Five-card stud
Encyclopedia
Five-card stud is the earliest form of the card game stud poker
, originating during the American Civil War
, but is less commonly played today than many other more popular poker games. It is still a popular game in parts of the world, especially in Finland
where a specific variant of five-card stud called Sökö (also known as Canadian stud or Scandinavian stud) is played. The word sökö is also used for checking in Finland ("I check" = "minä sökötän").
The description below assumes that one is familiar with the general game play of poker
, and with hand values (both high and low variations). The description also makes no assumptions about what betting structure is used. Five-card stud is sometimes played no limit and pot limit, though fixed limit and spread limit games are common (with higher limits in the later betting rounds). It is typical to use a small ante
and a bring-in.
After the first betting round is complete, another face-up card is dealt to each player (after a burn card
, starting with the player to the dealer's left, as with all subsequent rounds). Betting now begins with the player whose upcards make the best poker hand (since fewer than five cards are face up, this means no straights, flushes, or full houses). On this and subsequent betting rounds, the player to act first may check or bet up to the game's limit. The second betting round is followed by a third upcard to each player and a third betting round, again starting with the player with the best poker hand showing (thus, the first player to act on each round may change). A fourth face-up card and fourth betting round is followed by a showdown
, if necessary (it usually won't be – most deals of five-card stud end early when a player bets and gets no calls).
, five-card stud has seen a gradual decline in its popularity. Despite this drop in status, it is still enjoyed by many players.
in 1971
, 1972
, 1973
and 1974
. All four of these events were won by Bill Boyd (he won a total of $80,000 from these four events) – the only WSOP bracelets he won. Due to the declining popularity of five-card stud, it was left out of the 1975 World Series of Poker
and has been absent from all subsequent World Series of Poker
schedules. Although five-card stud has not been featured in major tournaments since the 70s, it was occasionally still offered in the 1990s in both Europe
and North America
.
cardrooms.
(directed by Norman Jewison
), five-card stud is the game played by "the Kid" (Steve McQueen) and "the Man" (Edward G. Robinson
) heads-up. There has been much debate amongst poker critics about the likelihood of the final hand ever coming up in a heads-up game of five-card stud.
More recently, in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation
, the crew is sometimes seen playing five-card stud, often an officer's game hosted by Commander William Riker and usually entered by Data (as part of his efforts to become more human), Worf, Geordi LaForge, Dr Beverley Crusher, Diana Troi and occasionally by other crewmembers. An entire set of scenes in the seventh season episode "Lower Decks" cuts between the 'senior officers' poker game and the 'junior officers' poker game played by characters not seen in other episodes, before resulting in the junior officers being cleaned out by a civilian known only as 'Ben', who then joins the senior officers game.
The game is played most notably during the final scene of the series finale "All Good Things", when Captain Jean-Luc Picard joins the others as the dealer and, after being told he was always welcome, reveals that he was quite the card player in his youth. The final words of that episode and of the series overall are "5 Card Stud, Nothing Wild.... and the Sky's the Limit", overheard as a camera pans overhead the table.
, Omaha hold 'em
and Seven-card stud
. In order to enlarge that element of uncertainty variants increase the number of hole cards, add a high-low split
, play with a stripped deck
, introduce a twist
round, enable the player to do a 'roll your own
' game or even create new and interesting hand rankings.
, however, the use of Ace-to-six low hand ranking is common when evaluating low hands.
game where the player chooses which cards to show and which to keep hidden. Each player is dealt two cards (as in traditional five-card stud) face down - and at the count of three, each player must expose their selected card. As the player receives a card each round, he/she has to flip over one of his/her downcards on the count of three (thus all players flip simultaneously). After the flipover at the river, the hand will look identical to traditional five-card stud - one card face down, four face up. Sometimes a stripped deck is used. Mexican stud is also a variant of Seven-card stud, employing the same roll your own
rules.
for that player only.
