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In Seven-card Regrets, each player is dealt seven cards one at a time. As each card arrives, the player either keeps it and shows it to the table or discards it, and exactly two of the seven must be discarded. The best five-card hand wins the whole pot.
Also known as 7 Card Regrets
Seven-card Regrets is played with a standard 52-card deck and no wild cards. Each player may receive seven cards, so up to seven players may take part.
The object is to finish with the best five-card poker hand. Hands rank according to the standard poker hand rankings.
The game is a single-hand variation of Ten-card Regrets. The name comes from the fact that a card, once kept or thrown away, cannot be taken back.
Every player puts an agreed ante into the pot before the deal.
The dealer deals one card at a time to each player in turn. Seven cards in all are dealt to each player who stays in.
Each time a player receives a card, they decide whether to keep it or discard it:
2.3(a) a kept card is placed face up in front of the player, where it remains for the rest of the hand;
2.3(b) a discarded card is out of play and cannot be recovered.
Each player shall discard exactly two of their seven cards and keep exactly five. It follows that:
2.4(a) once a player has discarded two cards, they must keep every card that follows; and
2.4(b) once a player has kept five cards, any remaining card dealt to them is discarded.
The source does not set a fixed betting schedule. The dealer shall announce before the deal when betting rounds take place. A common arrangement is a betting round after each card has been dealt to every player and kept or discarded.
The first player to act on each round, and the betting limits, follow the group's usual stud rules. A natural choice, since all kept cards are face up, is for the best exposed hand to act first.
A player who folds takes no further part in the hand.
After the last card and the final betting round, the best five-card hand among the remaining players wins the whole pot. Since every kept card is face up, the result is usually already visible.
Hands tied under the standard rankings split the pot equally.
Keeping and discarding
A player's seven cards arrive in this order: K♥4♣K♦9♠2♦9♥Q♣.
The player keeps the king of hearts, discards the four, keeps the king of diamonds and the nine of spades, and discards the two. With both discards used, the player must keep the last two cards.
The final hand is K♥K♦9♠9♥Q♣: two pair, kings and nines, with a queen.
Five. You are dealt seven cards one at a time and must discard exactly two of them. Once both discards are used, you must keep every card that follows.
Yes. Each card you decide to keep is shown to the table, so your final five-card hand is fully visible.
No. A discarded card is out of play for good. That is where the game's name comes from.
Where any doubt remains in the application of this document, Rob is right.
Hand rankings, high to low: royal flush · straight flush · four of a kind · full house · flush · straight · three of a kind · two pair · one pair · high card. Suits never break ties.
Seven-card Regrets Rules · OPR-712 · officialpokerrules.com/seven-card-regrets/