Stud Poker Games

Overview

In Caribbean Stud Poker, players play against the dealer rather than each other. The goal is to build the best five-card poker hand and win the game.

Make Your Bets

The first step is to place your bet. There may be specific stud poker rules in place on wagering, depending on the variation played.

Deal the Cards

The dealer gives each player five face-up cards. The dealer gets five cards, one face-up.

Decide Your Next Action

When you have your cards, you need to decide whether you want to:

• Fold — get rid of your hand if you doubt it can beat the dealer’s
• Raise your bet  — if you believe your hand can beat the dealer’s

There are various poker hands in stud poker, such as four of a kind and full house.

If you fold at this stage, you lose your initial ante bet and the dealer removes your cards. But if you raise your bet, that means doubling your ante bet.

Dealer Reveals Cards

When you and your fellow players have made your choice, the dealer reveals their hand.

If they have no poker hand, and no ace and king, the dealer is ineligible to see your hand. Players get a 1:1 payout on their ante bets, and the current hand ends.

However, if the dealer has an ace and a king (Ace King), or a higher poker hand, they’re eligible to see your hand. If your hand beats the dealer’s, you win. But if your hand is weaker, you lose.

Seven Card Stud

In Seven Card Stud, players receive seven cards each during the hand. However, players need to build the best five-card poker hand they can to be in with a chance of winning. Seven Card Stud usually incorporates limit betting, with wagers increasing by small increments.

Razz

Razz is similar to Seven Card Stud, though the aim is to have the best low hand of five cards (between ace and five). Players receive seven cards each. Aces are always low. The best hand possible is the “wheel” or “bicycle”: 5-4-3-2-A.

Seven Card Stud Hi Lo

In Seven Card Stud, seven cards are dealt to each player. The pot is split between the best five-card high poker hand and the best low poker hand (with an “eight or better” stipulation). If no low hands qualify for half the pot, the player with the best high poker hand wins it all instead.

Caribbean Stud

In Caribbean Stud poker games, all players and the dealer are dealt five face-up cards each. The dealer reveals one of their cards. Players can fold or raise their bet depending on their hand. The dealer may not qualify to continue, and ante bets are paid 1:1, with all raises/call bets returned.

5 Card Stud

5 Card Stud is the original stud poker game. Players receive two cards initially: one face-up (“hole”), one face-down (“door”). The dealer deals a third card to each player after the first betting round, a fourth after the second betting round, and a fifth after the third betting round. The best five-card poker hand wins.

Follow the Queen

Follow the Queen is similar to Seven Card Stud, though Queens and a few other cards are wild. However, only the Queen cards remain wild throughout the game: other wilds can change quickly. Whenever a Queen is dealt face-up, the next card (and all others of identical rank) become wild.

Anaconda

Anaconda is based on Seven Card Stud: players start with seven cards and try to build the best five-card hand. But after betting, players pass cards on to a player on their left or right. Initially, they pass three cards, then two, then one.

Roll Your Own

The goal of Roll Your Own stud poker is to build the highest-value poker hand from seven cards, some of which are dealt face-down. The first four cards dealt to players are face-down, the fifth and sixth are face-up, and the seventh is face-down.

Baseball

The Baseball stud poker game applies special rules to three numbers: 3, 4, and 9 (as three strikes, four balls, and nine innings are all key to the sport). Baseball can be played with five or seven cards. 

If a player is dealt a 3 hole card, they can use that as a wild card. A player who receives a 4 gets another face-up card instantly, and all 9 cards are wild.