, is often described as a variant of five-card stud - although it is more of an amalgamation of stud poker
and community card poker
. The initial four rounds are identical to five-card stud, the players receiving two cards (one face down) and then 3 more face-up cards interspersed with betting rounds. However, a final round is added where all the players are dealt a single community card. The other main difference is the use of a stripped deck
- with all cards of rank 2 to 6 inclusive taken out of the deck. As a result, this variant is often played shorthanded - usually with 6 players per table. It is also important to note that in Telesina flushes are ranked above full-houses.
- with all cards of rank 2 to 6 inclusive removed from the deck. This variant has been played in a tournament format in California
.
Stud poker
Stud poker is any of a number of poker variants in which each player receives a mix of face-down and face-up cards dealt in multiple betting rounds. Stud games are also typically non-positional games, meaning that the player who bets first on each round may change from round to round...
, originating during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, but is less commonly played today than many other more popular poker games. It is still a popular game in parts of the world, especially in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
where a specific variant of five-card stud called Sökö (also known as Canadian stud or Scandinavian stud) is played. The word sökö is also used for checking in Finland ("I check" = "minä sökötän").
The description below assumes that one is familiar with the general game play of poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
, and with hand values (both high and low variations). The description also makes no assumptions about what betting structure is used. Five-card stud is sometimes played no limit and pot limit, though fixed limit and spread limit games are common (with higher limits in the later betting rounds). It is typical to use a small ante
Ante
Ante refers to:* Ante, a forced bet in the game of poker* Ante , Croatian form of the given name Anthony*The Latin word Ante, meaning "before", which is used in many Latin phrases...
and a bring-in.
Description of play
Play begins with each player being dealt one card face down, followed by one card face up (beginning as usual with the player to the dealer's left). If played with a bring-in, the player with the lowest-ranking upcard must pay the bring in, and betting proceeds after that. If two players have equally ranked low cards, suit rankings may be used to break the tie. If there is no bring-in, then the first betting round begins with the player showing the highest-ranking upcard, who may check. In this case, suit should not be used to break ties; if two players have the same high upcard, the one first in clockwise rotation from the dealer acts first.After the first betting round is complete, another face-up card is dealt to each player (after a burn card
Burn card
In card games, a burn card is a playing card dealt from the top of a deck, and discarded , unused by the players. Burn cards are almost always placed face down next to the discard pile without being revealed to the players....
, starting with the player to the dealer's left, as with all subsequent rounds). Betting now begins with the player whose upcards make the best poker hand (since fewer than five cards are face up, this means no straights, flushes, or full houses). On this and subsequent betting rounds, the player to act first may check or bet up to the game's limit. The second betting round is followed by a third upcard to each player and a third betting round, again starting with the player with the best poker hand showing (thus, the first player to act on each round may change). A fourth face-up card and fourth betting round is followed by a showdown
Showdown (poker)
In poker, the showdown is a situation when, if more than one player remains after the last betting round, remaining players expose and compare their hands to determine the winner or winners....
, if necessary (it usually won't be – most deals of five-card stud end early when a player bets and gets no calls).
