Winning 7 Stud Play:
First Three Cards

BY: Ashley Adams
Contact at: (Asha34@aol.com)
Author of Winning 7-Card Stud

There's no question about it. The most important decision you will make in 7-Card Stud will be whether to call, fold or raise on the first three cards. Let's keep it simple to start.

In general, especially at the lower stakes tables, you want to stay ONLY if you have one of the following starting hands: Trips, a Pair, Three to a Flush, or Three to a Straight. You will not stay with these hands automatically. And there are other hands that you can play depending on the type of game you're in, your position, your table image, and your opponents. But in general, these are your only playable hands.

For purposes of keeping it short, I'm not going to go into a lot of detail. But stay with me and you'll end up with a good basic strategy for playing your first three cards.

TRIPS: Don't worry too much about them. You'll get them rarely and they'll usually win regardless of how you play them. Usually play them slow to entice others into the pot that you can reasonably expect to win. But to maximize your win play them fast if you're reasonably sure that at least one of your opponents will not give you credit for them and will call you down. This is usually the case if others are already in the hand when you raise, and often the case if you have a high card showing. You will succeed in two ways by raising in these instances (rather than just calling). You'll get more money into a pot you expect to win. And you'll make the pot large enough early on to justify calls from your opponents. Since you will improve to a full house or better about half the time, even if they improve to straights and flushes, you expect to improve enough to WANT them to attempt these draws.

PAIRS: Premium Pairs (10s or better) warrant a raise from any position most of the time and a reraise if you judge yourself to be the highest pair. So if a Queen raises and you have Kings, reraise. You want to knock out other players who might be tempted to call with borderline hands for just the bring in. Don't let them. Shut them out with a raise or reraise, lest they draw to move ahead of you and beat you. Generally, call if you have a Premium Pair which may not be the highest Premium pair. Though if you're sure you're second best, you are better off folding. Knowledge of your opponents helps here in determining where you stand. Sometimes when an Ace raises, they really have a low pair with an Ace kicker. So you wouldn't want to fold your Queens here. But other times, when an Ace raises you're sure he really has Aces. In those instances it makes sense to fold your Kings and not chase.

Middle and low pairs can be played profitably depending on your position, your kicker, and a few other considerations. If the game has a high ante structure relative to your initial bet ($15/30 with a $2 ante and $5 force bet for example) you often should raise with a low pair if you think it will get you heads up with the higher pair, especially if you have a kicker higher than his pair...and even more so if there is a good chance that the high card that raised might have been attempting an ante steal. If you have two suited cards this is an extra reason to make this play. If the raiser might throw away his hand to your reraise this is another extra reason to make this play. Middle and low pairs can also be played if the game is very loose, a number of players are already in, you don't expect anyone else to reraise, and your cards are completely live. So if a King raises, you have a 5 showing with a 5 and Ace in the hole (two suited) and there are five callers to you with a very passive player and a passive bring in after you can call the raise. But don't fall into the trap of always calling with under pairs, hoping that you'll improve to beat the higher pair. Down that road lies poker ruin!

3-FLUSHES: In a loose game, all are playable if they are live. So if you expect the hand to be four-way or better on Fourth Street, call if you see only one or two of your suit out. Three out and you fold no matter how loose the game. In a tight game, where the hands are seldom more than heads up, fold 3-flushes unless you have at least two Premium cards that are live and your flush is especially live (no more than one suited card out). And if you're in a tight game and against just one tight player who rarely raises without at least a Premium Pair, you should fold all three flushes.

3-STRAIGHTS: Play them even less often than 3-Flushes. In a loose game, if you expect at least four or more of you to see Fourth Street go ahead and call a raise if your primary and secondary straight cards are fairly live (no primary cards out and only one secondary card out. If you hold 8-9-10 the Jack and 7 are primary straight cards, the 6 and Queen are secondary straight cards.) Higher 3-Straights are better than lower 3-Straights primarily because they can improve to Premium Pairs on Fourth Street.. Be more inclined to fold 3-4-5 than 10-Jack-Queen. Similarly, completely open 3-Straights are better than gutshot or restricted 3-Straights. 4-5-6 is better than 2-3-4, 4-6-7, or A-2-3.

If the game is very loose and very passive you can also play hands that have three high cards and two suited high cards. But don't go crazy with this. I'd seldom play them if the bring-in were raised. If the game is very tight, on the other hand, you can raise with these hands as an ante steal. In fact, if you are against a very aggressive and tight player and your image is very tight you can occasionally resteal the pot by reraising with these hands. Again, don't make a habit of it. But if a Queen raises a bring-in after three or four folds, and you are last to act with a King up, a suited Ace in the hole and a blank, you can occasionally reraise this hand and pick up the pot, representing a pair of Queens. I've seen players who figured to steal the pot with nothing fold to the reraise and even players with a pair of Queens fold, presuming incorrectly that the only way I would raise would be with a pair of Kings.

That's it for now. I'm happy to answer specific questions about Third Street play by e-mail.

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