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FIVE-CARD STUD POKER VARIATIONS

In the following selection of the most popular variations of Stud Poker are many which appear in print for the first time. These are Five-Card stud Poker unless otherwise specified. These games have been collected from year of watching various kind of Stud Poker being played in card rooms, Poker clubs, and casino here and abroad. I have divided the Stud, or Open, Poker variants into two general categories: Basic Variations of Stud poker and Miscellaneous Stud Poker Variants. The player will find the governing these games under General Rules for Poker, under Five-Card Stud Poker Rules, and in the text follows.

BASIC VARITIONS OF STUD POKER

Five-Card Stud –Deuces Wild

Played exactly as is Five-Card Stud, except that the deuces are wild, and on the show down cards do not speak for themselves; a player must announce the value of his hand in his proper turn of play. announcement cannot be changed after a player’s turn of play has passed on the showdown. Often a joker is added as an extra wild card/

Five-Card Stud –Last Card Down

This variation is played the same as Five-Card Stud except that the last card is dealt face down, thus giving each active player two hole cards.

Five-Card Stud - Five bets

This game, which is also known as Pistol Pete, Hole-Card Stud, and John’s Poker, is played as is Five-Card Stud Poker, except that there is an extra betting round that occurs after the hole cards have been dealt to each player and before any upcards are dealt.

Low-Hand Stud Poker – Ace Low

In this variation of Low-hand Stud Poker the ace ranks only as a one, and the best hand is ace, two, three, four, and six of mixed units.

Lowball Stud Poker

This game, which is also called Low-Hand Stud, is played like Five-Card Stud with the following exceptions:

1. The lowest-ranking hand wins the pot.
2. The player with the lowest ranking card or cards showing has the option of making the first bet in each betting round. For ranking low-valued hands.

Double –Handed High-Low

In this game, which is also called Bimbo High-Low, the play is the same as Five-Card Stud except for the following:

1. Each player is dealt two hands of five cards each. Each hand is dealt separately in turn and is bet as a different hand.
2. When a player bets on one of this hands, his other hand must call the bet along with the opponents or fold.
3. A player may fold one hand at any time and stay with the other.
4. Before showdown, each player announces what he is going to do with each hand – go low, or high, or high-low.

Skeet’s with Spit Cards

Played exactly the same as Five-Card Stud Poker except that at the dealer’s option after each round of betting the dealer calls “skeet’s ” and deals a spit card in the center, which may be used by all players in making their best hand. this is followed by a round of betting. The dealer has the option of refusing to deal a spit card in the center – whenever he because, should he hold a valuable hand, he may not spit. However, with each player having a turn at dealing the odds are equalized.

Five-Card High-Low Stud

Five-Card High-Low Stud has been gaining popularity with millions of stud players. However, in recent years Seven Card High-Low Stud has outdistanced Five-Card High-Low Stud in popularity. Most of the rules that apply to Five –Card stud apply to this High-Low variation with the following addition: at the showdown, the highest and lowest hand divides the pot equally. Another High-Low variation is to call straights and flushes high or low, or both high and low.

Three –Card Substitution

Also known as Three-Card Buy, this game is a high-low variation of Five-Card Stud, but after each player’s fifth card has been dealt and its betting round is completed, the dealer call “Buy one,” or “Substitution one.” Then, each player in turn is permitted to discard and draw a card. Players may discard an upcard or a hole card. If an upcard is discarded the player receives an upcard. If a hole card is discarded the player receives a face-down card. After the first substitution, or “buy-in,” there is a round of betting. Dealer then calls “Substitution two” and there is another substitution followed by another round of betting. Then, the dealer calls “Substitution three,” followed by a discard and draw and a final betting round. A player may reject the opportunity to Substitute any time he wishes. The Substitutions, or buy-ins, are not free; they must be paid for. In a one, two, and three-unit limit game, the first buy-in costs 3 units, the second costs 6 units, and the third buy in costs 9 units.
Both variations detailed under Five-Card High-Low Stud apply equally to Three-Card Substitution.

Two –Card Buy or Substitution

Played the same as Three-Card Substitution except that only two substitutions, or buy-ins, are permitted.

One-Card Buy Substitution

Played the same as Three-Card Substitution except that only one buys in is permitted.

