It is a fact that the majority of money that is lost in Seven Card Stud is by players who simply don’t know how to play the game properly. That knowledge can help you immensely, because it means that by learning all the basic strategies, you will have a definite edge of the majority of other players, meaning you will win more games, which equals making more money from poker. Let’s look at some hard and fast strategies that will help you to accomplish this.

It may appear an obvious no-brainer but high value starting cards can be used to your advantage, especially if the first up card is a big one, such as ace. The advantage here is that you can use it to give the impression that you have a good hand, even if you don’t. Other players will perceive a player with an ace showing to have the potential to bet their hand and may fold a better hand in the process.

You should make your decision to stay or fold as early on as Third Street as already you will be able to see other player’s hands unfolding and be able to base your decision on several important factors at this early stage of the game. Some of these are the size of the pot, what you have in your hand, how many players remain and whether the table is playing tight or loose. You should weight up all these factors before committing to stay in past Third Street.

You should stay focused and retain your discipline right to the very end of the game. A lapse in concentration can spell disaster if you were to miss some cards being folded, or fail to notice a sudden change in betting strategy from another player. Also, by betting further into each subsequent hand just to see what comes up without having a strong hand of your own is lacking discipline and could prove to be costly. Its no good, for instance having J-10-9 on third street knowing that there are three queens already out there. The chances of being dealt the fourth queen and an eight to complete a straight are slim at best. This would be a hand to fold then wait for a better hand to come along in the next game. If you chase too many hands like that, you could lose all your chips faster than you’d like.

Be sure to weigh up the other players around the table and analyse their playing characteristics. You need to ask yourself questions like the following:

“Are they playing tight or loose?”

“Are they aggressive or passive?”

“Are they experienced or novices?”

Watch their pattern of play to see if they bluff a lot or not at all, or if they follow observable patterns. Hone this ability as sharply as you can, for knowing your opposition and being able to second guess their actions could not only save you a lot of money, it could also win you a lot of money.

Remember that no matter how good you are, you will from time to time come up against players who are very good at concealing their mode of play. These are the most dangerous opponents, as you can be sure they will have analysed your own playing characteristics soon enough.