Seven-card stud

Seven-card stud, also known as Seven-Toed Pete or Down-The-River, is a variant of stud poker. Before the 2000s surge of popularity of Texas hold 'em, seven-card stud was one of the most widely played poker variants in home games across the United States and in casinos in the eastern part of the country. Although seven-card stud is not as common in casinos today, it is still played online. The game is commonly played with two to eight players; however, eight may require special rules for the last cards dealt if no players fold. Playing with nine players is possible.

In casino play, it is common to use a small ante and bring-in. In home games, using only an ante is typical.

Seven-card stud is the "S" game in HORSE and similar mixed game formats.

The early development of the 7-card pack is not fully known, although it is thought to have evolved from the 5-card pack sometime in the mid-19th century by adding two more cards to make the game more interesting. Five-card Stud was the more popular version for a long time, but as the quality of play and knowledge of strategy improved over time, many of the best players of their time moved away from the simplicity of five-card Stud to the more complex seven-card Stud. 7-card Stud was long the most popular poker variant in casinos around the world until it was displaced from the top spot by the growing popularity of Texas Hold'em, driven in part by the World Series of Poker tournament series and its popularization through online poker in the early 2000s. Nevertheless, 7 Card Stud is still one of the favorite games of both high-stakes professionals and home poker enthusiasts; and variants of it have been created 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo and Razz, which, due to new changes in the rules of the game, require new strategies and present new challenges to players.