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.
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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.
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