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5 Card Stud Rules
5 Card Stud is the least difficult of the poker games, primarily because your opponents have only one holecard. It is also one of the least popular games and is seldom played in casinos. There are various variations to this game, but we have provided an explanation of the pure game below as well as possible explanations you could run into. As you will see below, the Betting Limits, Buy-In, Bankroll, Ante, and the Deal are all pretty much the same as 7 Card Stud. Let's begin with the basic rules:
Fixed Limits
5 Card Stud games are defined by their betting limits. The following are common limits in most online poker rooms: $.05/$.10, $.25-$.50, $.50-$1, $1-$2, $2-$4, $4-$8, $8-$16, $15-$30, $40-$80 and above. The game's betting limits can be used as a strong indicator of competitor experience in this game. It should also tell the Stud player the size of the bankroll you should have before you sit in.
Buy-In and Bankroll
Your minimum 5 Card Stud Buy-In is typically 10-times the low limit, or $20 for a $2-$4 game. But we recommend you buy in with 50 times the low limit, or $100 in a $2-$4 game. Adjust your table to suit your bankroll. We recommend $2-$4 limit tables or less for players who have logged less than 50 hours real money play time at 5 Card Stud.
The Ante
Ante in 5 Card Stud is mandatory and changes depending on the betting limits. 5 card stud antes are around 10%-12 ˝%. Common Online Poker Room five card stud antes:
- $.05/$.10: 1 cent ante
- $.25-$.50: 5 cents
- $.50-$1.00: 5 cents
- $1-$2: 10 cents
- $2-$4: 25 cents
- $4-$8: 50 cents
- $8-$16: 75 cents
- $15-$30: $1.50
- $40-$80: $5.00
Dealing
We'll use a $2-$4 game as our working example, so the Ante is .25. The dealer deals clockwise starting on their immediate left. They deal one card at a time around the table until each player has one pocket card (face down) and one open card (the "door" card). At this point the dealer indicates which player will open the betting, determined by the lowest door card (visible card to the other players). If there's a tie for low door, suit resolves it: spades over hearts, followed by diamonds, and finally clubs is the lowest.
Variation: You could find this game being played with two pocket cards on the deal, or a second pocket card on the river.
1st Round of Betting
Once the initial two cards have been dealt to each player, the game begins. The player holding the lowest door card must "bring it in" by opening with a bet equal to ˝ the low betting limit ($1 in our example game) or the low betting limit ($2 in our example game). If the low door player doesn't make this bet, they're forced to Fold and the opener passes to the player on their left. The next player clockwise from the opener can Call by matching the opener, Raise by betting the low betting limit ($2) or Fold. Once the betting has reached $2, further raises must be in $2 increments until the cap is reached. If the bring-in bet is $2, subsequent players have three choices: fold, call $2, or raise to $4.
Raising
The maximum allowable number of bets per player during any particular betting round is four. This would consist of the opening bet and three raises. Once the betting limit for that round has been reached, players have only the option of calling or folding. In brick and mortar (casino) games, house rules usually allow for unlimited re-raising on the river. Players therefore have the opportunity to stop the betting at anytime with a calling bet.
Third Street
The dealer gives each player another open (up) card. Unlike the first betting round, beginning with this round, the high hand as determined by the open cards. They may Check (Pass) or Bet. If they Bet it's at the low limit ($2) and that fixes all raises in this round to the same. If the high hand is an open pair, the opener can choose to bet at the upper limit ($4) and this fixes all Raises in the round to the upper limit.
Fourth Street
The dealer gives each player another open (up) card. The fourth card, called the “turn” is dealt up and high hand opens. All Bets and Raises are at the upper limit ($4).
Fifth Street
The dealer gives each player another open (up) card. The last card, called the “river” is dealt up and high hand opens. All Bets and Raises are at the upper limit ($4).
Showdown
After the Bets and Raises have been resolved, the remaining players enter the Showdown. The opener reveals his pocket cards. If a player wishes to compete with this hand they too reveal their pocket cards, or they can yield and muck out (Fold). At the casino it's the dealer's responsibility to call the winner, as determined by the best hand under normal Poker rules. In online games, the software will designate the winner and the pot will be passed to them.
Our Site Recommendation: 5 Card Stud is a difficult to find poker game and when you do find it, there are only a few tables. That said, we recommend you play 5 Card Stud at Paradise Poker. At peak hours, Paradise Poker has 4-5 low stakes tables playing 5 Card Stud. You can use the banner above or below to go direct to Paradise Poker, or go to our complete Paradise Poker Review.
See Our other Poker Rules pages here.
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