Seven-Card Stud

Objective

The best five card poker hand, out of seven cards, wins the pot.

Players must place an ante into the pot.
Each player is dealt two cards face-down (hole cards) and one card face-up (door card)
1st betting round

Each player is dealt one card face-up (4th street) 2nd betting round

Each player is dealt another card face-up (5th street) 3rd betting round

Each player is dealt another card face-up (6th street) 4th betting round

Each player is dealt a last card face-down (river) Last betting round

Showdown

(Every remaining player shows hand with bettor showing first)

Players may use any 5 of their 7 cards to make their best hand.

Betting Rules

All players must first ante before they receive their initial cards.
There are five betting rounds in a complete game of 7-Card Stud, ante not included.
On the first round of betting, the low card by suit is required to initiate action with a bet equal to half the lower limit.
Suits are ranked: spades (highest), hearts, diamonds, clubs.
On subsequent rounds, the high hand on board initiates betting action.
If hands are tied, the player to the left of the dealer acts first.
In all cases, the dealer will inform the players as to who acts first.
Each bet and raise during the first two rounds of betting is set at the lower limit of the stakes structure.
For example in a $2/$4 game, all bets and raises are $2 for the first two rounds.
The exception to this rule is if any player displays a pair with their 2 face-up cards on 4th Street.
In this circumstance, all players have the option to bet either the lower limit or the higher limit.
If a player bets the higher limit, then all subsequent raises must be made at the higher limit.
Each bet and raise during the last three rounds of betting is set at the higher limit of the stakes structure.
For example in a $2/$4 game, all bets and raises are $4 for the last three rounds.
The maximum allowable number of bets per player during any particular betting round is four.
This would consist of (1) a bet, (2) a raise, (3) a re-raise, and (4) a cap.
Once the pot is capped, players will have only the option of calling or folding.
There is no limit on the amount of raises once the hand becomes heads-up.