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Betting on the River in Stud Poker

Of course there are some situations where you should bet on the river. If you have the absolute nuts or if you caught a hand on the end that is much stronger than the one you are representing, for example, you were playing for a flush and backed into a full house, it is usually correct to bet. You may occasionally try a river bluff if you have a very scary board but missed everything, you are convinced your opponent missed but still has a better hand, and your opponent is one of the few players that is capable of laying down a hand on the river.


The Risk of Being Re-Raised

The problem with betting on the river has a lot to do with the fact that the river is concealed and that no more cards are coming. This means that opponents that have been calling you down with a draw have a very important piece of information that you don't have, that is, whether or not they made their draw. This is an extremely common situation in seven card stud, a player with a draw calling down a made hand. If you bet on the river and they missed, they will fold, and you will win no extra bets. If you bet on the river and they made their draw, they will raise, you will be forced to call, and you will cost yourself two bets. As you can see, very little good can come of betting in this situation. If you make a bigger hand than you are representing, however, you will still get a fold from a missed hand, but a made hand will raise, and you can then re-raise.


Too Much Pot Odds to Fold

A river bluff will very rarely work in seven card stud poker because by the river, the pot has gotten so large that any chance that you are bluffing will be worth a call by your opponent. Your opponent needs to be completely sure that he is beaten and a very tight player for this to work. This is also why you should bet if you have the nuts on the river. If our opponent missed it is unlikely he will try and bluff you, and if he hit, he may raise when you bet.