Crazy Five-Card high-Low Stud

This unusual type of Stud Poker, also called Shove’em along, forward Pass, Take It or leave It, Push, or Rothschild, is played the same as Five-Card Stud Poker with the Following exceptions and additional rules:

1. Crazy Five-Card High-Low Stud beings with each player receiving a hole card. The dealer then deals an upcard to the leader (player at his left). The leader has two alternatives: he may keep the upcard or pass it on to the player on his left. If he passes it on, he receives another dealt upcard, which he must keep. However, if he decides to keep the original dealt card, the dealer deals an upcard or passing it to the next rightful player.
2. The procedure continues clockwise around the table with each player either accepting a passed upcard or passing it on to the player on his left and having the dealer deal him an upcard in its place, which he must keep; or if he has not been passed a card, the dealer must deal him an upcard and he has the option of keeping the upcard or passing it to the player on his left, in which case he will be dealt a second upcard which he must keep. In any event a player is not permitted to accept a passed a card and have an upcard dealt to him too.
3. The above procedure continues until the dealer’s turn of play, when he is bound by the following rules: He may accept a passed card or refuse it and burn it (place it face up) on the bottom of the deck. If he refuses it, he deals himself an upcard, which he must keep. If a passed card has not been offered to him, he may keep this first dealt upcard or burn it and deal himself a second upcard, which he must keep.
4. When each player has received a hole card and his first upcard. A betting interval takes place. After the betting, the dealer deals a second round of upcards and the play continues as before, this deal is again followed by a betting interval, and this procedure of play and betting continues until each remaining player has a hole card and four upcards and the fourth betting interval takes place.
5. And how comes another unusual aspect of this fascinating game: a delayed showdown. Each remaining player in turn may discard his hole card or any upcard and be dealt another card in its place. If a hole card is discarded, a face down card is dealt in its place. If an upcard is discarded, a face up card is dealt in its place.
6. The fifth and final round of betting then takes place, followed by a high-low showdown. At the showdown, the highest and the lowest hands divide the pot equally.

Five-Card Turn-Up Stud

This game is also known as Mexican Stud, Peep-and-Turn, and Flip Poker, and is played the same as Five-Card Stud, with the following exceptions and additional rules :
The first two cards are dealt face down to each player, and he has the option of turning up whichever one he chooses. This is followed by a betting interval in which high hand bets first. The third card is also dealt face down, and again the player has the option of turning up either card. This is followed by another betting interval. Each player’s fourth and fifth (last) cards are also dealt face down and another betting interval takes place after each player turns up his optional card. A player may turn up either his previous hole card or the one just dealt, but he must always have only one card in the hole.

Shifting Sands

This game is played the same as Five-Card Turn-Up Stud except that the first card that a player turns up and every other card of the same rank in his hand at the showdown are wild.

Monterey

Played like Five-Card Turn-Up Stud, except that in this game, which has been called Rickey de Late by some, every player’s hole card and every other card of the same rank in his hand are wild.

Blind Five-Card Stud Poker

Played like Five-Card Stud with the following exceptions and additional rules:
One card is dealt each player face down followed by a betting round started by the leader. A second face-down card is dealt each player followed by a second betting round. The leader starts the betting each time a card is dealt. The same procedure of being dealt face down cards and betting is followed by a second betting round. The leader starts the betting each time a card is dealt. The same procedure of being dealt face down cards and betting is followed until five cards have been dealt face down. No player may check; he must either bet, raise, or get out. This game may also be played with deuces wild or with the added joker as wild card.

New York Stud

In this Five-Card Stud game, a four flush (a four-card flush) beats a single pair but loses to two pairs or higher. In the final betting round, a player with a four flush showing bets first as compared to a player with any single pair showing.

Canadian Stud Poker

Canadian Stud Poker is played the same as Five-Card Stud, except that a four-card straight or flush beats a pair, and four-card flush beats a four-card straight. Skill is even more important here than in Five-Card Stud.

Spanish Stud Poker

This variation is played the same as is Five-Card Stud Poker, and all the rules that apply to Five-Card Stud apply to this game, with the following exception. A 32-card deck is used, made up by stripping out all the twos, threes, fours, fives and sixes.

Pig Stud Poker

This is variation of Five-Card Stud and Five-Card Draw Poker combined. The rules are as follows:

1. The player whose turn it is to deal antes an agreed amount into the pot.
2. Each player is dealt three face-down cards one at a time in rotation.
3. The leader, as in Stud Poker, makes the first bet, followed by each player in rotation, and each player at his turn of play may check, bet, raise or drop out.
4. After this betting round is completed, a fourth card face up is dealt to each player and another betting round rakes place with high card betting first. The fifth card dealt, also an upcard, is followed by a betting interval.
5. The player now has five cards, three face down and two face up. He picks up the two upcards and places them face down among the three face-down cards; he then plays it out as in Five-Card Draw Poker by discarding and drawing to his hand, or standing pat.

Pig Stud Poker is considerably more interesting, incidentally, when played deuces wild and joker wild.

