Basic History of Seven Card Stud

Before Texas Holdem took over, Seven Card Stud was the biggest game in town. Even though it lost its distinction as the #1 poker variant, Seven Card Stud is now played by more poker players than ever before. Internet poker and increased television coverage have made the game more accessible to poker players all around the world.

Little is known about where, exactly, 7 Card Stud came from except that it appears to be an offshoot of the first Five Card Stud games. Long before Seven Card Stud became the main game, Five Card Stud and Five Card Draw were the most popular poker variants. It’s believed that soldiers played a lot of those games to pass time during the Civil War. At some point, someone decided to add two cards to the game and call it Seven Card Stud.

In all likelihood, the additional two cards were added to Five Card Stud to make it a more exciting game. With just five cards dealt to each player, strong hands were few and far between. On top of that, most of the cards were dealt face-up, which tended to freeze up the action. It was no surprise when someone saw these problems and decided to something about it.

No one knows for sure when it happened, but two cards were added to each hand to give the players a greater chance to catch stronger hands. It also added an extra element of strategy to the game because about half the cards were dealt face up and half were dealt face down. Players could no longer narrow down what their opponents had with the same ease as before.

7 Card Stud Starts to Catch On

Seven Card Stud caught on and spread across the United States during the rest of the 1800s and throughout the 1900s. Soon, most serious poker players preferred Seven Card Stud over all other forms of poker. It remained the most popular game for nearly a century of poker’s history.

In the 1980s, a new game called “Texas Holdem” made its first appearances in Las Vegas poker rooms. Players instantly took to the new game because it was so simple to learn. Casual players particularly enjoyed the game and soon the professionals were following the fish to the Texas Holdem tables.

Seven Card Stud never completely died out during this time, but it definitely took a back seat to Texas Holdem. Television coverage in the early 2000s increased Texas Holdem’s popularity and Seven Card Stud managed to hitch a ride. With all the attention brought to poker in general, it also resulted in new players giving the classic poker game a shot.

Today, Seven Card Stud is alive and well. It can be found at most large live casinos and at many internet poker sites. As time passes and more internet players decide to try Seven Card Stud, the game continues to grow. It might not ever overtake Texas Holdem, but it will always have a special place in the poker world.