Fourth Street is a term used to refer to the second betting round in Stud poker variants. It is called ‘fourth’ street simply because each player has been dealt four cards. The fourth street card itself is an up-card meaning that it is visible to the rest of the poker table. After reaching fourth street every player now has two up-cards and two down-cards.
In this guide we’ll learn the following -
Which Bet Sizing is Used on Fourth Street in Stud?
In fixed limit Stud the small bet sizing is used unless a player at the table has an open pair (visible to the table) in which case either the small or big bet sizing can be used.
Who Acts First on Fourth Street in Seven Card Stud?
The player with the strongest valued up-cards (the ones visible to the table) acts first on fourth street in Seven Card Stud. Since the strength of up-cards can change on each betting round, so can the betting order.
What Does it Mean to ‘Pair the Door on Fourth’ in Stud?
The door card in Stud is the up-card that is dealt on third street (the other two cards are down-cards). If the up-card dealt on fourth street is the same rank as the door card it is referred to as pairing the door. This has special significance in Stud because a player with a paired door card is permitted to use either the small or large bet sizing on fourth street.
What Does it Mean to ‘Buy the Free Card on Fourth’ in Stud?
This means to raise (2bet) on fourth street in the hopes that fifth street will go check-check allowing us to see sixth street for free. The idea is that this is cheaper than needing to call a bet on fifth street where the big bet sizing is used. Of course, while this idea sounds great in theory, there is nothing to stop our opponent 3betting on fourth street and causing us to invest even more chips compared to just calling.
Summary of Fourth Street in Stud
This is the second betting round in Stud where each player has two exposed up-cards. We should be able to use this visible information to improve the quality of our decision (including the up-cards of players that have already folded).
Fourth street has a special rule regarding pairs. Players with paired up-cards are allowed to make use of the big bet sizing on fourth street. (Normally only the small bet sizing is allowed).
