Stud Poker Variants and How to Play Them

How do you play Mississippi stud poker? In Mississippi Stud, each hand starts with an ante. Once a player has anted, they’ll be dealt two face-down hole cards, and three face-down community cards. At this point, each player must choose whether to fold – forfeiting his or her ante – or raising.

If the player raises, the dealer reveals the first of three community cards. There is another fold-or-raise round of betting. If the player remains active, these rounds continue until all three community cards are face-up.

If the player remains active once all community cards have been revealed, they make the best possible five-card poker hand, comprised of the three community cards and the player’s two hole cards. The player’s payout will depend on the game’s paytable, but a typical paytable can be found below.

Mississippi Stud Payout

While payouts may vary from casino-to-casino and game-to-game, here’s a sample Mississippi Stud payable:

Hand	Example	Payout
Royal Flush		500:1
Straight Flush		100:1
Four of a Kind		40:1
Full House		10:1
Flush		6:1
Straight		4:1
Three of a Kind		3:1
Two pair		2:1
Pair of Jacks of Better		1:1
Pair of 6s – 10s		Push
All other		Loss

In Caribbean Stud, players play against the dealer – and the dealer alone – to make the best five-card hand.

Each round of Caribbean Stud begins with the player placing their ante. At some casinos, players also have the option of whether or not to buy in to a progressive jackpot attached to the game.

Once players have placed their ante bets, both they and the dealer will be dealt five cards. All of the player’s five cards will be face down, while one of the dealer’s five will be face up.

At this point, players choose whether to fold – sacrificing their ante – or play, in which case they must raise a fixed amount, typically twice the value of the ante. If the player raises and remains active in the game, both players reveal their cards.

In order for the dealer to qualify, their hand must include at least an ace and a king or a pair or better.

• If the dealer qualifies, and the player’s hand wins, they receive 1:1 payout on their ante, plus a pre-determined amount on their raise
• If the dealer qualifies, and the dealer’s hand wins, the dealer keeps all of the player’s wagers
• If the dealer does not qualify, ante bets are paid 1:1, and the raises push
• If the dealer qualifies, and they tie the player’s hands, all bets push

Caribbean Stud Payout

Again, if the dealer qualifies and the player’s hand is higher, the player receives two payouts:

• Ante bets are returned 1:1
• Raise bets are paid out at a pre-determined value set by the game’s paytable. Be sure to check your game for specifics, but a typical table looks like this:

Hand	Example	Payout
Royal flush		100:1
Straight flush		50:1
Four of a kind		20:1
Full house		7:1
Flush		5:1
Straight		4:1
Three of a kind		3:1
Two pair		2:1
One pair		1:1
High card		1:1

Each hand of 7 card stud begins with each player being dealt three cards – two face-down, and one face-up. Initial betting action begins with the player who is showing the lowest-ranking card and proceeds clockwise around the table until all bets are in.

The game then proceeds with each player being dealt individual cards, interspersed with rounds of betting, until each player has been dealt seven cards. Cards four, five, and six are dealt face-up, while the seventh and final card is dealt face-down.

By the time each player has received all of their cards, they should have a total of seven cards – three facedown, and four face-up. At this point, all remaining players reveal their facedown cards, and the best five-card poker hand wins the pot.

How to Play 5 Card Stud

In five card stud, the player’s goal is to build the best possible five card poker hand using only cards that he or she is dealt. Unlike in similar stud games, there are no shared community cards – rather, just a mix of face-up and face-down hole cards.

The game begins with each player being dealt two cards each – one face-up and one face-down. Typically, 5 card stud is played with a small ante and a bring in, meaning the player with the lowest-value face-up card must place a small wager. From there, betting proceeds clockwise around the table.

For the remainder of the game, players are dealt one face-up card each, followed by a betting round, until each player has five total cards – one face-down, and four face-up. As in other games, these deal & betting rounds are known as third, fourth and fifth street, respectively.

Once each player has been dealt all five cards, all active players reveal their face-down card, and the player with the best poker hand wins the pot.

5 Card Stud Rules

It’s important to note that 5 card stud can be played with a number of variations. Be sure to check your specific casino & table to ensure you understand the specific rules of the game you’re playing.

Here are rules for a typical game of five card stud:

• The game follows a small ante & bring-in betting structure
• It is a no limit game, meaning players can place wagers of any size that their bankroll allows. Pot limit, fixed limit, & spread limit games are also available.
• Games are generally played for high hands, meaning traditional poker hand values determine ranking. However, games can be played for low hands, in which the player’s goal is to secure the hand with the lowest