Example
Assume that a game is being played by four players: Alice, who is dealing; Bob, who is sitting to her left; Carol to his left; David to Carol's left. Alice deals one card face down to each player, followed by one card face up to each player, beginning with Bob and ending with herself. Bob is dealt the , Carol the , David the , and Alice the . Because they had earlier agreed to play with a $1 bring-in, David is required to start the betting with a $1 bring-in (his is lower than Bob's by suit). He has the option to open the betting for more, but he chooses to bet only the required $1. The bring-in sets the current bet amount to $1, so Alice cannot check. She decides to call. Bob folds, indicating this by turning his upcard face down and discarding his cards. Carol raises to $3. David folds (forfeiting his bring-in), and Alice calls.Third street
Alice now deals a second face-up card to each remaining player: Carol is dealt the , and Alice the . Alice's two face-up cards make a poker hand of no pair, Q-9 high, and Carol has Q-J high, so it is Carol's turn to bet. She checks, as does Alice, ending the betting round.Fourth street
Another face up card is dealt: Carol gets the , and Alice gets the . Alice now has a pair of queens showing, and Carol still has no pair, so Alice bets first. She bets $5, and Carol calls.Fifth Street
The final card is dealt face up: Carol gets the and Alice gets the . Carol still only has no pair showing, thus resulting in Alice, with her pair of queens showing, set to start the betting. Alice bets $5 and is raised to $10 by Carol. Alice calls and the two must now enter into a showdown - where both players compare their best five-card poker hand. Since Carol was the last player to take aggressive action, she shows first - flipping over her hole card, the - thus giving her a pair of aces. Since she is the last to act, Alice is allowed to muck her cards and does so. Therefore the pot of $37 goes to Carol.Popularity
Since its popularity during the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, five-card stud has seen a gradual decline in its popularity. Despite this drop in status, it is still enjoyed by many players.
Major tournaments
Five-card stud was one of the preliminary events in the World Series of PokerWorld Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
in 1971
1971 World Series of Poker
The 1971 World Series of Poker was a series of poker tournaments held at Binion's Horseshoe during May 1–15, 1971. This was only the second installment of the World Series of Poker, but unlike at the 1970 event, freezeout tournaments were played to decide the winner of the main title. The...
, 1972
1972 World Series of Poker
The 1972 World Series of Poker was a series of poker tournaments held during early May 1972 at the Binion's Horseshoe in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the third annual installment of the World Series of Poker, and also the second one to feature the freezeout structure...
, 1973
1973 World Series of Poker
The 1973 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe. This year marked the first year a single player won more than one preliminary World Series of Poker event.-Preliminary events:-Final table:...
and 1974
1974 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Final table:...
. All four of these events were won by Bill Boyd (he won a total of $80,000 from these four events) – the only WSOP bracelets he won. Due to the declining popularity of five-card stud, it was left out of the 1975 World Series of Poker
1975 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 21 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. First Main Event to award winner with a gold bracelet.-Final table:...
and has been absent from all subsequent World Series of Poker
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
schedules. Although five-card stud has not been featured in major tournaments since the 70s, it was occasionally still offered in the 1990s in both Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Cash games
Five-card stud was limited to small home games and small casino games until becoming available at some online pokerOnline poker
Online poker is the game of poker played over the Internet. It has been partly responsible for a dramatic increase in the number of poker players worldwide...
cardrooms.
In popular culture
In the 1965 film The Cincinnati KidThe Cincinnati Kid
The Cincinnati Kid is a 1965 American drama film. It tells the story of Eric "The Kid" Stoner, a young Depression-era poker player, as he seeks to establish his reputation as the best...
(directed by Norman Jewison
Norman Jewison
Norman Frederick Jewison, CC, O.Ont is a Canadian film director, producer, actor and founder of the Canadian Film Centre. Highlights of his directing career include In the Heat of the Night , The Thomas Crown Affair , Fiddler on the Roof , Jesus Christ Superstar , Moonstruck , The Hurricane and The...
), five-card stud is the game played by "the Kid" (Steve McQueen) and "the Man" (Edward G. Robinson
Edward G. Robinson
Edward G. Robinson was a Romanian-born American actor. A popular star during Hollywood's Golden Age, he is best remembered for his roles as gangsters, such as Rico in his star-making film Little Caesar and as Rocco in Key Largo...
) heads-up. There has been much debate amongst poker critics about the likelihood of the final hand ever coming up in a heads-up game of five-card stud.
