How to Play 5 Card Stud Poker

Stud Poker refers to a variety of poker in which some cards are dealt face up and others face down. Introduced around the time of the Civil War, Five-Card Stud was among the most popular of card games for more than a century. But although it still is quite popular in some countries, it is not played nearly as much in the U.S. as it formerly was. Nonetheless, it still has its devotees, and being a fast-paced game, it could make a comeback.

Things You'll Need

• Deck of cards
• Poker chips
• Friends

Instructions

1. Have each player ante the amount agreed upon in the limits you set for your game. For a home game with a $2 minimum and $4 maximum bet, 25 cents is a typical ante. Shuffle the cards, then deal one card face down and one face up to each player, beginning to the dealer's left.

2. Play the bring-in--a preliminary forced bet--if the you have decided on this variant. For the bring-in, the player having the lowest ranking up-card places the bet, which must be matched or raised by other players unless they choose to fold. If more than one player has the lowest card, then the bring-in must be placed by the player having the lowest-ranking suit. (The rank of suits is not standardized, so any order you decide on in advance is OK.) The bring-in may be smaller than the minimum bet--$1 would be a good bring-in for the limits of $2 and $4.

3. Burn a card, then deal another card face up to each player. This phase is called Third Street. The player having the highest up-card then places the minimum bet. Going clockwise around the table, players may either call, raise by the minimum amount ($2 in our example) or check. A player who checks is passing to see what other players will do before taking action.

4. Burn a card and deal another card to everyone face up. This phase is called Fourth Street. The betting amount is now raised to the maximum, and play proceeds as in Step 3.

5. Deal the final card face up. This is The River. The player having the highest upturned card, as usual, opens the betting. Once all raises have been called, the hole cards are turned over, and, of course, the highest hand wins the pot.

Tips & Warnings

• Try primarily to get pairs or better, rather than straights and flushes.

• Don't be afraid to fold if you don't have decent cards. It's better to lose a little than to face the probability later of losing a lot.

• Study the playing habits of your opponents. Be especially conscious of their willingness to bluff. And be on the lookout for unconscious signals (tells) they give about their hands.

• Do some bluffing yourself. You'll get called on it sometimes, and that's the idea. You want to lure your opponents into thinking you bet loosely, so they'll be more likely to fall into your trap when you have a really good hand.

• Be sure all players agree on the acceptability of the practice of checking and then raising (sometimes called sandbagging). Most players consider this a perfectly acceptable strategy, but others have a problem with it.