Sixth & seventh street
By sixth and seventh street the pots are big and most of your hand is already set. Learn when the last up-card and the hidden river should make you bet, call, or fold.
Where you are in the hand
Seven-Card Stud deals seven cards. Sixth street is your fourth up-card; seventh — the river — comes face down. Fifth, sixth and seventh are all big-bet streets, so this is where the real money moves.
Sixth street: bet your made hands
One card left to come. With two pair, trips, a straight or a flush already made, bet and raise — charge every draw and build the pot while you're clearly ahead.
By seventh street you've caught your card. What's your best 5-card hand?
Drawing on sixth? Be honest
With one card to come you complete a flush or open-ended straight well under half the time. A big-bet call needs the pot already laying you the price — hope is not a plan.
Seventh street, big pot. You were drawing to a spade flush and bricked — your seven cards make only a pair of nines, no flush. Your opponent, whose board shows three hearts, fires the big bet into you. Call or fold?
Seventh street: the hidden river
Seventh comes face down — the only card besides your two hole cards no one can see. Your board never changes, so any improvement is completely concealed, and opponents' rivers are invisible to you too.
River: bet, check-raise, or call
No cards left — it's pure showdown value. Value bet when a worse hand calls more often than a better hand raises. Out of position, checking to induce or to spring a check-raise on a hidden hand often earns more.
- Sixth and seventh are big-bet streets — marginal calls here cost real money.
- On sixth, bet made hands hard (one card to come) and only chase draws whose outs are still live.
- Always subtract dead cards showing or folded before calling for a draw.
- Seventh is face down, so any river improvement is hidden — ideal for value bets and check-raises.
- With a big pot, one river call only needs to be right occasionally; don't fold the best hand at showdown.
Test yourself
Answer them all — 20/24 to pass. Every answer gets an explanation.
How many cards does each player have exposed on sixth street in Seven-Card Stud?
Third through sixth street are each dealt face up, so by sixth street every live player shows four up-cards plus one hole card.
Is seventh street dealt face up or face down?
Seventh street — the river — is dealt face down, so opponents cannot see whether it improved your hand.
At what betting limit are sixth and seventh street bet in fixed-limit Stud?
Fifth, sixth and seventh street are all bet in the larger increment, making late-street mistakes expensive.
You hold a completed flush on sixth street with one card to come. What is usually best?
With a made hand and one card to come, betting denies opponents cheap draws and builds the pot while you're ahead.
Why is a hidden river card especially good for value betting?
Because seventh street is face down, an opponent may pay off a value bet without knowing you just made a strong hand.
On sixth street you are drawing to a flush. Three of your suit are already showing dead in other boards. This means:
Dead cards of your suit reduce the outs left in the deck, lowering your true chance of completing the flush.
On seventh street, every decision comes down to what?
Seventh is the final card, so betting and calling are purely about whether your hand wins at showdown.
What is a valid reason to check a strong hidden hand in early position on the river?
Checking a disguised monster can induce a bet you then raise, extracting an extra big bet.
The pot is large on the river and you hold a bluff-catcher. Facing one bet, you should generally:
When the pot is large relative to one bet, a single call only needs to win a modest fraction of the time to profit.
What does 'thin value' mean on seventh street?
Thin value betting targets slightly worse hands that will call, especially against calling stations.
Your board shows four cards to a flush on sixth street. A drawback of this is:
An obvious four-flush board can scare away action, so a made flush there often wins a smaller pot.
You have a marginal one-pair hand on sixth street facing a big bet from an opponent representing two pair. Best default?
Sixth street is at the big-bet limit, so paying off with a marginal hand against a strong-looking board is a leak.
Why can't you read whether an opponent improved on seventh street?
The river is dealt down, so a missed draw and a completed hidden hand look identical from the up-cards.
You made a disguised two pair on the river; opponent bets his open pair. Best value line?
A hidden two pair can raise for value against an exposed weaker hand that doesn't see the improvement coming.
On sixth street with a live draw and correct pot odds, you should:
If your outs are live and the pot lays the right price, calling to draw one card is correct.
Being in position (acting last) on seventh street helps you because:
Acting last lets you respond to opponents' bets and checks, sharpening value and calling decisions.
How many total cards does a player have after seventh street?
Seven-Card Stud deals seven cards total; the best five-card hand plays at showdown.
On sixth street you hold trips and fear the hidden river helping an opponent. Best play?
Betting on sixth makes drawing opponents pay before the hidden river can complete their hand.
Why is check-raising a bluff harder to pull off on seventh street in Stud?
With the hand complete, a made hand can simply call a check-raise, so river bluffs need genuine fold equity.
You are drawing dead on sixth street (no card can give you the best hand). You should:
If no remaining card can make you the winner, continuing only loses money.
The main strategic difference between sixth and seventh street is:
Sixth still has a card to come (draws matter); seventh is the last card, so only showdown value counts.
Roughly how often does an open flush draw complete with only one card to come?
With one card to come a flush draw hits far less than half the time, so a big call needs good pot odds.
