For some the history of poker began the day Shana Hiatt strutted across their televisions and introduced them to the world of Texas Hold'em. In reality poker was around centuries before Shana was even a zygote. Texas Hold'em is also a relatively new cultural phenomenon. For a long time it was 7 Card Stud that ruled the poker roost.

Despite the fact that 7 Card Stud no longer occupies center stage as the most popular game in poker, this does not mean the game is any less intriguing. It just means the fickle winds of popularity have temporarily blown in another direction. For those who feel like taking a break from becoming one of the programmed masses who play Hold'em simply because Alex Trebek and Ben Affleck told them to, we have provided a guide to the rules of the classic game of 7 Card Stud.

At the start of the game each player is dealt two cards face down and one card face up. If you you are playing the game with a "Bring-in", this is where that particular action occurs.

A "Bring-in" is a forced bet at the start of the game. When playing with a "Bring-in", it is the player with the lowest card showing who begins the betting. The other players will follow with their own bets in a clockwise order from the first bet. The players following the "Bring-in" are not allowed to check. There are those times when two players have equally ranked low cards. In the case of this sort of "tie" suit may be used to break the tie. Seeing as there are no absolute rules that govern which suit is higher than another, the table should establish a suit heirarchy before the start of the game. If there is no bring-in, betting begins with the player showing the highest-ranking upcard. In a game with no Bring-in, players may check. If two players have equally ranking upcards, suit should not be used to break this particular tie. In this case the first player in clockwise rotation from the dealer will kick the betting off.

After the first betting round, the dealer will discard the top card on top of the deck. This is referred to as "burning" a card. The purpose of burning a card is to discourage cheating by getting rid of a card that may have accidently been seen by the dealer or players.

Once the card has been burned, each player is then dealt another upcard. This will be followed by a second round of betting. The player who's upcards make the best poker hand gets to start this round of betting. All following betting rounds will continue in this format.

The second betting round is followed by a third upcard and betting round, a fourth upcard and betting round. When the fifth card is dealt, it is dealt to each player face down. So when you look at the table each player has four cards showing and three held in their hands.

A final round of betting follows this last card. If there are any players left in the hand, than the showdown begins. The player who can make the best five card poker hand is the person who gets to claim the pot.

The main difference between 7 Card Stud and Texas Hold'em is the "Community Card" element is removed. In essence it is almost a completely different game with a dynamic and strategy unto itself. If this is not something you have tried yet, give the game whirl. Some who have tried it simply do not go back to Hold'em.

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