Five
card stud
is the oldest form of stud poker. Poker aficionados
will recall that Five card stud was the 'main
game' in the classic heads up match between Johnny Moss
and Nick "the Greek" (back in 1949, this Moss/Greek
battle was the precursor to the inaugural World Series
of Poker.) 5 Card Stud was also prominently featured
in the classic movie The Cincinnati Kid.
Five
card stud is a simple game: Each hand starts with antes:
everyone at the table posts a minimal wager. Every player
is dealt one down card and one upcard. This is followed
by an initial round of betting.Each player is then dealt
another upcard, followed by another round of betting.
Two more upcards are dealt, one at a time, each followed
by more bets (for a total of four betting rounds.) The
player with the best hand rakes the pot.
5
Card Stud – Game play Notes:
The player with the highest upcard is always first to
check or bet
(*except for the initial betting round: the opening
'bring-in' bet is made by the person with the lowest
valued upcard)
The betting round typically doubles on the third upcard.
The game can be played high-low split, with Aces playing
both high and low
Sometimes the game is spread with the last card dealt
as a downcard rather than an upcard. Or, in a similar
vein, the game can be played with the first 2-3 cards
dealt face-down.
Five Card Stud Strategy & Game play Tips
*Five Card Stud is a game of high cards and pairs; Straights,
flushes (etc) are rare.
Considering the above: don't draw for straights and/or
flushes unless you have three cards to a straight flush.
*In considering hands to play: you should have a strong
pair and/or at least one live card that beats the board.
*It's generally best to fold if you do not have at least
a pair in the first three cards.
*If you cannot beat the board and do not have a good
draw to the best hand, then get out of the hand.
*If you have a strong hand, do not give free cards (good
advice for most all poker games.)
*Five card stud provides you with almost complete information.
Only a single downcard is hidden, so, you know with
some certainty where you stand at any given time. Intelligent
opponents are going to give little action on most strong
hands. Your job is to be one of those intelligent players.
|
Five
Card Draw used
to be THE game EVERYONE
played. Alas, much like stud, it's a classic game that has
fallen by the wayside.
5
Card Draw is a simple game: Each player is dealt five
cards A round of betting takes place Each player may discard
and draw from 0 to 5 cards The draw is followed by a 2nd
(and final) betting round Players compare their holdings
& best hand wins.
5
Card Draw Betting Structure
As
with Hold'em & Omaha, a dealer-button is used to indicate
the dealer of each hand. After each hand has completed the
button moves clockwise to the next active player and that
player will be considered to be playing "the button"
for that hand. The player to the left of the button is first
to receive a card and is required to post a small blind.
The player to the left of the small blind is required to
post the big blind. Both blinds are considered live bets,
therefore each have the option of checking, calling, raising
or folding when the betting action returns to their position.
After the flop and each subsequent betting round, the first
active player left of the button is first to act.
Tips&
Stratgey
•
To open the betting in five-card draw a player should have
at least a four-card flush, four-card straight, or a high
pair. However, if betting is light and you are holding a
small pair, a medium pair, or even two high cards, you might
want to stay in for the next round. (A high pair is generally
a pair of Jacks or higher; a pair of 7s, 8s, 9s or lOs would
be considered a medium pair; and a pair of 6s or less is
a small pair).
•
If you are dealt a strong hand—a high three of a kind
or better—hold off on raising or opening with a large
bet: You do not want to scare off any potential bettors.
With a strong hand, play it cool in the opening round and
just call bets. In some cases, a raise might work if another
player has already raised the opening bet.
•
No Free Cards! If you have a strong hand BET IT! Make draws
pay to play!
•
In general, it is smarter to build on what you have, rather
than chase a possible hand. For instance, if you are dealt
8-9-1O-J-J, don’t break up the pair of Jacks in the
hopes of drawing to a straight.
•
During the draw, keep a close eye on how many cards other
players draw. By noting their draw, you will gain some insight
into the strength of their hands.
|
