms: 1 to 4 dollar bet spread with no ante required. Once you've bought-in and taken a seat at the table, we start the hand.

Each player at the table receives three cards to start. Two of these cards are dealt face down (only known to the player, 'hole cards') and one is dealt face up for everyone at the table to see ('up-card'). To start betting, the player with the weakest up-card must put some money on the table. This initial bit of money can be less than the table minimum, and is generally known as the 'bring-in' bet. If two cards tie as lowest, the card's suit is used to determine what wins. This is the only time in poker that card suits have any ranking significance. Suits are ranked in alphabetical order from lowest to highest. Therefore the lowest card is the 2 of clubs.

Poker rules dictate that betting takes place in a clockwise direction, starting to the left of the player who made the bring-in bet. So let's say player-1 made the bring-in bet of 50 cents, and player-2 is sitting to their left. Player-2 has the option to call, raise or fold.

Fold: If player-2 folds, they turn all of their cards face down, and let the dealer collect their cards. They have forfeited any possibility of winning the pot, and are out of the game until the next hand.

Call: If player-2 calls, they must match what has been bet so far, by putting in the 50c that was originally bet by player-1.

Raise: If player-2 raises, they must match all bets placed so far, and add their raise to whole dollar increments. This means they must place the original 50c in the pot, and then an extra amount to bring to total to either $1, $2, $3 or $4. If player-2 adds 50c and $1.50, they will say 'make it $2'.

Player-3, to player-2's left now has the same options player-2 had. If player-2 raised to $2, player-3 must put in at least $2 to keep in the game, and might want to raise even higher, if they are confident in their hand.

No matter how many players there are, eventually we work our way back around the circle to player-1. Recall player-1 put in the 50c bring-in bet at the beginning of the hand. If player-3 called and put in their $2, then player-1 has the choice to fold, call or raise some more. If player-1 wants to call, they only have to put in $1.50, as the original 50c bet is contributed already.

Now remember, this is seven-card stud, and we've only got three cards so far! After the first round of betting is complete, the players still in get dealt another face-up card. In poker terminology receiving your fourth card is called 'moving on to fourth street'. Fourth street is a slang name used to describe the round of betting you're on. Logically, the first round of play is called 'third street'.

On fourth street, and every successive street in seven-card stud, the player with the highest hand showing acts first. This is a bit different than third street where the lowest showing hand had to act first. If two high hands tie, the player closest to the dealers left acts first.

The first acting player on fourth street has the option to either 'check', or bet. A check is indicated by saying the word 'check' and knocking your knuckles on the table in front of you. It means that you want to stay in the game, but not bet anything. A player who checks simply passes the option to bet on to the next player to their left. They retain the ability to call or raise if the betting makes it back around the table to them.

If everybody at the table checks the round is over and everyone is dealt their next card. If any player bets every other player must respond with a call, raise or fold.

The process of fourth street is repeated twice more (that would be, fifth street and sixth street). After sixth street one more card is dealt face down (either called seventh street or the river). After each new card is dealt the table goes through a round of betting as described above. The hand does not always last to the seventh card however. The hand can stop any time when a player makes a bet that no other player chooses to call.

At the end of the betting, you have what is known as the 'showdown'. The last player to have raised is the first to show their hand. The remaining players show their hand in clockwise rotation from the first. The dealer then determines the winning hand, and pushes the pot to the winner. The hand is over.

Seven-card stud is one predominant poker game played in the casino. Our next focus is on the only game to approach seven-card stud's level of popularity, Texas Hold 'em poker.