Despite its recent explosion into mainstream culture, Poker is a game that’s been around for a long time. In fact, the game has undergone continual modification and improvement since its inception as a premier gambling card game. There are variations of poker, and then there are variations within these variations.

Consequently, as poker continues to grow in numbers as both a recreational activity and a legitimate way to make a living, more and more people want to learn about the different forms the game takes, which we’re happy to say, is multifold.

One of the most popular of these variants is called Stud Poker, which is now being played in casinos both online and land-based, and at home games throughout the world. As we already mentioned, there are a number of variations within the realm of Stud Poker. We’ll cover these for you soon, but first let’s look at the basic structure which is shared by all of these forms.

The identifying feature of any Stud Poker game is the mixture of face-up and face-down cards dealt to each player. 5-Card and 7-card Stud are the most famous of all variations, and each of the different spin-offs is modeled on these initial versions of the game. Let’s take a look at the cornerstones of stud poker:

5-Card Stud

Number of Players: 3 – 10
Opening Deal: Each player is dealt one card face up and one card face down.

Rules: After the initial deal, the first round of betting commences. Once the betting is completed, each player receives their next card. All remaining cards are dealt face up at this point, until each player has five cards. A final round of betting now occurs, followed by the showdown.

Object: To obtain the highest hand.
Variations: Adding wild cards.

7-Card Stud

Number of Players: 3 – 10
Opening Deal: Each player is dealt one card face up and two cards face down.

Rules: The same as 5-Card Stud except that all cards following the opening deal are dealt face up until you get to the seventh card which is then, to add a little intrigue, dealt face down. So, a final hand in 7-Card Stud looks something like this to the casual observer: four cards revealed and three unknown.

Object: To obtain the highest hand.
Variations: Adding wild cards.

Abyssinia

Number of Players: 3 – 12
Opening Deal: None

Rules: At the start, one card on the deck is turned up so that both sides of the deck show a card. Each player then has the option to purchase at pre-set prices one of those cards, starting at the player to the left of the dealer. The prices as usually set as follows: Ace $1, 2-5 50 cents, 6-King 25 cents. This continues until each player has collect five cards and formed a hand. After each round of buying cards there is a betting round. Players can fold whenever it’s their turn to either buy or bet.

Object: To put together either the highest or lowest hand, the owners of which split the pot respectively.

Auction

Number of Players: 3 – 7
Opening Deal: Each player is dealt two cards face down.

Rules: After the opening deal, the number of cards equal to the number of players is placed face up in the center of the table. Each player places an amount of coins/chips in his hand, which indicates the amount he is betting. All players drop their bet on the table at the same time and the player who bets the most gets to choose a card from the center to add to his hand. The player who bet the second-highest amount then gets to choose. If two or more players wager the same amount, the order is determined by which ever player is closest to the dealer in a clockwise direction. The dealer rotates around the table with each hand. All bids are added to the pot and this continues until all players have seven cards, two of which remain unseen hole cards. Next, there is one more betting round, starting with the player with the highest 5-card hand showing, followed by the showdown.

Object: To assemble the highest or lowest hand. The pot is split between the two.

Baltimore

Number of Players: 4 – 7
Opening Deal: Each player is dealt one card face down and two cards face up.

Rules: Exactly the same as 7-Card Stud, with the only difference being that whoever has the high hand and whoever has the lowest spade in their hole cards splits the pot. This version of stud poker is also known as Chicago Low and The Bucket.

Object: To assemble the high hand.
Variations: Adding wild cards.

Baseball

Number of Players: 3 – 7
Opening Deal: Each player is dealt one card face down and two cards face up.

Rules: Similar to 7-Card Stud, with the following exceptions: When a player is dealt a 4 face up, he immediately receives another card face down, and 3’s and 9’s are always wild.

Object: To assemble the highest hand.
Rainouts – When the Queen of Spades is dealt face up, the hand is immediately terminated and hands are re-dealt only to those who were still in the game at that point.
Wild Card Payment – Normally the required payment for a wild card is the amount equal to the pot.

Canadian Stud

Number of Players: 3 – 7
Opening Deal: The same as standard 5- and 7-Card Stud.
Rules: Exactly the same as the above, only there are additional hand rankings which significantly change the strategy. For example, in Canadian Stud a 4-card straight beats a pair, a 4-card flush beats a 4-card straight, and two pair beats a 4-card flush. This version is also sometimes referred to as Moose Heart.

