There is no shared board

Hold'em and Omaha put five community cards in the middle that everyone shares. Seven-card stud does not work that way. Each player builds a private seven-card hand. Some of those cards are face up (everyone can see them). Some are face down (only you can see them).

That changes everything about how you think. In hold'em you ask 'what does this board do for me and for them?' In stud you ask 'what are their upcards telling me, and which cards are dead for my draw because they're sitting in someone else's hand?'

You still make a five-card poker hand at the end — you just choose the best five out of your own seven cards.

• No community board
• Each player gets their own cards
• Best five-card high hand wins (in 7-card stud high)