Basics of 5 Card Stud Poker

Five-card stud is probably the earliest form of stud poker and is less commonly played today than Seven-card stud and other games.

5 Card Stud Game goes as follows:

1. Play begins with each player being dealt one card face down, followed by one card face up.
2. Play begins as usual with the player to the dealer's left starting.
3. If played with a bring-in, the player with the lowest-ranking upcard must pay the bring in, and betting's proceed after that.
4. If two players have equally ranked low cards, suit rankings may be used to break the tie.
5. If there is no bring-in, then the first betting round begins with the player showing the highest-ranking upcard, who may check. In this case, suit should not be used to break ties.
6. If two players have the same high upcard, the one first in clockwise rotation from the dealer acts first.
7. After the first betting round is complete, another face-up card is dealt to each player.
8. Betting now begins with the player whose upcards make the best poker hand. Since there are less than 5 cards which are face up it means no straights, flushes, or full houses.
9. On betting rounds, the player to act first may check or bet up to the game's limit.
10. The second betting round is followed by a third upcard to each player and a third betting round, again starting with the player with the best poker hand showing.
11. A fourth face-up card and fourth betting round is followed by a showdown, if necessary.

5 Card Stud Strategies:

Be aware of your opponents' visible cards as you can see if you are losing a hand.

If the cards you need to help improve your hand are visible in your Opponents hands, consider them dead to you.

There are 13 cards in a suit. You need five of them to make a flush, if the cards you need happen to be in your opponents' hand you have no chance of them being dealt to you. But if you can't see them, it means that it is still possible to receive those cards.

It is advisable to fold if another Player's exposed cards are strong.

If you are trying to complete a Straight, check to see if another Player displays the cards you need. You can then adjust your strategy accordingly.

Fold when necessary. Five-Card Stud poker is a game of patience; so do not bet all you money on losing hands.

Useful Poker Terms:

Ante - A small portion of a bet contributed by each player to seed the pot at the beginning of a poker hand. Most hold'em games do not have an ante; they use "blinds" to get initial money into the pot.

Board - All the community cards in a hold'em game - the flop, turn, and river cards together.

Post - To put in a blind bet, generally required when you first sit down in a card room game. You may also be required to post a blind if you change seats at the table in a way that moves you away from the blinds.

Pocket - Your unique cards that only you can see. For instance, "He had pocket sixes" (a pair of sixes), or "I had ace-king in the pocket."

Suited - A hold'em starting hand in which the two cards are the same suit. Example: "I had to play J-3 - it was suited."

Hole Cards - Cards dealt face-down to a player - most commonly used when describing the first two player cards in Hold'em and the first four player cards in Omaha.

Call - To put into the pot an amount of money equal to the most recent bet or raise.

Community Cards - Cards that are presented face-up in the middle of the poker table and shared among players in games like Hold'em and Omaha. These are also referred to as board cards or "the board".

Flop - The first three community cards, put out face up, altogether.

Fold - To forfeit any chance of winning the current pot in poker. To lay down your hand or throw your hand in instead of calling or raising a bet.

Bring-In - The forced bet made on the first round of betting by the player who is dealt the lowest card

Raise - To increase the amount of the current bet

No-Limit - A version of poker in which a player may bet any amount of chips (up to the number in front of him) whenever it is his turn to act. It is a very different game from limit poker. The best treatise on no-limit poker is in Doyle Brunson's Super/System

Pot-Limit - A version of poker in which a player may bet up to the amount of money in the pot whenever it is his turn to act. Like no-limit, this is a very different game from limit poker.

Spread-limit - A betting structure in which a player may bet any amount in a range on every betting round. A typical spread-limit structure is R2-R6, where a player may bet as little as R2 or as much as R6 on every betting round.

Burn - To discard the top card from the deck, face down. This is done between each betting round before putting out the next community card(s). It is security against any player recognizing or glimpsing the next card to be used on the board.

Turn - The fourth community card. Put out face up, by itself. Also known as "fourth street."

River - The fifth and final community card, put out face up, by itself. Also known as "fifth street."

Showdown - The point at which all players remaining in the hand turn their cards over and determine who has the best hand - i.e. after the fourth round of betting is completed. Of course, if a final bet or raise is not called, there is no showdown.

Split Pot - A pot that is shared by two or more players because they have equivalent hands.

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