7 Card Brag – How to Play & Rules

7 Card Brag is a popular British card game that can be played with 2-8 players. The object of the game is to make the best 3-card hand possible in order to win the pot.

The game is played with a standard 52-card deck and the Ace is high.

If you are playing with friends, then you will need to choose the first dealer. To do this, deal one card to each player, the player with the highest card becomes the first dealer.

Once this dealer has dealt the first hand, the deal passes to the next person to their left (i.e. clockwise). Dealers are rotated after each round/hand.

If you are playing at online casinos, then the casino will take care of this.

Dealing At 7 Card Brag

Before the rounds start, an ante bet is agreed (a stake) which each player puts into the pot, for example, £10/$10.

Each player is then dealt 7 cards face down – and the remaining cards are placed in the middle of the table, also face down.

Once all players have their cards, each player needs to check if they have four cards the same, for example, 4 x Queens (QQQQ). If they do, then that player wins the pot.

If two of the players have four of a kind, for example, one has four eights (8888) and the other has four Kings (KKKK) – the four Kings is the winning hand.

Assuming no player has four of a kind, then the card game continues.

7 Card Brag Rules

Play proceeds with each player splitting their cards into two hands of three cards. The remaining card (7th odd card) is placed face down in the middle of the table.

Each player places their best three card brag hand to their left and the worst hand to their right of themselves.

The player to the left of the dealer starts by flipping over the three cards from their best hand.

The next clockwise player then has the option to either pass (fold) or turn over their best hand. If they fold, they are out of that particular hand.

The player who has the winning hand from that round then turns over their other three cards (their worst hand) as part of the next round. This is repeated in a clockwise direction by the remaining other players.

If one player wins both the left-hand and right-hand rounds, they win the entire pot.

If one player wins one hand and ties with another player on the other hand, they win the pot.

But if two players tie on the left hand and right hand, they split the pot equally.

And if no one wins, the pot is carried onto the next round. Each player adds the ante (£10/$10) back into the pot as well before betting continues.

Only a successful win by one player will see the pot being lifted (or shared).

7 Card Brag Hand Rankings

There are a few different ways to win in 7 card brag, but the most common is by having the highest ranking hand. Here are the hand rankings in seven card brag, from highest to lowest:

1. Four of a kind – is when you have all four cards of the same rank e.g. four Aces, four Kings, four Queens etc. The hand ranking order is 7-A-K-Q-J-10-9-8-6-5-4-3-2.
2. Three of a kind – (777) is the highest Prial (“pair royal”) in seven card brag card games. This is then followed by A-A-A, K-K-K, Q-Q-Q and so on down t0 2-2-2.
3. Running flush – this is when you have cards in numerical order (e.g. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) of the same suit e.g. hearts. An Ace card can count as a one or Ace with King & Queen. For example A-2-3 (which is the highest running flush) or A-K-Q (which is the next highest). The hand rankings continue down K-Q-J, Q-J-10 to 4-3-2.
4. Run – a run consists of consecutive cards but not necessarily of the same suit.
5. Flush – is when all the cards are from the same suit, but not in consecutive cards, otherwise, it would be a running flush. Higher cards in the deck beat lower cards in the order of A-K-Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2.
6. Pairs – these are the final winning hand scoring combination. Two Aces are the highest, followed by two Kings and so on. If the pairs match then the third card determines the winner. For example, 10-10-J would beat 10-10-5 – as a Jack is higher than a 5.

The History of 7 Card Brag

Seven card brag is an old English gambling game that dates back to the 16th century. It is a game of bluffing and betting and is thought to be the ancestor of modern-day poker.

The game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards, and each player is dealt seven cards. The object of the game is to make the best hand possible. The player with the highest-scoring hand at the end wins the entire pot.

It is a simple family game with basic rules that can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of skill level. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned pro, there is always something new to learn about this brag card game.

7 Card Brag FAQs