Stud Poker
In stud poker, each player is dealt one or two cards face down, and then one card face up so that other players can see it. A round of betting takes place before further cards are dealt face up and more betting accompanies each card. In seven card stud the dealing of a card face-down precedes the final round of betting.

There are several variations of stud poker, and these are usually named after the number of cards involved - for example, five card stud, six card stud (which is a far less common game) and seven card stud.

The fact that other players can see several cards of their opponents, and that cards dealt after the initial deal can change the ranking of players hands in quite a dramatic way makes stud poker very popular among high rollers.

Seven Card Stud
Seven card stud is played in three different ways, and these are generally referred to as high, low and high-low. In games of seven-card high, the pot is won by the hand ranked highest. In games of seven-card low, the pot is won by the hand ranked lowest. And in games of seven-card high-low the pot is split between the player with the hand ranked highest and the player with the hand ranked lowest.

As the name suggests, players are dealt a total of seven cards. Three are dealt at the outset (two face down, one face up) and a round of betting takes place. Three more cards are dealt face up with a round of betting following each one. The seventh and final card is dealt face down, followed by a final round of betting.

The aim is for players to make the best hand they can from their seven cards. The player with the best (or worst) hand then wins, depending on which form of seven card stud being played.

Beginners strategy for 7 card stud
Professional strategy for 7 card stud

Texas Hold'em
In Texas Hold'em, players are dealt just two cards each. The hole cards are dealt face down at the beginning of the hand, followed by a round of betting. Five community cards are also dealt in three rounds known as the flop (three cards) the turn (one card) and the river (one card). A round of betting takes place after each of these, so there are four betting rounds in total.

The aim of Texas Hold'em is for players to make the highest ranked five card hand using any combination of their two hole cards and the five community cards. Up to nine players may participate at a single table.

Omaha
Omaha poker is virtually identical to Texas Hold'em, but in this case four cards are dealt to each player instead of two. Five community cards are dealt to the table. The aim is for players to make the best five-card hand using two of their hole cards and three of the community cards.

Chicago
At the start of a hand of Chicago poker, three cards are dealt to each player - two face down and one face up. Play then proceeds as for a game of seven card stud, but half the pot is paid to the player with the highest Spade face down in the hole.

English Stud
English stud poker is played as seven card stud, but only six cards are dealt. Just before the sixth card is dealt players have the opportunity to swap one of their cards. These cards are swapped on a like-for-like basis, so an up-card is exchanged for another up-card and a down-card for a down-card. Swapping a card is never compulsory. When the sixth card has been dealt to all players, they have one more chance (though not an obligation) to swap a card. A final round of betting takes place and the player with the best five-card hand wins.

Let it Ride
Let It Ride is not exactly poker, per se, but casinos generally describe this game as "Let It Ride Poker" so it warrants a mention here. In this game players place three stakes of equal size. Three cards are then dealt to each player and the dealer (which is always the casino itself) is dealt two cards face down. Players may then look at their own cards and take back one of their stakes if they want to do so. At this point one of the dealer's two cards is revealed and players may take another one of their original three stakes if they wish to do so.

The second dealer card is revealed and remaining stakes are lost if a player does not have a pair of tens or better using their own three cards and the two dealer cards. A pair of tens or better wins and players are paid out according to the odds of their hand and the stakes they have left in the game.

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