How to Play Five Card Stud

Five Card Stud Rules

Five Card Stud is a classic poker game, and it continues to be one of the favorite poker games around the world.

Five-Card Stud is easy to learn. I will use a $2/$4 limit structure to describe the betting round that takes place in Five Card Stud.

Before any cards are dealt each player must put in a small ante. The ante is typically about $.25.

Players are dealt one face-down card (referred to as the "hole card"), and one face-up card (referred to as the "door card"). This is followed by the first round of betting. The first bet is referred to as the bring-in.

The Bring-In: The player with the lowest showing door card must post "the bring-in", a mandatory initial bet of usually half the smaller stake amount. In our $2/$/4 limit structure game the bring-in would be $1. In some online poker rooms the bring-in player has the option to increase this bet to the full small stake which in our example would be $2.

If two players are showing the same door card, the suit rankings decide which card is weakest. The ranks of the suits are (strongest to weakest): Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs.

Play begins starting to the left of the bring-in. Betting begins to the bring-in player's left, and continues clockwise. Each player at the table must call, raise or fold. The bring-in bet was $1 and the first raise completes the bring-in meaning that the next player needs to put $1 in the pot to stay in the game.  This is known as completing the bring in and raises the stakes to the lower limit which in our example is $2. The players after the pot must either call the $2, raise $2 or fold.

After the betting is completed, the dealer then deals to one more face-up card. This round is known as Third Street. This is then followed by a second round of betting. On Third Street the highest showing hand opens the betting round. The bets on this round are $2 although some online poker rooms give a player the option to raise the bet to $4 (the higher stake) if that player has a pair showing.

Another face-up card is dealt to each player. This round is known as Fourth Street. The high hand opens the betting round. For these last two rounds, the bet amount is now the higher stake ($4 in our $2/$4 game).

The fourth and final face-up card is dealt to each player giving everyone that has not folded a total of five cards. Now the final betting round begins, and as before, the highest showing hand starts the betting. The river bets are still limited to the upper stake ($4 in our $2/$4 game).

Once the final round of betting has been completed the showdown takes place and the player with the highest five-card hand takes the pot.