Texas Hold'em Poker Guide
Five Card Stud is one of the earliest poker games and was originally played among soldiers during the American Civil War. Though much less common today than games like Texas Hold'em or Five Card Draw, Five Card Stud is still played in many casinos and poker rooms, both online and off.
The rules of Five Card Stud are simple. As in most other poker variations, poker hands are ranked as follows: Royal Flush is the highest 5-card poker hand, followed by Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, Pair and, when none of these hands are present, High Card. Five Card Stud players play with the objective of finishing out a game with the highest of these poker hands. The player that succeeds wins the pot.
A game of Five Card Stud poker begins with the dealer giving each player one face down hole card, followed by one face up card. Players may not look at their hole cards. If the players have agreed to play with a bring-in to start the ante then the player showing the lowest value face-up card puts up the bring-in.
Following is the first round of betting. The player with the highest upcard begins the round of betting by checking (passing to the next player), calling (matching the bring-in or minimum bet), raising (placing a bet that is higher than the minimum), or folding (leaving the game). However, it is unlikely that the player with the highest upcard would fold in the first round. The rest of the players continue the betting round by raising, calling or folding in a clockwise order around the table.
The dealer then deals a second face-up card to each player remaining in the game in the Third Street round. A second round of betting ensues, beginning with the player with the face-up cards that make the best hand.
In the following round, Fourth Street, the dealer deals each player an additional face-up card and yet another round of betting takes place.
In the final round, River, the dealer deals each player a fifth and final card, face up. A final round of betting occurs in which each remaining player must decide to fold, call or raise. At the end of this round, if more than one player remains in the game then the players reveal their hole cards to see who has the best 5-card hand. The winning player keeps all the money from the pot. Players begin again from the first round.
Now that you understand the rules of Five Card Stud poker you can get started playing games for free or real money online or in a live casino, poker hall or friendly poker game with your friends. Enjoy!