Seven Card Stud Terminology

There are a number of poker terms used throughout our Seven Card Stud Poker articles, and it is not always easy to keep them straight. You also hear poker terms and poker terminology banded about at the tables or in poker magazines. This article provides a simple reference guide to all of the most common terms used when playing Seven Card Stud Poker and all the terms used throughout our poker strategy series for Seven Card Stud.

Aggressive: describes a player who frequently bets to control the action
Ante: a bet that players must put in before getting cards; guarantees that money is put in the pot on each hand
Bicycle: a term for the ace to five straight; see also wheel
Bring-in: the first forced bet in a hand of seven card stud. In a $1/$2 game, this bet is $0.50 and is made by the player with the lowest door card
Broadway: a term for the ten to ace straight
Burn: a practice in dealing whereby the dealer removes the top card from the deck and puts it out of play before dealing a street; done in seven card stud before dealing every street from fourth on.
Call: to match a bet already made in a given round of betting
Check: to pass the action without betting
Door card: the first exposed card in a hand of seven card stud; dealt at the same time as the two hole cards
Fifth street: the fifth card dealt in seven card stud. It marks the third round of betting and a doubling of the bet size.
Flush: a hand consisting of five cards all of the same suit
Fold: to concede one's hand
Four of a kind: a hand consisting of four cards of the same rank
Fourth street: the fourth card dealt in seven card stud. It marks the second round of betting.
Full boat: see full house
Full house: a hand consisting of three cards of one suit and two of another
High card: a hand that does not have a pair or better. The lowest ranking class of hand in poker.
Hole cards: the first two down cards in seven card stud; see also pocket cards
Kicker: the highest unpaired card in a player's hand; used to break ties. Can also describe the second highest card in a flush.
Loose: describes a player who plays more hands than average
made hand: a hand that has strength. Can be used to describe a strong starting hand or a hand that used to be a drawing hand and has improved to a straight or flush.
Pair: a hand consisting of two cards of the same rank
Passive: describes a player who frequently does not bet, allowing others to control the action. This type of player is generally considered weak.
Pocket cards: see hole cards
Quads: see four of a kind
Raise: to make another bet on top of a bet already made
River: the last card dealt in seven card stud. It is dealt face down and marks the last round of betting before showdown.
Rolled-up trips: three of a kind consisting of both pocket cards and the door card. Rolled-up aces is the best possible starting hand in seven card stud.
Royal flush: the five cards from ten to ace all of the same suit. It is the highest possible straight flush and the highest ranking hand in poker.
Set: see three of a kind
Showdown: when players show their cards following the last round of betting in order to determine the winner
Sixth street: the sixth card dealt in seven card stud. It is the last card dealt face up.
Split pair: a starting hand in which the door card is paired by one of the hole cards
Starting hand: the first three cards in a player's hand in seven card stud; the two hole cards and the door card
Straight: a hand consisting of five cards in sequence but not all of the same suit
Straight flush: a hand consisting of five cards in sequence and of the same suit
street: refers to both a round of betting in seven card stud and the card dealt just prior to that round
Three of a kind: a hand consisting of three cards of the same rank
Three-flush: describes a starting hand in which all three cards are of the same suit, allowing the player to try to draw to a flush
Three-straight: describes a starting hand in which all three cards can be part of the same five card straight, allowing the player to try to draw to a straight. The draw is better if the cards are exactly in sequence, like 6-7-8, rather than 6-8-9.
Tight: describes a player who plays fewer hands than average
Trips: see three of a kind
Two pair: a hand consisting of two different pairs
Wheel: see bicycle
Wired pair: a starting hand in which the hole cards make a pair

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