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7 Card Stud Advanced Strategy

April 21, 2009

This is the final installment of our 3-part 7 Card Stud strategy guide. By this time, you should already have a very solid 7 Card Stud game, but there are a few more advanced tactics to be learned.

If you have not read our previous 7 Card Stud beginner and intermediate level strategies, we highly recommend doing so. These teach the basics of a 7 Card Stud strategy, like starting hands and the value of door cards, followed by deeper aspects of the game, such as street betting, reading the board and knowing when to up the stakes.

If you’d like to read these 7 Card Stud strategies, please use the links below:

7 Card Stud Beginner Strategy
7 Card Stud Intermediate Strategy

Our 7 Card Stud advanced strategy will delve into the psychological elements of 7 Card Stud Poker. We’ll be talking about three key ways to play upon weaknesses and strengths, including playing your position, playing your opponents, and using deception to play on emotions.

7 Card Stud Advanced Strategy – Playing your Position

Your betting position on the felt has a great effect on the value of your hand. You could be dealt what is normally a great starting hand, but in early position, it becomes weak. Conversely, you could be dealt a marginal starting hand, but from late position, it increases in value.

Late position is the best place to be. You are afforded the opportunity to observe the actions and behavior of most players before deciding whether or not to invest in the pot. If you have a great hand, and others are betting early, you can choose to call and keep the pot growing, or raise and try to take the pot down early. If no other players are showing much confidence, even with a marginal hand, you can raise to steal the blinds.

Early position is dangerous because you are up against the late position bettors who have the opportunity above. Only make a move if you have a great hand, one that is strong enough to be worth the hefty raise you may have to call to play it. Otherwise, fold early and save your chips for a better hand.

7 Card Stud Advanced Strategy – Playing your Opponents

By now, you should realize poker is not just a game of cards, but a game of deep strategy. Psychology plays a strong role in the success of seasoned poker players. You don’t need a degree, just a keen knack for observation. Luckily, this is something that can be acquired over time, just by keeping mental notes of your opponents behavior.

Watch for betting patterns in relation to hand strength and position. Do they always raise in late position? Try calling their bluff. Do they play a tight game, only making a move with premium holdings? Beware their high bets/raises. Do they see most flops? They are playing loose and investing chips even with marginal holdings – call with a good hand and take them to the showdown.

Watch for emotional and nervous habits as well. If you’re playing live poker, these are easier to detect. Eyebrow movements, touching or scratching the face, fingers through the hair, these are all famous poker tells. When you see such actions, find out what kind of hand he is holding. He’s either nervous betting on a bad hand or a monster hand. Are they betting immediately, or taking time to think about their actions. Again, see what kind of hand they end up with. Once you can key in on their behavior, you can predict their upcoming reactions, as well as their holdings.

Practice this technique by focusing on a single player. Try predicting whether he will check, call, bet or fold according to his previous habits and hand strengths. When you can successfully predict him, exploit his weakness while you begin focusing on another player. Pretty soon, you’ll discover most players fall into categories, making it easy to read an entire table within a few hands of play.

7 Card Stud Advanced Strategy – Playing on Emotions

If you want to play on the emotions of your opponents, keeping them frustrated and guessing at every turn, do not let yourself be a pattern bettor. The section above describes how to read your opponents, and you can bet your last chip they are trying to read you in the same manner. Change things up. Don’t always raise in late position, don’t always slow play a monster hand, switch from tight to loose play intermittently and they’ll never be able to figure you out.

7 Card Stud Strategy Guide – The End…

This is the final chapter in our 7 Card Stud Strategy Guide. There isn’t much else we can teach you, except to say that if you steadily apply all of the tactics from this 3-part strategy, you should see large and consistent profits playing 7 Card Stud.

Written by Rob · Filed Under HORSE Poker Strategy 

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