Mississippi Seven-Card Stud

During last year's BARGE event at Binion's Horseshoe, when it was late at night and everyone was more than a little bit tired, Patri Friedman suggested playing a game many of us had never heard of before. That game was Mississippi seven-card stud, and we played it pot limit. I liked the game; in fact, I liked it a lot, but I didn't think too much about it at the time. To me it was just another new card game to try out, and while it was enjoyable, the rest of BARGE was too. The game remained a pleasant memory until a few months ago, when I began corresponding via E-mail with a fellow named David Zanetti, who lives in Perth, Western Australia, and claims to have invented the game, or at least discovered it. Zanetti conceived the game in 1998, and he's been trying to promote it ever since then.

Mississippi seven-card stud is just like traditional stud poker, with two small but significant differences. Two cards, rather than just one, are dealt before the second betting round, and the last card is dealt faceup rather than facedown. Because the fourth and fifth cards are dealt together, rather than separately, Mississippi seven-card stud has only four betting rounds instead of the five rounds that are a feature of traditional seven-card stud poker.

According to Zanetti, who has much more experience with this game than I do, Mississippi seven-card stud is faster and more players call the third-street bet, because they will be receiving two more cards prior to the second betting round. As a result of receiving what amounts to be two cards for the price of one, this feature provides a better value for draws.

Dealing the last card faceup is crucial for big-bet poker, according to Zanetti, although it matters less in the limit version of the game. Zanetti said, "The third holecard has basically the same effect as a paired board does in hold'em or Omaha – since a flush, straight, or trips can never (normally) be the absolute nuts – and this has a significant impact on the betting and hand valuations with half-pot, pot-limit, or no-limit betting." In Zanetti's opinion, traditional seven-card stud has one betting round too many and one too many hidden cards to make it viable as a big-bet game.

But before we go any further, let's see how the game is played. Just as in traditional stud poker, players ante and receive two cards facedown and one card faceup. In the limit version of Mississippi seven-card stud, the low card "brings it in" for a token bet. In big-bet games – half-pot, pot-limit, or no-limit – the high card must either bet or fold.

Once all bets and raises on third street have been equalized and the betting round is complete, each active player receives two additional cards. Those cards – fourth and fifth street together, as it were – are dealt faceup. The highest hand starts the action, and may check or bet. Once the betting is concluded, a fourth upcard (sixth street) is dealt and another round of betting ensues. The river card is then dealt faceup and the final betting round begins.

Zanetti believes that starting-hand and playing requirements for Mississippi seven-card stud are about the same as they are for traditional stud poker, with some marginal hands becoming more playable because fourth and fifth street are dealt simultaneously. "High pairs," stated Zanetti, "decrease in profitability, while straights and flushes improve. Small pairs with big kickers do better against naked high pairs, but lose more often to straights and flushes, so they remain about the same."

Zanetti has a lot of hope for this game's future, particularly as a big-bet version of stud poker. He believes that seven-card stud met its Waterloo in 1971, when it was overlooked – although it was probably the most popular form of poker at the time – for selection as the deciding game for the World Series of Poker. While Texas hold'em was not nearly as popular as seven-card stud 30 years ago, stud poker simply did not lend itself to big-bet play. And when Benny and the boys got together back then, limit poker was not on their minds.

Mississippi seven-card stud affords stud players a chance to compete at big-bet poker without having to slide over to the hold'em table. Moreover, with tournaments looking for variety in their menu offerings, this is a game that any stud poker aficionado can play without having to make too many adjustments.

But there's no reason to wait for a tournament director to glom onto Mississippi seven-card stud. Play a few rounds during your next home game, or better yet, see if you can gin up enough interest at your local cardroom to warrant spreading it – if only on a trial basis.

If you'd like a bit more information on the game, you can visit the Mississippi seven-card stud home page online at www.geocities.com/mississippi_seven/index.html and pick up some additional tips on the game and a variety of other offerings – including what must be a few Aussie-only games: crocodile seven-card stud, billabong hold'em, and Australian stud.

Although I've played this game only once, I believe it has sufficient promise and would like to see it spread on a trial basis either as a cash game or as a tournament event in casinos. Maybe it will develop a following. Who knows? And maybe we'll spread this game once again at BARGE 2001. If you plan on being there, give it a try.

Visit my website at www.loukrieger.com. My newest book, Poker for Dummies, is available at major bookstores everywhere.