Stud poker completely differs from many other poker games in that there are no communal cards. It is also a very open game, in the sense that you can often know for certain if an opponent has a better hand than you do. This makes bluffing harder, but even more satisfying.

Game Play

Five card stud is played with one pocket card and four open cards. A pocket card is one dealt face down, where a player can only see his own card.

Two cards are initially dealt to each player. One card face down (pocket card) the other face up. This is followed by a round of betting. After each round of betting, a card is dealt face up to all remaining players. This process can continue until each player has five cards. If two or more players are left with five cards, either a showdown will take place or, aside from the winner, all other players will fold.

Betting

In general, five card stud is played with antes, namely every player has to put a certain amount in the pot before each round. But the game can also be played with blinds, where the two players left of the dealer provide the initial money.

The game can be no limits, meaning any amount can bet or raised or with limits.

Limits must be decided before playing. When playing online different poker rooms and casinos will offer poker tables with different limits.

There are various ways of limiting a poker game, described below are some of the most common.

• Raising limits – Limits the number of times raises can be during a round of betting. This is typically three in many online gambling site.
• Minimum Bet – The smallest amount that a player is allowed to bet or raise. This can be a little as a few cent and as large as you can possibly imagine.
• Maximum Bet/Raise – The highest amount of cash a player is allowed to bet or raise each round. Again these vary hugely depending on which poker room you play at.
• Set Bets – Here there is no minimum or maximum bet or raise. The amount each player may bet or raise is predetermined.

It is important to not that a table with raising limits does not necessarily mean that it will also have a minimum or maximum bet, or visa versa.

Often, a 5 card stud limit game will be played with low and stakes. This means that the amount is fixed and predetermined, but increases after a certain number of betting rounds, usually two in this particular game.

Important

Developing winning tactics and strategies will take time, especially for a player used to playing a poker game with communal cards. Having said that, a skilful player will always come out on top in the long run. Five card stud is an engaging and exciting game, where every move must be carefully planned, taking into account the large number of open cards.