7 card stud poker - Limit Poker: How to play vulnerable hands

Most of the time with the leading hands you will not be so confident of winning that you want to keep a great many players in, any one of whom may outdraw you. Most hands that prove to be winners in seven card stud showdowns are rarely formed before the sixth or seventh card.

With several opponents still in the hand at the sixth card, and a leading hand that is only average, jacks or queens up for instance, it is wise to check. This is a good way to see who is proud of his hand, and while there is some danger that everyone may also check, this sign of weakness will also be helpful to you in the final round. If your bet after the fifth card did not cause a competitor to drop out, another bet on the sixth round is also unlikely to make him do so, so such a bet should only be made if you have improved to a winning hand.

On the final round you should almost always check unless you have improved to a hand that you believe will beat even the hands that the others were drawing to achieve. There is no point in betting otherwise: an opponent who has busted wont call any bet you make, so there is nothing to gain, and one who has hit a straight or better will call and beat you.