Poker Strategy - Winning Fourth Street Play in Seven Card Stud

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Winning Fourth Street Play in Seven Card Stud

Seven card stud is one of the most interesting and challenging forms of poker. Next to Texas hold'em, it is one of the most popular types of poker to play, and can be found in card rooms live and online poker sites all over the world. Seven card stud has some very different strategic ideas than in Texas hold'em, in part due to the additional betting rounds. One thing you will have to know to succeed in seven card stud is how to play fourth street.

Fourth street is the first card you receive after the initial round of betting. Presumably you started with three strong cards to enter the pot. If you feel you have the best hand on fourth street, for example, you started with A K underneath and an 8 up, and an A comes on fourth street, you

will want to try to eliminate draws, since with three more cards to come, many players may want to hang around to try to catch a straight or flush. Since seven card stud is mostly played with a fixed limit betting structure, it is difficult to get players out, so you will want to try and make it two bets to as many players as you can. You do this by gauging your position with respect to others in the hand. If you think that a player close to you on your left is aggressive and likes their hand, you should bet out so that they can raise, making it harder for successive players to call. If on the other hand, the aggressive player or player with a strong board is on your right, you may want to check, let them bet, and then check-raise, making it two bets to all the players in between.

If someone pairs their door card, that is to say, their first upcard showing, on fourth street, you should be very wary about continuing with the hand. Most players with a weak upcard enter a pot because they have either a concealed pair or have a match to the upcard, which means they will have now made trips or two pair. It is conceivable they are on a flush or straight draw but the first scenario is common enough that you should have a very strong hand or draw if you are to continue with the hand. Remember that the more cards you see, the more committed you will be to continuing to see cards. Keep this in mind when deciding whether or not to continue on fourth street. A judicious decision here can save you many chips in the long run of seven card stud poker games.

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