On the River: 7 Card Stud Strategy Tips

7 Card Stud poker is a reigning gambling game in the USA. If you gamble on the Internet or hit up a casino, you will undoubtedly run into it. These are good 7 Card Stud strategy points for the last round of the game, or the river. They will help you understand how the end of the game works.

The End

In the last round, one of two things have probably happened to you. You either have a decent hand that stands a chance, or you may have a busted draw. If the latter is the case, it is usually best to just abandon it at that point as bluffs in this stage of the game are often unsuccessful. If you do have something, you'll have to make an educated guess at whether or not it's the best at the table. This is a situation in which it helps to read your opponents' tells.

Good Situations

Good 7 Card Stud strategy indicates that if you have something great, including a full house, flush or straight, the best thing to do is bet or raise. Don't check unless you feel sure that a more aggressive opponent will bet. In most cases, if you don't have a good read on the situation, you should re-raise or call when you are raised. Think about this: if you have a full house and know for sure that the opponent has at least three of a kind, check and call are the good moves.

Mediocre Situations

Mediocrity is generally described as something like three of a kind or a high pair. If you are only up against a couple of players, it is possible that this could be the best of the bunch and you can bet and call when raised unless you have a good reason to think someone has one better. Think back to the earlier rounds: have any of your opponents indicated in any way that they are doing better?

Poor Situations

If you are working with a low pair or a high pair with no improvements, these are unfortunately mere bluff catchers at this point in the game. Some opponents may keep driving on the hope that you will fold to their bet. Think back over all of their previous actions - can you call a bluff here? A fold is often best when there are several players remaining. All other poor hands should just be folded as well.

Other Statistically Good Moves

Good 7 Card Stud strategy tells us that you'll have the highest hand just one out of every 8 times, so you should fold early as well as often. Only put effort into things if you're well off at the start. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you call the small starting bet with something only mediocre, it can put you on a slippery slope to wasting more and more money waiting to see what comes up next.

These 7 Card Stud strategy tips are not guaranteed to make you a winner or send you home with a huge payout, but they can help keep you in the game and earning the experience you need to become skilled without losing all of your money. Playing at an Internet casino is the easiest, most convenient way to practice poker at low risk - financially and socially.