Stud Poker: How to Play Stud Poker Games
Stud poker is where poker began. Long before Texas Hold’em dominated TV screens, soldiers, gamblers, and card sharks were playing stud in saloons and barracks across America. With its mix of face-up and face-down cards, stud poker creates a game of skill, memory, and bold moves. Unlike Hold’em or Omaha, there are no community cards to fall back on. Every hand is unique to the player, and success depends on what you remember, what you observe, and how you read your opponents.
Stud has evolved over the years into several different versions, from the classics like Seven Card Stud to more unusual twists like Chicago or Baseball Stud. Each game carries the same stud DNA but adds its own rules and quirks. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the rules of stud poker, break down the most popular variants, and highlight some of the lesser-known formats that still show up in home games and mixed events.
What is Stud Poker?
Stud poker is a family of poker games in which players receive a mixture of face-down (“hole”) cards and face-up (“door”) cards across multiple betting rounds. Unlike Texas Hold’em or Omaha, there are no community cards shared by the table. Every card dealt belongs only to the individual player holding it.
One of the defining characteristics of stud poker is its non-positional betting structure. Instead of a fixed dealer button that rotates each hand, the betting order is determined by the cards showing. Typically, the player with the highest (or lowest, depending on the variant) up card is required to bring in the first bet. This creates a dynamic flow where position changes from hand to hand and even from street to street.
Stud poker was once the most widely played form of poker in the United States before Hold’em overtook it in the 1970s. Today, stud remains an important part of poker history and is still featured in World Series of Poker (WSOP) events and in mixed-game formats like HORSE.
Stud Poker Rules
Although there are many variations, stud poker games share a set of common rules and structures:
- Deal Structure: Players receive a combination of face-up and face-down cards.
- No Community Cards: Each hand is unique, and players can only use the cards they are dealt.
- Bring-In Bet: The first round of betting begins with the player showing the lowest (or highest) up card, who must post a bring-in bet.
- Betting Rounds: Bets are placed after each card is dealt face up. The number of betting rounds depends on the variant being played.
- Naming the Streets: Betting rounds are often called by the number of cards each player holds at that stage — for example, “third street,” “fourth street,” or “fifth street.”
In fixed-limit games, the betting limits often increase on later streets. For example, a $5/$10 Seven Card Stud game allows $5 bets on the first two rounds and $10 bets on later rounds. If an open pair appears on fourth street, many casinos also allow the larger bet size to be used immediately. These flexible but consistent rules are what make stud poker both accessible and strategically deep.
Stud Poker Games
Stud poker has produced dozens of variations, but nearly all of them trace back to the same foundation. Each version changes how many cards are dealt, how betting works, or what kind of hands qualify, yet they all share the same stud poker DNA. Below we break down the rules of the most popular stud variants.
Seven Card Stud
Seven Card Stud is the most popular form of stud poker and the basis for many other variants. Players begin with two cards face down and one face up. Betting continues as players are dealt up to seven cards in total (four up, three down). At showdown, the best five-card poker hand wins.
Learn more about how to play Seven Card Stud.
Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo (Eight-or-Better)
Known as “Stud 8,” this is a split-pot version of Seven Card Stud. Half the pot goes to the best high hand, while the other half is awarded to the best qualifying low hand (five cards ranked 8 or lower). If no qualifying low hand exists, the high hand takes the entire pot.
Razz
Razz turns traditional stud on its head — the lowest hand wins. Each player receives seven cards, and the lowest five-card Ace-to-Five hand (straights and flushes don’t count against you) takes the pot. Aces are always low in Razz, making A-2-3-4-5 the “wheel” and best possible hand.
Learn more about how to play Razz Poker.
Five Card Stud
The oldest stud format, Five Card Stud, was widely played in the 19th century and featured prominently in movies and literature. Players start with one card down and one card up, followed by three more up cards, for a total of five. Only one hole card is hidden, making it a very information-heavy game. Today it’s rarely spread in casinos, but it remains a historically important variant.
Learn more about how to play 5 Card Stud.
Mississippi Stud
Unlike other stud formats, Mississippi Stud is a casino table game rather than a player-versus-player poker variant. Players receive two hole cards and make betting decisions as three community cards are revealed one by one. Payouts are determined by a fixed pay table, with pairs of Jacks or better usually qualifying.
Learn more about how to play Mississippi Stud.
Caribbean Stud
Caribbean Stud Poker is another casino adaptation, derived from Five Card Stud. Instead of competing against other players, each person plays against the dealer’s hand. Payouts are based on a table, with progressive jackpots sometimes included. Caribbean Stud gained widespread popularity in the 1980s, particularly in Caribbean casinos, and remains a staple in many online casinos today.
Learn more about how to play Caribbean Stud.
Less Common Stud Poker Variants
Beyond the big names like Seven Card Stud and Razz, there are plenty of lesser-known stud games that have their own unique twists. Here are a few of the more unusual versions you might come across in home games or local poker circles.
- Mexican Stud: This is a game that has lots of variants itself. It plays like a five card stud game but always has some special tweak or oddity. This could mean that certain cards are stripped from the deck or that certain cards are wild.
- Chicago Stud: Chicago Stud is a split-pot Seven Card Stud game, but it’s not Hi/Lo. The standard high hand does take down half the pot, but the other half of the pot goes to the player that has the highest spade in their hole cards. So if you’re dealt the Ace of spades off the bat, you’re already guaranteed half the pot.
- Cowpie Stud: This is a split-pot game that plays like Seven Card Stud until the very end. After players have all seven cards, they have to form one five card and one two card hand. The five card hand must be stronger than the two card hand. Then the pot is split between the best five card hand and the best two card hand.
- Baseball Stud: This one’s kind of a free-for-all. There are many variations on the game, but it typically includes wild cards like 3s and 9s. Sometimes players get another card if there’s a 4 showing and there are plenty of other rules you can pick and choose from if you want to play this in your next home game.
- Others: If you look around you’ll find that there are dozens and dozens of different Stud poker variations. A lot of them have lots of quirky rules for added fun and gambling and don’t have any strict set of rules. In fact, if you’re creative enough you can come up with your own Stud poker variant and give it a name of your own.
Play Stud Poker
Stud poker is one of the oldest and most enduring branches of the game, with a mix of face-up and face-down cards that creates unique challenges you won’t find in Hold’em or Omaha. Whether you are curious about classic versions or want to try quirky home-game formats, stud offers a style of poker built on memory, patience, and sharp observation.
If you are ready to put your skills into action, check out our guide to the best real money poker sites or explore even more options in our full list of poker games.
FAQs
Yes, there are plenty of Stud poker events at the World Series of Poker. In fact, there were six different Stud poker bracelet events during the 2021 WSOP and there was plenty more Stud poker in HORSE poker and other mixed game events. So if you’re a stud aficionado and want to go toe-to-toe against the world’s best.
We have you covered right here. There are a ton of different stud games out there and we’ve covered some of the most popular ones. So if you want some more detailed information on strategy and rules, then head on over to our poker games online page to learn more.
There is no shortage of places to play Stud poker. If you want to play live, check out your local casino to see if they offer any Stud poker cash games or tournaments. If you’d rather play from the comfort of your own home and find stakes that range from pennies to hundreds of dollars, then it’s time to find the perfect online poker site for you. We also have you covered in that department. Our team of expert reviewers have played and examined the best poker sites out there and written extensive reviews on each one. So head on over to our reviews page to find the right online poker site for you and start playing stud poker now.