More recently, in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
, the crew is sometimes seen playing five-card stud, often an officer's game hosted by Commander William Riker and usually entered by Data (as part of his efforts to become more human), Worf, Geordi LaForge, Dr Beverley Crusher, Diana Troi and occasionally by other crewmembers. An entire set of scenes in the seventh season episode "Lower Decks" cuts between the 'senior officers' poker game and the 'junior officers' poker game played by characters not seen in other episodes, before resulting in the junior officers being cleaned out by a civilian known only as 'Ben', who then joins the senior officers game.
The game is played most notably during the final scene of the series finale "All Good Things", when Captain Jean-Luc Picard joins the others as the dealer and, after being told he was always welcome, reveals that he was quite the card player in his youth. The final words of that episode and of the series overall are "5 Card Stud, Nothing Wild.... and the Sky's the Limit", overheard as a camera pans overhead the table.
Variants
Traditional five-card stud involves one hole card with four cards face-up, making it simple for even a novice to read the possible hand strength of an opponent effectively. The transparency of a player's hand cuts out much of the element of uncertainty found in more popular games like Texas hold 'emTexas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
, Omaha hold 'em
Omaha hold 'em
Omaha hold 'em is a community card poker game similar to Texas hold 'em, where each player is dealt four cards and must make his best hand using exactly two of them, plus exactly three of the five community cards...
and Seven-card stud
Seven-card stud
Seven-card stud is a variant of stud poker. Until the recent increase in popularity of Texas hold 'em, seven-card stud was the most popular poker variant in home games across the United States, and in casinos in the eastern part of the country. Two to eight players is common, though eight may...
. In order to enlarge that element of uncertainty variants increase the number of hole cards, add a high-low split
High-low split
In traditional poker games, the player with the best traditional hand wins the whole pot. Lowball variations award the pot to the lowest hand, by any of several methods...
, play with a stripped deck
Stripped deck
A stripped deck is a set of playing cards from which some cards have been removed. The removed cards are usually in the range from 2 to 9. The standard Anglo-French suited deck of 52 cards itself can be regarded as a stripped tarot deck from which the 21 numbered trumps, the fool and the 4 mounted...
, introduce a twist
Twist
Twist may refer to:* Twist , a decorative piece of citrus zest* Twist , a comic by John Cook* Twist in screw theory in applied mathematics and physics* Twist , an American teen magazine...
round, enable the player to do a 'roll your own
Roll your own
Roll your own is a term in poker jargon used for a particular ruleset in certain poker variants, particularly in stud poker.In traditional stud poker games, cards are simply dealt to each player, either face up or face down according to the rules of the game being played, followed by betting. In...
' game or even create new and interesting hand rankings.
High-Low
The game can be played with low hand values, in which case the best low hand showing starts each betting round instead of the best high hand showing. Also, the highest-ranking card must pay the bring-in if it is played with a bring-in. At the end of all betting rounds, the total pot is split into two - one for low ranking hands, the other for high ranking hands - and the hands are evaluated based on both low ranking criteria (for the low pot) and high ranking criteria (for the high pot). When playing High-Low it is common to use the Ace-to-five low hand ranking to evaluate the low hands and use the standard hand ranking when evaluating high hands. In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, however, the use of Ace-to-six low hand ranking is common when evaluating low hands.
Canadian Stud/Scandinavian Stud/Sökö
This variant of five-card stud is almost identical to the traditional format - the only difference being the introduction of two new hands into the hand ranking. Due to the sparse nature of flushes and straights in five-card stud, this variant counts four-card straights and four-card flushes as poker hands. A four-card straight is ranked higher than a pair, a four-card flush is ranked higher than a four-card straight and a two-pair is ranked higher than a four-card flush.Two Down, Three up/2-3
Instead of dealing the players one hole card and one upcard, in this variant the players are dealt two hole cards. All subsequent cards are dealt face up, resulting in the fairly self-explanatory name.Three Down, Two Up/3-2
Instead of dealing the players one hole card and one upcard, in this variant players are dealt three cards face down. The next two cards are dealt face up. As a result of the high number of cards dealt initially, this variant only has 3 rounds of betting and is thus best played with no limit or pot limit betting structure. The name is again fairly self-explanatory.One Down, Three Up, One Down/1-3-1
This variant differs from traditional five-card stud only in the way the final card is dealt. Rather than being face up, in this variant the river is dealt face down—as a hole card. The name, yet again, derives from how a hand looks after all betting rounds are done. This is also a common variant in Finland, where the action of players looking to their hole river card secretly from the others is called "pihistäminen", (Engl. "petty theft").Mexican stud/Stud Loco/Mexican poker
Mexican stud is a roll your ownRoll your own
Roll your own is a term in poker jargon used for a particular ruleset in certain poker variants, particularly in stud poker.In traditional stud poker games, cards are simply dealt to each player, either face up or face down according to the rules of the game being played, followed by betting. In...
