Stud Poker

The online poker scene has changed over the last few years. In 2010, most players stick to Texas Hold'em and Omaha, and have grown exceedingly proficient at then. There are tools and hand charts available online that will basically play relatively simple games like Hold'em for you. This is why more and more players are moving over to the three Seven Card Stud poker games. These games are more complex and are generally less understood. I play Stud poker at the two largest online poker rooms; Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker. Stud poker can be played 3 ways:

• 7 Card Stud High - Three down cards, four upcards. The player with the highest hand wins.
• 7 Card Stud Hilo - Same as above, only the lowest hand wins 1/2 of the pot (if it is 8 or lower).
• Razz Poker - Same as Stud and Stud Hilo, only you want the lowest hand, no req.

I spend most of my time at the 7 Card Stud tables. The traffic at the two rooms listed above, which both accept U.S. players BTW, is quite massive in 2010. At both rooms combined you'll find almost 500,000 players at the tables at once, during peak hours. Thousands of Stud poker players are at the real money tables at any given time. You can play at stakes ranging from penny poker to games that have average pots over $1,000. Stud poker is really the way to go if you take the time to study up on strategies.

Stud Poker Tips

Stud poker strategy is almost impossible to program into a "poker helper" type program. There are many of these programs for Hold'em players, Stud is much different though. It will take time and effort to become a winning Stud player. I use the TAG poker strategy, which means "Tight Aggressive". Basically, I'll just play only the best starting hands. When I get a solid starting hand in 7 Card Stud, like AA-4 or K7-K, I will be betting a lot since the odds are with me. In Stud HL poker I put more value in high hands then low hands...since the high hand always pays.

Stud Poker In Mixed Poker Games

Mixed poker games are basically rotations of many different card games. You'll play one card game for 10 hands, then play the next one. Some mixed games only have 2 different card games and others have up to 8. H.O.R.S.E poker was the main mixed game for years but games like Seven Game Poker and Eight Game Poker have taken over in 2010. You will have to master many different card games to have a prayer in a game like 7 Game Poker. 8 Game Poker is even harder since it includes 2-7 Triple Draw.

• Stud Poker