The same with any other poker game, the most crucial decision you make is whether to play your starting hands after you have seen it. In a 7 card stud game after you have seen the three hands you've been dealt with, you must scan the table and see what the up cards of your opponents are.

Since in a 7 card stud game, each players are dealt with seven unique cards, it is not easy to judge the relative strength of your starting hand. One player might get the card the you needed to win, or others might be dealt with more superior card so a good decision would be to save your money and just fold.

You might have similar starting hand with another player but one can be totally unplayable while the other one could be a powerful hand like if you were dealt with three suited cards and as you scan the table, see another player with five cards of the same suits this means it decreases your chances of making a flush. So before you call, raise or bet, you must first look around the table at the other players' up cards.

The best powerful starting hand you could have is three aces but any three of a kind for a starting hand is great way to start 7 card stud. Another thing to remember in stud are the cards that were folded by other players because you certainly don't want to chase after a card that is no longer available.

7 card stud takes a lot of practice and concentration before you can fully enjoy the game but in the end it may be all worth it when you rake in those winnings.