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What is Five Card Stud
One of the older poker games in gambling history, 5 Card Stud has enjoyed tremendous popularity. Although not as popular thanks to the rise of 7 Card stud and Texas Hold'em, five card stud is fun to play and is still offered at many online casinos as well as land based ones. The game is also a good warmup for 7 card stud newbies looking to play with fewer cards in hand.
5 Card Stud - The Rules
5 Card Stud playing rules are quite easy to master. First, all players taking part in the game are required to place an ante. An 'ante' is a small amount of chips invested in the pot before the gaming action kicks off. The ante is usually set by the card room. After all players place the ante, they are dealt two cards into their pocket. The first card is dealt face down so only the card holder knows its value, while the other card is dealt face up and, thus, it's exposed for all players to see.
A player with the poorest exposed card must make a bring-in. A 'bring-in' is a forced bet of either half the minimum bet or full bet (player's choice) required to launch the game. After the bring-in is made, a betting round takes place. The remaining players, in clockwise order, can either call the opening bet, raise it, or check and fold their hands back to the table dealer. Remember that the maximum allowed number of bets during any betting round is four.
Take Third Street to the River
After the first round of betting is over, all five card stud players receive another exposed card, called the "Third Street." Now, a player with the highest exposed hand is the one to open the betting round. Should a pair come up in any hand on Third Street, the player with the pair can choose to double his betting amount. Otherwise, the Third Street bets and raises are all restricted to the table's small stake.
The dealer then deals an additional face up card to each player (fourth street), and the high hand player opens the betting round. For these last two betting rounds, the wager amount is set according to the table's higher stake. Following the Fourth Street betting round, players receive the final face up card, called The River.
The final betting round begins, and exactly as in the previous round, the highest showing hand launches the betting action. The last betting round is followed by the showdown. All players reveal their hands and a player with the best hand snatches the pot! Because so many cards are face up in 5 card stud, a good strategy is vital, as well as understanding the poker odds for this specific game.