Chicago is another popular variant of the 7 Card Stud poker game. Chicago Poker is played along the same lines as 7 Card Stud, the exception being, the best hand takes half of the pot, while the player who was dealt the highest spade as his hole card takes away the other half of the pot. This is similar to well-known variant San Francisco Poker where the highest heart takes half the pot while the best hand takes the other half.
How to play 7 Card Stud Chicago Poker
In 7 Card Stud Chicago Poker, each player is dealt 2-face down cards and 1 face up card. Betting follows the last card, the rules for betting is the traditional 7 Card Stud rules. This means that the player with the lowest card makes the first bet, normally called a full bet or a bring-in bet. When the betting is complete, the 4th card is dealt face up. This time, it is the player with the best two card hand that starts the betting.
If there is a pair, the player can bet double the usual amount.
The 5th card is dealt face up. After another round of betting, the 6th card is dealt face up, there is another round of betting and finally the 7th card is dealt face down. Once betting is over, it is time to reveal the hole cards. The player with the best poker hand wins half of the pot, while the player with the highest spade hole card wins the other half of the pot. If none of the players had a spade as a hole card, the best hand takes the entire pot. This is a fast paced game and the pots can become quite large.