Object: To assemble the highest hand.

Caribbean Stud

Number of Players: 3 – 8
Opening Deal: Each player is dealt five cards face down.

Rules: The rules vary from casino to casino, but in the standard version the ante comes first. The dealer flips one of his cards and, after you have looked at your hand, if you choose to remain in you must bet exactly twice the amount of the ante. In order to qualify, the dealer needs A-K or better. If he doesn’t have it and you’ve paid to continue, the dealer must pay out the same as your ante. Now, if he qualifies and you beat him he must pay off your ante and pay out your bet according to a predetermined scale. For example, two pairs pays 2/1, three of a kind 3/1, a straight 4/1, a flush 5/1, a full house 7/1, four of a kind 20/1, etc.

Object: To make the highest possible hand which beats the dealer.

Cathy’s Game

Number of Players: 3 – 8
Opening Deal: The player the immediate left of the dealer is dealt a card face down.

Rules: Also very similar to standard 5-cad stud, in this game only the distribution of the cards is different. Once the first player has received their card, he must decide if he wants to keep it or not. If he chooses to replace it from a new card from the deck, a small marker is placed on the unwanted card to indicate it has been replaced. Each player can only replace their card once. Once the first player has made his decision, it’s the next player’s turn. This continues until each player has one card, and then a betting round occurs. In subsequent rounds, the cards are dealt face up until each player has established their 5-card hand. After that, a showdown occurs.

Object: To put together the highest hand.

Choose Your Own

Number of Players: 3 – 7
Opening Deal: Each player is dealt two cards face down and one face up, as in 7-card Stud.

Rules: After the ante, the deal, and a round of betting, one card is place face up in front of every player. The player with the lowest-ranked hand (at the start, each player has only one visible card) gets to choose from any of these face up cards. If there is a tie, the player closest to the dealer on the left chooses. This continues until the last face up card is taken by the player with the strongest hand. The same format is repeated twice more, with a round of betting followed each time. The last card is dealt to each player face down, so that a 7-card hand is assembled (3 cards up, 4 down). A showdown follows to determine a winner.

Variations: Also played as 5-card Stud. Players are dealt one card up and one card down, followed by two rounds of the lowest-ranked hand choosing and then another card dealt face down to make a 5-card hand.
Object: To put together the highest hand.

Cowpie Poker

Number of Players: 3 – 7
Opening Deal: Each player is dealt two cards face down and one face up, as in 7-card Stud.

Rules: The same as 7-card stud until the final card is dealt, then each remaining players splits their hand into a 5- and 2-card hand, with the following stipulations: the 2-card hand must contain at least one down card and the 5-card hand must be stronger than the 2-card hand. Another betting round follows and then there is the showdown.

Object: To assemble the highest 2- or 5-card hand, which split the pot equally.

Dakota

Number of Players: 4 - 10
Opening Deal: Each player is dealt two cards face down at first, and then five more.

Rules: Play starts when each player rolls one of their cards, followed by a round of betting. Then each player is dealt another card face down and they must roll another. This continues until each player has seven cards. Before the seventh and final card is dealt, each player must decide whether or not to buy the “option”. If a player declines, the card is dealt face down. If he chooses to buy the option (at the cost of the maximum bet), the card is dealt face up. Either the high or low hole card in a player’s hand is wild, and any other card of the same rank in the hand. Next there is a showdown and a winner is determined.

Object: To put together the highest hand.
Variations: High and Low hands split the pot, or highest 5-card and 2-card hands split the pot.

Dirty Schultz

Number of Players: 3 - 7
Opening Deal: Each player is dealt two cards face down and one card face up.

Rules: Essentially the same as 7-card stud, with the following difference: Whenever a natural pair is dealt face up to a player, the very next card dealt face up becomes wild. If another pair appears, again the next card replaces the previous one as the wild card.

Object: To put together the highest hand.

English Stud

Number of Players: 3 - 6
Opening Deal: Each player is dealt two cards face down and one card face up.
Rules: Yet another slight variation on 7-Card Stud, this time each player receiving only six cards. Before receiving the sixth and final card each player, starting on the dealer's left, may exchange one of his cards for a fresh one from the deck. If he chooses to replace an upcard, he is dealt another card face up and if he discards a down card, he gets a new card face down. Exchanging cards is optional, and when each has made their decision another round of betting ensues. Players can exchange one more card following this turn, and then one more round of betting and a final showdown occurs.

Object: To put together the highest hand.

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