So you’ve mastered Texas hold em and are ready to move on to the next phase of your poker adventures. Or perhaps you just want to become more of a well rounded poker player, maybe give yourself a better chance to win a bracelet the next time the World Series of Poker comes around.

Whatever the reason you have decided to take an interest in seven card stud, you are entering a world rich with poker history. Before the 21st century Texas Hold em boom, seven card stud was the game of choice for many in home games and casinos alike. If you’re transitioning from Texas hold em poker to seven card stud, here are a few tips to keep in mind.

Two good cards are not enough
In Texas hold em, if both your hole cards are good, you’re ready to roll. But in seven card stud, you start out with three cards, and they’ve all got to work for you to play. Playing a seven card stud hand with only two good starting cards is like playing a Texas hold em hand with only one good card, and we all know the kind of trouble playing king deuce can get us into in hold em, don’t we?

Watch the cards, not just the players
In Texas hold em, you should never be watching the cards. You need to watch your opponents as the cards come out, so you can get an idea of how they react to them. In an online poker game, you can’t watch your opponents, but it doesn’t matter if you watch the cards or not because they’re always sitting out there for you to see.

In seven card stud, knowing which cards are available is crucial. If you’ve got the 8 9 T in your hand, whether or not you will play will be determined in large part by how many 6s, 7s, Js and Qs you see in your opponents’ hands. The problem is, when players drop out in seven card stud, those exposed cards disappear.

You must follow the cards as they come out and remember them, so even when hands are folded you’ll know what cards are available to you.

Relative hand strengths change
In Texas hold em, it’s easy to know what the best possible hand is. If there are three or more of a suit out there, a flush is possible and will win. If the board is paired, even a flush may lose to a full house or four of a kind. If none of the above or true, you’ll need a straight or possibly trips for the nuts (best hand).

In seven card stud, a player could show you four of a kind at the showdown without you ever seeing it coming (although this is admittedly unlikely). You will be required to anticipate the likely possible holdings of multiple opponents and how your hand stacks up to them in order to win.

There’s a lot to know and remember in seven card stud, but this is to your advantage. If you play on a site like Pokerstars and can master seven card stud skills before your fellow Texas hold em players who are coming to the game, you have the opportunity to win a great deal of money with your additional knowledge.