7 Card Stud Variations

By adding cards, wilds, and other standard poker variations, players have taken the base form of 7 Card Stud poker and expanded it to create quite an array of different "home games".

♠ Eight Card Stud
A variation of 7 Card Stud that uses eight cards instead. The final two cards are dealt face down.

♠ Low Hole Card Wild
Each player's lowest hole card is wild. So are other cards of the same rank in his hand. In some versions that last card is always dealt face down. In other versions the player has the choice to take the last card face up, and turns up one of his original hole cards.

♠ Four-Four-Four
Stud poker consisting of four down cards, four up cards, and fours wild. The first three cards are dealt face down. Betting begins after the first exposed card is dealt. The eigth and final card is dealt face down.

Three-Three-Three
Three down cards, three up cards, and threes are wild. The first two cards are dealt face down, and so is the last card.

♠ Follow the Queen
This game involves wild cards that may change as the game progresses. The card that follows a face up Queen is wild. If another Queen is dealt face up, the card that follows is wild and the previous wild cards go back to their face value. Only one rank of cards is ever wild.

If the last up card dealt is a queen, a final card is dealt in the middle of the table. The three remaining cards of similar rank are then wild. So, if a five was dealt in the middle of the table, fives are wild.

♠ Cowpie Poker (version 1)
In this game, players deal and bet as they would a traditional game of 7 Stud. After the final betting round takes place, players then break their hands into a five card hand and a two card hand.
The two card hand must contain one of the player's down cards. And, the five card hand has to rank higher than the two card hand ranks.
After the players have assembled their two hands, the pot is split between the highest five card hand at the table, and the highest two card hand at the table.

This is a take on Pai-Gow Poker.

♠ Five & Ten
Fives and Tens are both wild, provided a player holds one of each. If a player holds two fives, they are not wild. If a player holds three tens, they are not wild. Players must hold one of each rank.

♠ Baseball
A wild vairation of Seven Card Stud with the following rules:
- All nines are wild
- A three in the hole is wild
- A face up three may eliminate the player
- A face up four entitles the player to an extra card.

In some versions of the game a face up three eliminates the player instantly. In other versions the player may stay in the game by matching the pot. If he stays, all threes then become wild.

♠ Seven Card No Peek
Same as 5 Card No Peek, except with two extra cards.

♠ Anaconda
Similar to Pass The Garbage (5 Card Stud variation). Seven card hands are dealt, followed by the first round of betting. Each player passes three unwanted cards to his left. The next round of betting takes place. Each player passes two unwanted cards to their left. Followed by the next round of betting. Each player passes one unwanted card to their left.

Now each player discards two cards. Finally each player "rolls", or turns face up, one card at a time, with a round of betting after each roll. Often played hi/low.

♠ Harem
This game is dealt exactly as 7 Card is dealt. The twist comes in with the wild cards. Jacks and Kings are wild.
If a players is dealt a Queen, that nullifies any wild Kings or Jacks in their hand.

Three Queens is the Harem, and an automatic winner. At the end of the hand, barring a Harem, the highest hand at the table takes the pot.