7-Card Stud Poker Tips: Three to a Flush

7 Card Stud, Hand Selection
November 6 2008

It doesn’t happen very often, but when you’re dealt three suited cards to start off a hand of 7-Card Stud, you could be looking at a very powerful hand. However, the emphasis is on “could.” Remember, all you have right now is a very powerful drawing hand, and if you don’t make your draw or at least improve your hand along the way, all you have is a hand that didn’t live up to its potential and lost you money.

When you’re dealt three to a flush, you must examine the highest card in your hand and determine how many cards of the same suit are already showing on the board. When you’re going after a flush, the higher the cards in your hand the better. The reason, of course, is because this still gives you a chance in the hand, even if you don’t make your flush, and if you somehow end up with flush against flush you want to be holding the higher card. A hand like 8-4-3, all of hearts, may look like a solid flush draw but with a high-card eight you’re putting yourself at a disadvantage even if you do luck out and make your flush.

The most important thing to do when you’re holding three to a flush is to check out all the other cards showing. If you’ve just been dealt three hearts, chasing a flush may not be the right move if four other players are all showing hearts. The odds of making a flush are already against you, so don’t make things even tougher on yourself by chasing after a draw that may be nearly impossible to convert.

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