Six-Card Stud

Played the same as Five-Card Stud Poker with the following additional rules:

1. A player is dealt his sixth card face down to give him two hole cards.
2. The best five cards out of six may be used to form a poker hand.

Six-Card High-Low Stud

Played the same as Six Card Stud with the following additional rule: Any player may go for high or low, or both, according to rules governing high-low declarations as found under General Rules for Poker.

seven card stud Poker

In the past few years Seven Card Poker, also known as Down the River, Seven-Toed Pete, and Peek Poker, has replaced Five-Card Stud as the most popular form of straight Stud Poker played in the United States. It is played the same as Five-Card Stud with the following exceptions and additional rules:
Each player is dealt two hole cards singly in proper rotation, as described under dealing in General Rules for Poker . The third card is dealt face up for each player, then a round of betting takes place, as in Stud Poker. The fourth card is dealt face up to each active player, and another round of betting takes place. The fifth and sixth cards are dealt and similarly followed by betting rounds. The seventh card is dealt face down, giving each active player his third hole card, and the last betting round takes place. In the showdown, each player selects for his hand the best five cards of his seven. One should be especially cautious in sorting a five-card hand from the seven cards dealt.

seven card stud –Deuces Wild Plus the Joker

Played exactly as is seven card stud, except that a joker is added as a wild card and the deuces are wild. In this variation of stud , cards shown do not speak; player must call or announce his hand. once called, hand must stand; it cannot be changed.

English seven card stud

This game is played like the American Version except as follows: After each active player has received his two cards face down and three face up, and the appropriate betting intervals have taken place, he may then discard one card and draw a replacement as in Draw Poker, the replacement being dealt face up or down depending on the card discarded. There is then another betting round, followed by each player discarding and drawing one more card. The game is completed after a final betting interval and a showdown. A player may stand pat instead pat for the first draw, he must remain pat for the second.

Low-Hole-Card Stud

Also known as Low-Hole-Card Wild, this variation, which can be used in any variety of six-or seven card stud, is played exactly as seven card stud except that the lowest –ranking card in the hole is wild, and all cards of the same denomination are also wild. Anything can happen, such as four and five of a kind, and even royal flushes.

Seven Card High-Low Stud Poker

Because of the heavy betting I have recently witnessed at Seven Card High-Low Stud by American gamblers from New York to California, I predict that it soon will be the nation’s most popular Stud Poker game. I know dozens of illegally operating high-rolling Seven Card High Low Stud Poker games situated in various sections of the United States in which thousands of dollars change hands nightly.
The game is played the same as seven card stud Poker with the following exceptions and additional rules: In this variant, each active player is required to declare, after the last betting interval but before the hole cards are exposed, whether he is going for high, for low, or for both. At the showdown, each player’s best five cards out of his seven may be used to form either a high or a low Poker hand, or he may also use his two best groups of five cards out of his seven to form both a high and a low online poker hand. for detailed information on high-low declarations before the showdown and high-low betting restrictions see General Rules for Poker.
By far the soundest method of play at Seven Card High-Low Stud is to play for low with the first three cards dealt. If you start with low cards, you have a chance to wind up with a straight or possibly a flush or a straight flush which will win high for you, and at the same time your low cards may give you the best low hand and you may win the entire pot. Playing for high at the start, you may win high, but it is almost a foregone conclusions that you will never win low as well.

Seven Card High-Low Progressive Stud

Played the same as Seven Card High–Low Stud with the following exceptions and additional progressive betting rules: The first player to the dealer’s left starts the first round of betting, and he must bet one unit (10 cents) or drop out. On the second round of betting or drop out. On the third round of betting the third player to the dealer’s left starts the betting with three unit (30 cents) or drops out. The fourth player on the dealer’s left starts the fourth round of betting with four units (40 cents). On the fifth and final round the fifth player on the dealer’s left starts the betting with five units (50 cents) or drops out. Should a player whose turn it is to bet drop out, the to bet rotates to the next active player and so on.

Seven Card High –Low Stud with a Joker

This game is played exactly as Seven–Card High-Low Stud described previously. But it is played with 52 cards plus a joker. The joker, called the bug, may be used as an ace or as a wild card in a straight or flush.

Fairview High-Low Stud

This game is a two-card High-low stud game that has three buy-ins, or substitutions. Each player is dealt a down card after which a three-raise limit betting round takes places. Then an upcard is dealt and another betting round takes places. This is followed by three separate buying with a betting round after each trade. Ace is a high card only. A pair of aces is a perfect high hand and a three and a deuce is a perfect low. However, a pair of sevens always takes the whole pot.

Eight-Card Stud

The same as seven card stud except that each active player receives an eight card, dealt either up or down, as the dealer may decide in advanced