Limit Seven Card Stud - Basic Starting Hands
In order to determine which starting cards to play and which to fold, you must look around and see whether your hand is live or not. "Live" cards are those which are known to be in play rather than out. Hands such as weak pairs, straight draws, flush draws and others, can be played when your cards are all live.
Let's say you start with (Ten of Clubs - 9 of Spades) 8 of Diamonds. If all the 7s are live, rather than two being out, this hadn is ber. If the 7s and a J are out, your hand is not playable. The exception would be holding a pair of As or Ks when no A is showing. In most situations, even if the hand is almost dead, this can be played.
To make your decision easier, the following list represents the best starting hands in Limit Seven-Card Stud poker:
1. Three of a kind (also called rolled-up trips). Starting with (A-A) A and on down.
2. Big pairs AA-JJ. The hand is ber when the pair is hidden making the hand more deceptive to opponents. Here, your kicker is very important, a (J-J) A is ber than a (J-J) 2.
3. Big suited connectors, such as (#As-#Ks) #Qs, (#Ks-#Qs) #Js or (#Js-#Ts) #Qs.
4. Medium pairs TT-88 and medium suited connectors, such as (#Js-#Ts) #9s, (#Ts-#9s) #8s and (#9s-#8s) #7s.
5. Large suited semi connectors, such as (#As-#Qs) #Js, (#Ks-#Js) #Ts or (#As-#Ks) #Ts.
If your unsure of how the hands rank, please see our Poker Hand Rankings guide.
Strategy Article 1. Limit Holdem Starting Hands
Strategy Article 2. Omaha Hi Lo Starting Hands
Strategy Article 3. No Limit Starting Hands
Strategy Article 4. Omaha Hi Starting Hands
