Five Card Stud is one of the oldest and simplest poker games, but has become quite a rare game to see today. It is very similar to Seven Card Stud - but not Five Card Draw, as some people expect.
Players receive both face-down and face-up cards in five card stud and are not allowed to exchange any of them.
The first card is face-down and the final four are face up, exposed to the entire table. (There are some variations which keep more cards hidden, which induces more action at the table due to there being more unknown information).
Winning hands are typically very poor, due to the fact that cards cannot be replaced. High cards will frequently win the pots.
Basic Five Card Stud Hand
- Each player is dealt two cards, the first face-down and the second face-up. A round of betting occurs, beginning with the player who holds the highest exposed card, then betting proceeds to the left.
- Each player receives their third card face-up from the dealer. Betting begins again with the highest card and proceeds to the left. This is known as Third Street.
- Each player receives their fourth card, which is also dealt face-up. Betting begins again with the highest card and proceeds to the left. This is called Fourth Street.
- Fifth Street: the last card is dealt face up to each player. One last betting round occurs, with the best hand taking the pot after a showdown, or when all other players still involved in the hand fold.