game where the player chooses which cards to show and which to keep hidden. Each player is dealt two cards (as in traditional five-card stud) face down - and at the count of three, each player must expose their selected card. As the player receives a card each round, he/she has to flip over one of his/her downcards on the count of three (thus all players flip simultaneously). After the flipover at the river, the hand will look identical to traditional five-card stud - one card face down, four face up. Sometimes a stripped deck is used. Mexican stud is also a variant of Seven-card stud, employing the same roll your own
Roll your own
Roll your own is a term in poker jargon used for a particular ruleset in certain poker variants, particularly in stud poker.In traditional stud poker games, cards are simply dealt to each player, either face up or face down according to the rules of the game being played, followed by betting. In...
rules.
Shifting sands
This game's only difference in relation to Mexican stud is that the player's hole card, and all cards of that rank, are considered wild cardsWild card (poker)
Card games, particularly poker games, may contain one or more cards designated as wild. These may be jokers, or they may be normal ranked and suited cards pressed into wild card duty . In most cases, the wild card or cards must be agreed upon by all players before the cards are dealt and play...
for that player only.
Telesina/Teresina
Telesina, with origins in SanremoSanremo
Sanremo or San Remo is a city with about 57,000 inhabitants on the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria in north-western Italy. Founded in Roman times, the city is best known as a tourist destination on the Italian Riviera. It hosts numerous cultural events, such as the Sanremo Music Festival...
, is often described as a variant of five-card stud - although it is more of an amalgamation of stud poker
Stud poker
Stud poker is any of a number of poker variants in which each player receives a mix of face-down and face-up cards dealt in multiple betting rounds. Stud games are also typically non-positional games, meaning that the player who bets first on each round may change from round to round...
and community card poker
Community card poker
Community card poker refers to any game of poker that uses community cards , which are cards dealt face up in the center of the table and shared by all players. In these games, each player is dealt privately an incomplete hand , which are then combined with the community cards to make a complete...
. The initial four rounds are identical to five-card stud, the players receiving two cards (one face down) and then 3 more face-up cards interspersed with betting rounds. However, a final round is added where all the players are dealt a single community card. The other main difference is the use of a stripped deck
Stripped deck
A stripped deck is a set of playing cards from which some cards have been removed. The removed cards are usually in the range from 2 to 9. The standard Anglo-French suited deck of 52 cards itself can be regarded as a stripped tarot deck from which the 21 numbered trumps, the fool and the 4 mounted...
- with all cards of rank 2 to 6 inclusive taken out of the deck. As a result, this variant is often played shorthanded - usually with 6 players per table. It is also important to note that in Telesina flushes are ranked above full-houses.
Asian five-card stud
Regular five-card stud played with a stripped deckStripped deck
A stripped deck is a set of playing cards from which some cards have been removed. The removed cards are usually in the range from 2 to 9. The standard Anglo-French suited deck of 52 cards itself can be regarded as a stripped tarot deck from which the 21 numbered trumps, the fool and the 4 mounted...
- with all cards of rank 2 to 6 inclusive removed from the deck. This variant has been played in a tournament format in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.