7 card stud poker - Second round play

With three cards to come, any four card holding may become the winning hand, but only those listed on the previous page really have enough potential to be worth considering as probable winners.

Prior to calling a second round bet, it is worth considering how many different cards you can get that will make the next round more promising for you. The fewer there are, the more reluctant you should be to call.

In this case, it is worth noting four different kinds of four card holdings.

1. Holdings that are already probable winners.

With a good hand such as three of a kind or aces-up, you probably do not need to improve to be in possession of a winner. It is here that your focus should turn to pot management. Either, place a normal sized bet or check. With a powerful hand the last thing you want to do is scare the other players into submission by raising

2. Average holdings that can become good hands with one more card, and may even win without it.

This relates to hands such as two middle or small pairs, or low trips. Although good, these hands are vulnerable. The best tactic here is to raise sharply in a bid to induce the other players to fold.

3. Drawing hands that need definite improvement, but can potentially become winners with one card.

Four card straights and flushes would be the obvious example here. If, however, there remain only one or two opponents, high pairs such as kings or aces would also qualify. Your desired cards should be obtained as cheaply as possible. If it is your bet, check.

4. Holdings that require two of the next three cards to become a probable winner but have multiple ways of hitting.

Such hands include three card straights or flushes that also contain a high pair, or a hand that has both a three-card straight and a three-card flush. When two cards are needed to make a hand, you must try and obtain these cards with the least possible expense.