5 Card Stud Poker Rules:

5 Card Stud poker first appeared during the American civil war and became very popular. It is only in recent years that it has been surpassed by 7 Card Stud and Hold'em.

The game differs from most modern Stud variants because the number of visible cards makes it easier for players to judge the strength of their hands. With four rounds of betting, you need to know when to hold and when to fold. Patience and skill are key to success.

For a number of years, this was one of the games of choice and made it's entry into the World Series of Poker in 1971 where it stayed until it's final year in 1974 (all four won by Bill Boyd).

The Deal:

Much like other games, the dealer will deal to the player immediately left of the dealer button, moving clockwise round the table. All players will be dealt two hole cards, one face down and one face up (known as the door card). There will then be a round of betting however the action will start with the player with the lowest card and suit (known as the "force" or "bring-in" bet), This is a forced bet and would be half of the low limit (so if playing $5-$10 would be $2.50). This is an unusual game as most games don't involve the ranking by suit. In 5 Stud, the suits are ranked in alphabetical order Spades, Harts, Diamonds, Clubs with Spades being the top suit and Clubs the lowest. After this initial deal and betting round, the suits do not play a further part in determining the strength of a players hand.

The Third Card Dealt: (known as Third Street )

This is the third card to be dealt to each player, dealt first to the player on the immediate left of the dealer, dealing clockwise round the table. This card is dealt face up (you will now have two up and one down) and the dealer should always burn a card to the muck before this card is dealt. This is then followed by a further round of betting and as in the first betting round, starts with the player with the highest two card value (known as 'having the action'). There will be occasions where two or more players have the same hand. The player closest to the dealers left will be the first to play.

The player who 'has the action' after this card is dealt can, as in normal poker games, check to the next player clockwise or make a bet. All bets at this stage are lower limit.

The Fourth Card Dealt: (known as Fourth Street )

The Fourth card dealt to players is also dealt face up with the highest hand starting another round of betting, where the action continues clockwise until all players have matched the required bet or folded. This is the first stage where bets are now higher limit, as will Fifth Street .

The Fifth Card Dealt: (known as Fifth Street )

This is the final hole card dealt to players to complete their hand. All players still in the hand will have one card face down and four cards face up. There is now a further round of betting until either all players but one are left in the hand, a winner.

Should more than one player still be left in the hand, there will be a showdown in which players will turn over their face down card to reveal their five card poker hand with best hand winning the pot.

The following illustration shows the betting structure of the game.

All players ante

Each player is dealt one card face-down (hole card) and one card face-up (door card)

First betting round

Each player is dealt one card face-up

Second betting round

Each player is dealt another card face-up (4th street)

Third betting round

Each player is dealt a last card face-up (river)

Final betting round

Showdown

7 Card Stud Poker Rules:

7 Card Stud was probably one of the most popular poker variations throughout the last half century although Texas Hold'em surpassed it in popularity in two of the United States legal poker centers, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, around 1990.

Nonetheless, this game remains the game of choice on the American East Coast, and in many parts of the world and is very common, especially with players online.

The game is very popular in home games, mainly due to the fact that it can so easily be changed into interesting variations involving wild cards.

The rules of seven card stud are this - the game begins with an small ante for each player. The exact size of the ante depends on the stakes you have chosen to play.

Three hole cards are then dealt to each player; two face down and one face up. You will, of course, be able to see all three of your cards. The game structure is as follows.

7 Stud - The Bring in Bet:

After the first three cards have been dealt, the player showing the lowest up card must make what is called a "bring-in" bet.

As with the ante, the size of the bring-in varies depending on the size of the stakes.

7 Stud - Fourth Street : (The Second Round of Betting)

After the action has been completed on the opening round, the dealer gives a face-up card to each player remaining in the game.

Unlike the first round, where the lowest hand was forced to start the action, in this second betting round, the highest hand on board has the option to start the betting - that is, the player showing the highest hand is called upon first to either bet or check.

If a player raises the bet to $6, all further calls or raises are in $6 increments.

7 Stud - Fifth and Six Streets: (round of betting)

On fifth street , you receive your third up card, and then there is a round of betting, again started by the highest hand on board.

There are no more $3 bets: all bets and raises are at the higher $6 increments.

Sixth street is virtually identical: an up card is dealt, the highest hand acts first, and all bets and raises are at the higher $6 increments.

7 Stud - Seventh Street : (round of betting)

The betting on seventh street is identical to sixth street , but the card dealt is the last card you will receive, and it is dealt face down, meaning that like your initial two hole cards, only you know what you've received.

After you examine this final card, you assemble your best possible five card poker hand out of the seven in front of you. Don't forget that a poker hand is always five cards.

If your hand is (4-4) 5-6-5-7 (7), you don't have "three pair."

Your best hand here is two pair, sevens and fives, with a six kicker.

Because you wind up with four cards showing and three cards in the hole, it is possible to have an extraordinarily well-disguised hand, even by seven-card stud standards.

Your board (visible cards) can look like you have a collection of garbage hands, but you could have a hand a strong as four of a kind.

The only clues your opponents might have to the hidden strength of such a hand are the aggressive way you would likely bet, if you started with trips, and the fact that they never saw another open card that matched your first open card.