How to Play Sevens Take All

Sevens Take All is a derivative of seven card stud. The game is played using a standard 52 deck of playing cards with up to seven players allowed to participate in the game. In a standard game your best to have at least 4 players. Anything less makes the game difficult to work with.

Instructions and Rules for Sevens Take All

If you’re new to stud you will definitely want to familiarize yourself with the rules on how to play first before diving into this game. In the game Sevens Take All,  no wild cards are used and the standard game format is played which means each player will receive a total of seven cards, with the first two cards dealt face down and the next 4 cards dealt face up. The final card can either be dealt face down or face up, a choice that’s usually given to the players. In the traditional version of seven card stud, the highest possible winning hand is a royal flush. In the card game Sevens Take All, the highest possible winning hand is a pair of sevens. This means it will beat all other hands unless two players both have a pair of sevens in which case the hand is a tie and the dealer will split the pot between them.

To begin playing the dealer will deal each player two cards face down. These are your hole cards. Once each player has received their cards, the first betting round will begin with the player to the immediate left of the dealer. Each player will receive a turn and once complete, the dealer will then deal each player still in the hand another card but face up this time.

A second betting round will take place starting with the first player whose still in the game seated to the left of the dealer.

This process will continue until the 6th betting round, at which point the dealer should ask each player if they want to take their final card face up or face down.

Remember cards speak so if your showing a seven face up, and you don’t see any other sevens showing in the other players up cards you’ll likely want to take your card face down. This will allow you to hide your hand and extract more value from the pot.

To Summarize;

  1. Each player is dealt two cards face down
  2. Player to the left of the dealer begins the betting round
  3. The dealer will deal one card face up to remaining players
  4. Another round of betting takes place
  5. Continue steps 3 and 4 until each player has been dealt 6 cards One the 6th card, the player has the option to have the card dealt face up or down.
  6. The winner is the player with the highest poker hand unless someone has a pair of sevens, in which case, they automatically win.

Alternative Plays

If you’d prefer not to split the pot when two players hold a pair of sevens you can use kickers in the game. The players with the pair of sevens would have to use their highest card. If both players hold an Ace, the second highest card would be used until one player has the highest kicker.