Stud Poker Variants

Stud Poker

The game is played usually by two to eight players. Before the cards are dealt each player places an initial bet. Then the dealer deals each player two face down cards and one face up. Players see their cards and the open cards of their opponents and decide to place their bets or to fold. After decisions have been made, the dealer deals each player three cards face up and one face down. Then the players again have to decide whether to bet or fold. This betting round is followed by showdown. The player with highest poker combination wins the pot.

Five card stud poker

Two to ten players participate in the game. The dealer deals each player one card face down and then one card face up. After that the first betting round begins. During this round the player with the highest card is to place the first the minimum bet. During the next betting rounds the player with the highest combination places the bet first. In case there is a tie, the player to the left of the dealer acts first. After the first betting round the dealer deals each player one card face up and the next betting round begins. Затем следует еще один период ставок и еще одна сдача по одной открытой карте каждому игроку, после чего наступает следующий период ставок. Далее вновь следует последняя сдача по одной открытой карте и последний период ставок. Then is time for showdown. Игрок, который покидает игру, должен перевернуть все свои карты, которые лежат в открытом виде.

The following are different variants of five card stud:

With final (River) card face down

The rules are the same as regular five card stud poker just the final card is dealt face down.

With required fifth card face down

This game has the same rules as regular five stud poker but the player before the last card is dealt has the right to turn his first card face up (which was dealt face down) and ask his fifth card to be dealt face down.

With first card dealt face down (Gun)

In this game there is a betting round after the first card is dealt (face down) which means there are 5 betting round in the end. Very often the player with the lowest card is forced to place a bet called a bring-in.

Mexican Stud

Each player is dealt 2 cards face down. Players look at their cards and choose which one out of the two cards to show. Then the face down card becomes a free card for each player. This is followed by a betting round. Then each player again is dealt one card face down and each player decides which one out of the two face down cards to keep in his hand as a free card and which one to show. Then there is another betting round. In the end, each player has 4 face up cards and one face down free card in the hand. This card is free only for the player who holds it. Similarly, all other cards which are player’s hole cards are considered as free cards. After the last betting round all players show their face down cards and announce their combinations.

Six card stud poker

The rules are the same as regular five card poker and the first five cards are dealt the same way. The only difference is that after the fourth betting round, each player decides which five of his six cards to keep in order to form a combination.

Seven card stud poker

Before the cards are dealt each player places his/her ante. Then the dealer deals each player two cards face down and one card face up and the first betting round begins. The player with the lowest face up card is to act first. The rest of the players must either call, raise or fold. When all players place their bets, each player is dealt one more face up card and the second betting round begins. Now the player with the highest combination of the faced up cards acts first. After all the players have placed their bets or checked, each player is dealt one more card face up and the third betting round begins. Later the game continues in the same manner and after the fifth betting round the cards are revealed and the player with the highest combination wins the pot.

The following are different variants of seven card stud poker:

Seven Card Flip Stud Poker

Five to seven players are usually participating in this game. Before the cards are dealt, players place their ante. Then each player is dealt 4 cards face down. The players are allowed to see the dealt cards and to choose two out of the four to be revealed. Then the betting round begins. Then the game is the same as regular seven stud poker game i.e. two face down and one face up card have been dealt. After each card/cards dealt there is a betting round.

There is another variant of the game where each player is dealt 2 cards: one face up and one face down. It is followed by a betting round and then again each player is dealt two cards: one face up and one face down. It is followed by a betting round and again each player is dealt one face up and one face down card. There is again a betting round and then each player is dealt the seventh card – face down. After that each player discards one of the revealed cards and one of the faced down cards keeping three face down and two face up cards. It is followed by showdown and the players compare their combinations. The player with the highest poker hand wins the pot.

Baseball

The game is played by the rules of seven stud poker but all 9s and 3s are free cards. Free cards are the cards that can replace other cards and depending on the rules of the game can either form or not form with the other cards pairs or other combinations. In this case if a 3 is dealt face up, the player should either place a bet or leave the game. A 4 dealt face up gives the player an opportunity to draw an additional face down card. The dealer is to deal the first card from the deck face down to that player. Sometimes baseball is played just like five stud poker.

Football

In this game only the 4s are considered as free cards. In this case if a 4 is dealt face up, the player should either place a bet or leave the game. A 2 dealt face up gives the player an opportunity to draw an additional face down card which should be the first card from the deck.

Heintz

In this game the free cards are 5s and 7s. In this case if a 5 or 7 is dealt face up, the player should either place a bet or leave the game.

Wulfert

The rules of this game provide the opportunity to play with free fives and tens. The player who’ been dealt a five face up should place 5 chips in the pot or leave the game. The player who’ been dealt a ten face up should place 10 chips in the pot or leave the game (fold).

Omaha

In this game each player is dealt two cards face down. Five cards face down are dealt in the middle of the table. It is followed by a betting round and then one after one the cards on the table are revealed followed by betting rounds. Each player should make a combination with his / her hole cards and the five cards on the table.

Hold’em

This game is similar to Omaha but after the first betting round three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. The last two cards are to be revealed one at a time.

