The most important thing in deciding hands to play with in 7 card stud is unfortunately never written in stone. If you for instance have 10-J-Q from the start, but 4 other upcards shown are K-K-9-9 then this hand becomes almost useless from the start. So looking at other players hands is vital as well as the “chase factor”. Don’t be prepared to go on a chase for straights. If you hold 3-5-7 it looks nice, but you NEED to hit a 4 and a 6 and then still you only make a small straight. The best 7 card stud starting hand is one consisting of a high pair that can also develop in a different way. Hands like Q-Q-K with 2 hearts leads to possible full houses or trips, but could also lead in this case to straights and flushes. Depending on your table image you might also get away with a steal if you have good drawing cards shown, but this also appears on the quality of you opponents. Sometimes it is better to get paid against the professionals then against amateurs, so don’t be upset if you loose when you went in with the best percentage call.