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How to Play Five Card

Stud
By Tom "TIME" Leonard

There was a time when five-card stud reigned

supreme and was considered the game, but over
the years it has fallen out of favour along with five-
card draw for more intricate and exciting forms of
poker. It was the forerunner to today’s seven-card
stud and all its iterations.

The Setup and Initial Deal

The typical setup of five-card stud is as follows:

A full table seats a maximum of 8 players

It is played using a fixed-limit betting structure

Everyone posts an ante to begin (blinds are not

used)

The initial deal consists of one down card and one

up card

An example of a five-card stud game, when the

antes are posted:

The above example shows players posting a $0.25

ante, in a $2/$4 game. This gives the players
something to shoot for right from the start. After
the antes have been posted the player with the
lowest up card is obligated to ‘bring it in’. He must
open, he cannot check. The cost of the forced bet
is less than the small bet, so in a $2/$4 game it
would generally be $1 for the bring in.

The Betting Rounds

The betting is the same as in seven-card stud, but

with fewer betting rounds. After the first round of
betting another up card is dealt to each active
player. This sequence takes place until there are
four up cards dealt to each active player. After the
fourth and last betting round, the highest hand is
awarded the pot.

In the above example it’s easy to work out the best

hand the player could have; trip 9’s. They may also
have an Ace or two in the hole for two pair.

Five-Card Stud Strategy

The key strategies are not numerous and are easy

to learn resulting in a rather straightforward,
somewhat boring game unless you’re fortunate
enough to have a few fish in the game that don’t
quite understand the concepts we will share.

The number one major tip for five card stud – the
way to win at this game is to fold if any opponents’
up cards beat your up and down cards. This
usually means that you need a pair or an ace or
king in the hole to call that first significant bet. The
odds that starting with two unpaired cards, lower
than kings, that you will wind up with a pair in five
cards is less than even money. This means that
more than half the time you won’t even be able to
beat Ace or King high. In addition, if you do pair a
lower card you may still lose to a higher pair. Tight
is definitely right in five card stud.

Having an Ace in the hole is better than any other

start, including pairs, with the exception of a pair
of Aces.

Chasing straight or flush draws as the reason to

continue with a hand is folly and the quickest way
to go broke in this game. If your hand has other
attributes, such as high cards, then there is added
value and continuing may make sense. Therefore,
avoid low straights and flushes!

If you have bet an open pair on the board which

was called by an opponent who has unpaired
higher cards showing – do not initiate another bet.
Fold with a hidden pair if an opponent with a
higher card showing is betting or raising.
Never bet into an opponent who can know that he
has you beat at the time of your bet. With only one
unexposed card recognize the potential nuts. For
example: Imagine that you have wired Kings with a
Jack, nine and seven and you’re up against a lone
opponent who is showing an Ace, Queen, six and
three. Your pair of Kings may well be the best
hand but you should neither bet if he checks or
raise if he bets. In this case your opponent can be
absolutely positive he holds the best hand, if he
has an Ace in the hole, while you will be guessing.
If these guidelines seem too conservative for your
tastes then five card stud is probably not the game
you will most enjoy.

Conclusion

While by today’s standards five card stud is not an

action packed game, when it was first developed it
was considered to be so because it added two
more rounds of betting and a lot more
information due to the exposed cards. It was
considered a poker championship race horse
compared to the tired old nag of draw poker.

Five card stud rewards patience and when played

well it can be truly boring. If you are sitting with a
group of accomplished players the money will
move with the luck of the cards, since the
successful strategies are so simple, and there isn’t
much you can do to overcome this through skill. It
is for this reason that five card stud will never
enjoy a resurgence in interest.

Related Lessons
How to Play Seven Card Stud
How to Play Stud/8 (Seven Card Stud High-Low)
How to Play Five-Card Draw

By Tom "TIME" Leonard

Tom has been writing about poker since
1994 and has played across the USA for over
40 years, playing every game in almost every
card room in Atlantic City, California and Las
Vegas.

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