Five Card Stud

As I am a fan of all sporting events and tournaments that reached global sizes, I am quite familiar with the details of the World Series of Poker. This means that I know that a poker variant called Five Card Stud is not one of the poker games played at the tournament. At first, I was wondering why it did not get on the games’ list. This is why I looked it up a bit. Casino gambling has been turned into an honorable tournament anyway, so what did they have against Five Card Stud?

Not to be confused between 5 Card Draw Poker and 5 Card Stud Poker, you will find they are two uniquely different types of poker. Although these two games share similarities, there are variations. With names so similar, it can be easy to get the two confused so players need to be wary of the differences.

I checked a few records first, to be able to compare the game with other variants. I even tried it on different poker sites. This is something you can also do, now that there are several websites providing free online poker (as well as other free poker games). Anyway, the first thing I learned about it is that Five Card Stud was first played during the American Civil War, and it is, in fact, the ancestor of the stud poker played in our days. As the game was ‘upgraded’ several times since then, newer forms are substantially more popular nowadays. Actually, Five Card Stud was one of the preliminary games played at the World Series of Poker in the first four years, but it lost popularity. This would explain the absence of Five Card Stud from the tournament. However, it is still often played in Finland; in fact, they play a specific form called Scandinavian stud.

The basic rules of the game include the specific dealing of the cards. One card is dealt face down, then one face up. If two players have equally ranked cards, suit ranking is used in order to determine the lowest card, because the player having the lowest card has to pay the bring-in. If the game is played without a bring-in, the player showing the highest card face-up starts the betting round, and he is the one who can check. So, the first betting round begins. Afterward, every player is dealt another card face up. The following betting round starts with the player having the best possible hand. The same player might check or bet up to the game’s limit. Than a third and a fourth face-up card follows with the same betting rules. Then, players show their cards, and the best hand wins the pot. Of course, if a player bets, for example in the third round, and gets no calls, he wins the pot.

‘The game is still available online, so if you want to try it, you just need to look for poker online, and then select 5 Card Stud. It is not one of the most popular casino games, yet, that might mean less concurrence… Visit the best online casinos and look for big bonuses!