Stud Poker

Stud Poker Rules

These are the basic stud poker rules.  Stud poker refers to any of a number of poker game variants in which each poker player receives a mix of face-down and face-up cards dealt in multiple poker betting rounds.  In stud poker rules, the poker player simply plays the cards he is dealt.  Stud poker games do not have community cards or draw cards.  Stud poker games are also typically non-positional games, meaning that the poker player who bets first in each poker betting round may change from round to round (it is usually the stud poker player whose face-up cards make the best hand for the poker game being played). 

Five card stud poker first appeared during the American Civil War, and became very popular.  In recent years, seven card stud poker has become the more common stud poker game, both in casinos and in home games.  These two games form the basis of most modern stud poker game variations.

The number of betting rounds in a poker game influences how well the game plays with different betting structures.  Poker games with four or fewer betting rounds, such as five card stud poker and Mississippi Stud Poker play well with any structure, and are especially well suited to no limit and pot limit play.  Poker games with more betting rounds are more suited to fixed limit or spread limit.  It is common (and recommended) for later poker betting rounds to have higher limits than earlier ones.

For example, a "$5/$10 seven card stud poker" game in a Nevada poker casino allows $5 bets for the first two poker betting rounds and $10 bets for subsequent poker betting rounds.  Also common in stud poker is to make the final poker betting round even higher - a "$5/$10/$20" stud poker game would allow $20 bets on the last poker betting round only.  Another common rule in stud poker games is to allow the larger bet on the second poker betting round if there is an open pair (that is, at least one stud poker player's up cards make a pair).  Some casinos (typically in California) use the smaller limit on the first three poker betting rounds rather than just the first two.

It is a common convention in stud poker games to name the poker betting rounds after the number of cards each player holds when that poker betting round begins.  So the bet that occurs when each stud poker player has three cards is called third card or third street, while the bet that occurs when each stud poker player has five cards is fifth street.  The final round, regardless of the number of poker betting rounds, is commonly called the river.

...go here for a complete Index of the Poker Rules including Texas Holdem and Omaha Poker

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