You are here:About>Hobbies & Games>Poker> Home Poker Games> Poker Variations> 7 Card Stud Poker Variations -- Variants for Seven Card Stud Poker Rules
About.comPoker

7 Card Stud Poker Variations

From Toby Bochan,
Your Guide to Poker.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

Poker Rules for Razz, Chicago, and More



These poker games are based on Seven Card Stud, but add or change something about the rules, such as add wild cards. If you're playing a dealer's choice game, they're fun to add to the mix.

Razz


Razz is seven card stud played for low -- in other words, instead of the highest hand winning, the lowest hand wins the pot. The lowest hand in Razz is A-2-3-4-5, because straights and flushes don't count against a hand being low, and aces are counted as low. The ace to five straight is also called "the bike" or "the wheel."

More on How to Play Razz

Follow the Queen


This game features a wild card and is dealt the same as traditional seven card draw, but instead of the dealer choosing what cards will be wild before the first card is dealt, the cards dealt decide the wild card. To explain: in this game, if a queen is dealt face up to any player, the following card dealt face up becomes the wild card for all players. So if I’m dealt a queen face up and the next player is dealt a six, sixes become the wild card for everyone. Until another queen comes up. If another queen is dealt, the next card dealt face up becomes the new wild card for everyone. If a queen happens to be the very last card dealt face up, then all wild cards are off. It’s interesting to play because of how suddenly the value of each player’s hand can change when a queen comes out to play.

Chicago


This is a split-pot variation of seven-card stud, where the high hand splits the pot with the player with the highest spade in the hole. The high hand and spade can be held by the same player, in which case he will win or “scoop” the whole pot.

Also known as: Black Mariah

Baseball



This wild-card filled game was my favorite as a child. In this seven card stud variation, 3s and 9s are wild (for strikes and innings), and if you're dealt a 4 and you get an extra card. Some people play that players must add a forced bet and add a certain amount into the pot when dealt 3s, 9s, or 4s. Usually it’s the same amount as the ante at the beginning of the game.

With players having 8 wilds and the possibility of 8 or 9 cards in their hand, it's not uncommon for the winning hand to be five-of-a-kind or a straight flush. So if all you've got is three of a kind in baseball, you'll probably strike out.
 All Topics | Email Article | Print this Page | |
Advertising Info | News & Events | Work at About | SiteMap | Reprints | HelpOur Story | Be a Guide
User Agreement | Ethics Policy | Patent Info. | Privacy Policy©2008 About, Inc., A part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.