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Seven Card Stud starting hands: which to complete, call or fold

In Seven Card Stud the lowest card showing brings in. Starting hands fall into a few families: rolled-up trips, big pairs, small and middle pairs (split or hidden, with a good or a weak kicker), three to a flush and three to a straight, and three high cards. The other visible fact is the opponent's door card and whether it raised. These pages give the heads-up solver's answer for each family, facing a bring-in and facing a completion of your own bring-in.

The spots, in one table

Heads-up limit Stud; "how often" is the solver's strategy, "worth" is measured from this decision on (fold = 0). Each spot page has the full table, the why and the method.

What the numbers add up to

Across the 11 single-decision spots here, the solver's main play puts more money in (completes, bets or raises) in 7, calls in 3, folds in 1.

A published answer was found for 11 of them; heads-up, the solver agrees with it in 5, partly agrees in 0 and disagrees in 6.

The costliest piece of common advice here, by the measured values: Stud: a pair of Tens, you brought in with a 9, an Ace completes. The advice says fold (0 small bets from here on); the solver's re-raise measured +0.72, a gap of 0.72 small bets.

Closest calls (two plays worth about the same, so either is fine): Stud: a pair of Tens, you brought in with a 9, an Ace completes (call or re-raise); Stud: a three-flush with a King (K-9-4 of hearts) against a deuce bring-in. Complete or call (complete or call the bring-in); Stud: a three-straight (9-10-J) against a deuce bring-in. Complete or call (call the bring-in or complete); Stud: brought in with K-Q-2, an 8 completes. Fold (fold or call).

Not settled (the most frequent play is not the one that measured best; treat the gap as uncertain): Stud: Kings in the hole, an 8 completes your bring-in. Call or re-raise.

The 3-handed solver measured 6 of these spots often enough to be quoted; with three players its main play changes in 3 (Stud: split Queens against a deuce bring-in. Complete: just calls the bring-in 56%; Stud: a split pair of 4s with a 9 kicker against a deuce bring-in. Complete, call or fold: just calls the bring-in 84%; Stud: a three-straight (9-10-J) against a deuce bring-in. Complete or call: just calls the bring-in 98%).

The spots

• In Seven Card Stud, should I slowplay or raise rolled-up trips on third street (8-8-8 against a deuce bring-in)?
  Heads-up, PokerToast's limit Stud solver just calls the bring-in with rolled-up 8s against a deuce bring-in 99.7% of the time.
• In Seven Card Stud, should I complete with split Queens (Q up, Q-7 in the hole) against a deuce bring-in?
  Heads-up, PokerToast's limit Stud solver completes with split Queens against a deuce bring-in 100.0% of the time.
• In Seven Card Stud, I have Aces in the hole and brought in with a 2; a King completes. Call or re-raise?
  Heads-up, PokerToast's limit Stud solver re-raises with Aces in the hole when a King completes 82% of the time, and calls 18%.
• In Seven Card Stud, I have Kings in the hole and brought in; an Ace completes. Call or re-raise?
  Heads-up, PokerToast's limit Stud solver calls with Kings in the hole when an Ace completes 94% of the time.
• In Seven Card Stud, I have Kings in the hole and brought in with a 2; an 8 completes. Call or re-raise?
  Heads-up, PokerToast's limit Stud solver re-raises with Kings in the hole when an 8 completes 100.0% of the time.
• In Seven Card Stud, I brought in with a 9 and have a pair of Tens; an Ace completes. Fold, call or re-raise?
  Heads-up, PokerToast's limit Stud solver re-raises with a pair of Tens when an Ace completes 100.0% of the time.
• In Seven Card Stud, I brought in with a 2 and have a pair of 5s; an Ace completes. Call?
  Heads-up, PokerToast's limit Stud solver calls with a pair of 5s when an Ace completes 84% of the time, and re-raises 16%.
• In Seven Card Stud, should I play a split low pair with a weak kicker (4-4 with a 9) against a deuce bring-in?
  Heads-up, PokerToast's limit Stud solver completes with a split pair of 4s and a 9 kicker against a deuce bring-in 99.6% of the time.
• In Seven Card Stud, should I complete or just call with a three-flush (K-9-4 of hearts) against a deuce bring-in?
  Heads-up, PokerToast's limit Stud solver completes with K-9-4 of hearts against a deuce bring-in 99.2% of the time.
• In Seven Card Stud, should I complete or just call with a three-straight (9-10-J) against a deuce bring-in?
  Heads-up, PokerToast's limit Stud solver completes with 9-10-J against a deuce bring-in 99.3% of the time.
• In Seven Card Stud, I brought in with a 2 (K-Q in the hole) and an 8 completes. Fold?
  Heads-up, PokerToast's limit Stud solver folds with K-Q under a 2 when an 8 completes 100.0% of the time.

Numbers from PokerToast's heads-up limit Stud solver, version S-9747144-20261006152555, looked up when this page was built (2026-10-19). Heads-up only; hand groups, not exact cards; EVs are measured estimates against an opponent who plays like the solver.