Which street is the last one on which you receive a face-up card?
Sixth street is the final up-card; seventh street is dealt face down.
A common and costly river mistake in Stud is:
Because the pot is large relative to one bet, over-folding bluff-catchers on the river gives up profitable calls.
Review — all 24 questions & answers tap to expand
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How many cards does each player have exposed on sixth street in Seven-Card Stud?
Answer Four up-cards
Third through sixth street are each dealt face up, so by sixth street every live player shows four up-cards plus one hole card.
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Is seventh street dealt face up or face down?
Answer Face down
Seventh street — the river — is dealt face down, so opponents cannot see whether it improved your hand.
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At what betting limit are sixth and seventh street bet in fixed-limit Stud?
Answer The big-bet limit
Fifth, sixth and seventh street are all bet in the larger increment, making late-street mistakes expensive.
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You hold a completed flush on sixth street with one card to come. What is usually best?
Answer Bet or raise to charge draws and build the pot
With a made hand and one card to come, betting denies opponents cheap draws and builds the pot while you're ahead.
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Why is a hidden river card especially good for value betting?
Answer Opponents can't see the improvement, so a disguised hand gets paid off
Because seventh street is face down, an opponent may pay off a value bet without knowing you just made a strong hand.
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On sixth street you are drawing to a flush. Three of your suit are already showing dead in other boards. This means:
Answer Your real chance of hitting is worse than the textbook number
Dead cards of your suit reduce the outs left in the deck, lowering your true chance of completing the flush.
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On seventh street, every decision comes down to what?
Answer Showdown value — no more cards are coming
Seventh is the final card, so betting and calling are purely about whether your hand wins at showdown.
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What is a valid reason to check a strong hidden hand in early position on the river?
Answer To set up a check-raise against a betting opponent
Checking a disguised monster can induce a bet you then raise, extracting an extra big bet.
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The pot is large on the river and you hold a bluff-catcher. Facing one bet, you should generally:
Answer Consider calling, since a big pot means you only need to be right occasionally
When the pot is large relative to one bet, a single call only needs to win a modest fraction of the time to profit.
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What does 'thin value' mean on seventh street?
Answer Betting a marginal hand that a worse hand will still call
Thin value betting targets slightly worse hands that will call, especially against calling stations.
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Your board shows four cards to a flush on sixth street. A drawback of this is:
Answer It's so obvious that opponents may correctly fold, so you win less
An obvious four-flush board can scare away action, so a made flush there often wins a smaller pot.
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You have a marginal one-pair hand on sixth street facing a big bet from an opponent representing two pair. Best default?
Answer Often fold — marginal hands can't stand a big bet on an expensive street
Sixth street is at the big-bet limit, so paying off with a marginal hand against a strong-looking board is a leak.
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Why can't you read whether an opponent improved on seventh street?
Answer Because their seventh card is dealt face down, invisible to you
The river is dealt down, so a missed draw and a completed hidden hand look identical from the up-cards.
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You made a disguised two pair on the river; opponent bets his open pair. Best value line?
Answer Raise, since he likely can't put you on two pair and may call
A hidden two pair can raise for value against an exposed weaker hand that doesn't see the improvement coming.
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On sixth street with a live draw and correct pot odds, you should:
Answer Call, since the pot is paying you a fair price to draw
If your outs are live and the pot lays the right price, calling to draw one card is correct.
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Being in position (acting last) on seventh street helps you because:
Answer You act after seeing their action, so you can value bet, bluff-catch, or check accordingly
Acting last lets you respond to opponents' bets and checks, sharpening value and calling decisions.
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How many total cards does a player have after seventh street?
Answer Seven
Seven-Card Stud deals seven cards total; the best five-card hand plays at showdown.
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On sixth street you hold trips and fear the hidden river helping an opponent. Best play?
Answer Bet or raise now to charge them before the last card
Betting on sixth makes drawing opponents pay before the hidden river can complete their hand.
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Why is check-raising a bluff harder to pull off on seventh street in Stud?
Answer There are no more cards, so opponents with a real hand can just call your raise down
With the hand complete, a made hand can simply call a check-raise, so river bluffs need genuine fold equity.
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You are drawing dead on sixth street (no card can give you the best hand). You should:
Answer Fold — no card can win it for you
If no remaining card can make you the winner, continuing only loses money.
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The main strategic difference between sixth and seventh street is:
Answer Sixth has drawing decisions; seventh is pure showdown value
Sixth still has a card to come (draws matter); seventh is the last card, so only showdown value counts.
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Roughly how often does an open flush draw complete with only one card to come?
Answer Well under half the time
With one card to come a flush draw hits far less than half the time, so a big call needs good pot odds.
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Which street is the last one on which you receive a face-up card?
Answer Sixth street
Sixth street is the final up-card; seventh street is dealt face down.
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A common and costly river mistake in Stud is:
Answer Folding the best hand for one bet into a large pot
Because the pot is large relative to one bet, over-folding bluff-catchers on the river gives up profitable calls.