Bull

Each player is dealt 3 cards face down. Then the player arranges the cards in the order he prefers and later he /she has not right to change this order. It is followed by a betting round after which all players are dealt 4 cards face up. Then the second betting round begins. After that each player turns up the first card (dealt initially face down). The third betting round begins. The players reveal their second cards and the last betting round begins. It is followed by the showdown when the last cards are revealed. .

Eight card stud poker

The game follows the same rules as regular seven card stud. The only difference is that each player is deal an eighth card – sometimes face down, sometimes face up (depending on what players agreed before the start).

Double Down Stud Poker

Double down stud poker is a simplified version of Let It Ride. The house advantage in this game is 2,67%. The table layout is half-round and similar to the Black Jack table. Very often the game is played at Caribbean stud poker table.

All players play against the casino and not against each other. The players at the table are not allowed to show their cards to the rest of the players.

First players place their ante. The dealer deals each player one card and four community cards – three of them are dealt face up and one face down. Then the players decide whether to double their bets or not. The dealer reveals the face down community card.  If the player’s card and the community cards form a winning combination according to the payoff table, the dealer pays the player, otherwise the player loses all of his bets. One coin payoffs are as follows: a pair of 6s through a pair of 10s pay one, a pair of Js or better pay 2, two pair pay 3, three of a kind pay 4, a straight pay 6, a flush pay 9, a full house pay 12, a four of a kind pay 50, a straight flush pay 200, a royal flush pay 1 000. If the initial bet is 5 coins and you double your bet, the royal flush pay 20 000 coins.

The Rules

The game is played with a 52-cards standard deck. Before each hand, the deck should be shuffled. In this game the cards are dealt to the players only – each player is dealt one card and there are 4 community cards dealt on the table. Players form their combinations using their cards and the four community cards. The dealer has no cards. He only deals the cards, shuffles the deck, collects the money and pays winnings. Before the game starts, all players place their ante. The dealer deals each player one card and deals four community cards on the table – three cards face up and one card face down. Then each player needs to decide whether to continue playing without increasing his bet i.e. to stand, or to double his initial bet (the ante) i.e. to double down. After that the dealt face down community card is revealed. If the player’s card and the four community cards form a combination lower than a pair of 6s, the player loses the ante and the double down (if made). If the player forms a combination of a pair of 6s-10s there is a push and the player gets back all of his bets. If the player forms a pair of Jacks, he wins all his bets 1 to 1. If the player forms two pairs or better combination, he is paid according to the payoff table of the casino. .

Double Down Poker Strategy

You should double the initial bet (double down) only in case your card together with the three dealer’s cards form one of the following combinations:

· pair of 6 or better;

· two pairs;

· three of a kind;

· four of a kind;

· four cards to a flush;

· four cards to a royal flush;

· four cards to a straight flush;

· four cards to a straight;

· an outside straight.

Using this strategy will lower the house advantage to 2,67%.

Caribbean Stud Poker

This game is played with a standard 52 card deck which is to be shuffled before each hand. The table layout is similar to Blackjack table. There are circles on it indicating where to place the antes and raises usually marked as Ante and Bet as well as places for additional bets. The payout table should be there too.

The first thing the players need to do is to place their ante bets. Then each player and the dealer is dealt five cards face down. Then the dealer turns over one of his cards and then the players are allowed to look at their cards and decide whether to play or to fold. If a player decides not to play, he loses his ante bet. If a player decides to play, he should place a bet which should be twice the amount of his ante bet. The cards are revealed and compared after all the bets have been placed. In case player has a higher than dealer’s hand, he wins. In case player has a weaker hand than the dealer’s, he loses all his bets. If a player has a combination higher than the dealer’s but the dealer ahs not a qualifying hand (a hand that consists a king and an ace or higher combination), the player should be paid even money on his ante bet and he’ll get back his ante and bet wagers i.e. he won’t be paid on his bet wager. If the dealer has a qualifying hand, the player should be paid even money on his ante and bet wagers according to the payoff table. The standard payoff table is as follows: royal flush – 100 to 1; straight flush – 50 to 1; four of a kind – 20 to 1; full house – 7 to 1; flush – 5 to 1; straight – 4 to 1; three of a kind – 3 to 1; two pairs – 2 to 1; one pair – 1 to 1, and high card – 1 to 1.

When you decide to play, you need to choose a casino with acceptable rules. There should be a table on the gaming table that indicates the minimum and the maximum bets and payouts. If the maximum payout is 2 000 that means that if you form a straight or royal flush, you’ll be paid 2 000 maximum. The optimal strategy is to bet in case you have a king and an ace or a pair or better combination.

The game has also different versions. Usually in the Caribbean stud players have the opportunity to replace one or more cards. If the dealer has 2, 3 or 4 and you don’t have a pair or higher combination, you can replace five cards. If the dealer’s card is not the one you need and you have 3 cards to a royal flush, replace two cards. If the dealer’s card is joker and you form two pairs or three of a kind, always replace a card since this way you can increase your profit.