Recommended Strategy for Chicago Poker

Chicago poker is a form of 7 Card Stud in which hole spades are awarded half the pot. As a result, betting is tricky, so get a detailed strategy here.

Chicago Poker is played the same as 7 Card Stud. The difference between them is that in Chicago Poker, the highest spade hole card takes half of the pot, and the best hand according to standard poker hand rankings takes the other half of the pot. As such, Chicago Poker has quite a different strategy, and some of its basics will be overviewed here:

Spades
The most important rule in Chicago Poker is to bet strongly when you have a high spade in your starting hand. Also, keep track of the spades that have been dealt, as this will lower the chance that your hole spade will be beat.

Betting
If other players are betting strong early on in the game, it is likely that they are trying to drive out their opponents so that they won’t have to share the pot with the best hand. If other players are betting strong later on in the game, chances are that they have the best hand, but not the Chicago (highest spade).If many players are calling your bets, it is highly possible that one of them has bet you, so always bet cautiously in this situation. If nobody is betting strong in the first 2 betting rounds, it is probably a case in which nobody has neither a Chicago or a best hand, and it is in your interest to stay in the hand for some late luck, as long as you can afford it. When you are 100% certain that you have won a Chicago (have an Ace of spades), it is crucial that your opponents do not pick up on this via your betting. For example, if you bet big bets early on, it is obvious that you are confident about your hand, and players will respond to this by deliberately staying in the hand to play for the best hand. The most suitable thing to do when you have an Ace of spades is to have a few players calling only medium sized bets, so that even if you don’t win the hand there will still be money in the pot to win. In the case that you want to drive out your opponents, don’t bet hard until after the last face up card has been dealt.