vegas gambling in to Las Vegas
home airfares hotels car rental attractions tours


Accommodation
Hotels in Las Vegas
Hotels on the Strip
Discount Hotels
Airport Hotels
Youth Hostels
Las Vegas Flights
Flights to Las Vegas
From the US
From the UK
Travel Guides
Las Vegas Guide
The Las Vegas Strip
Casinos and Gambling
Las Vegas Attractions
Sightseeing Tours
Shows and Live Events
Bar, Clubs and Nightlife
Las Vegas Restaurants
Shopping Malls Outlets
Health and Beauty
Golf Courses
Las Vegas Weddings
Convention Centre
Mc Carran Airport
Las Vegas Transport
Tourist Information
Las Vegas History
Weather and Climate
Gambling Game Rules
Rental Cars / Hire
Las Vegas Rental Cars
Book from the US
Book from the UK
Rest of World


You are here > In to Las Vegas > Las Vegas Gambling > Stud Poker rules

Stud Poker

A tad more difficult than the other varieties of poker but Stud Poker is probably the most popular. Knowing the basics of the game will increase a players experience, confidence and most of all, success playing for the first time. Once a player knows what they’re doing, they can easily fool another player, by acting naïve about the game.

Naming the Cards

In seven card stud, each round of cards dealt to a player (five betting rounds in total), have a name. In the first round, two cards are dealt facing down, known as the Pocket/Hole, and one card facing up, known as the Door Card. Following rounds are dealt facing up, the fourth card being known as Fourth Street , the fifth card known as Fifth Street, the sixth known as Sixth Street and the final seventh card, known as River, is dealt face-down.

Getting Seated

A maximum of 8 seats are available in a seven card stud game. Seats are ordered from the dealer's left hand beginning with seat number one, continuing around the table where the last player would be at the dealer's right hand. (clockwise) The order of checking, betting, raising and calling always moves clockwise from the first available playing position.

The Game Begins (The bets below are just examples).

The dealer shuffles and cuts one deck of cards. One card is 'burned' from the top of the deck. (The top card on the deck at the end of the cut is not played).

Rules

· All players will ante 50¢ into the pot to be dealt their first three cards, called the 'starting hand'. One card is dealt to each player clockwise around the table facing down, always beginning with seat 1. A second card is dealt to each player around the table facing down. Only the player whose hand it is can view the down-faced card. A third card is dealt to each player facing up. This card is called the door card. The third card (and all up-facing cards dealt from here) must remain facing up for all players at the table to see.

· The player with the lowest numbered door card at the table must 'bring-in' a minimum bet of $1 or place their first bet at $1. The bring-in bet determines who is in first position for the starting hand. Beginning from the player who is bringing in, the order of calling, raising, and folding hands moves clockwise of the bring-in player until all bets are placed and hands folded around the table. The bring-in player will place a bring-in bet of $1. Any player who wants to stay in the hand at this point will call $1 or raise the bring-in bet (complete the bet) by a minimum of $1. Checking is not allowed at this point. Re-raising will not be discussed in this example although it is allowed. Any player who does not like their starting hand will 'fold' or concede their hand.

· The dealer 'burns' one card from the top of the deck before dealing the next round of cards. (The top card on the deck is not played.)

· Remaining players are dealt the fourth card (fourth street), facing up. The starting bet for fourth street at the table is $2. The player with the highest-showing hand at the table has now taken over first position to place the $2 bet. The minimum call is $2. Checking is allowed around the table for the rest of the rounds beginning with the person in first position. The order of calling, raising and folding hands moves clockwise from the high-show player until all bets are placed and hands folded around the table.

· The dealer burns one card from the top of the deck, and the remaining players are dealt the fifth street card facing up. Bet minimums go up on fifth street to $4. Anyone wanting to stay in the game will place a minimum bet of $4. The minimum call is $4. The player with the highest-showing hand at the table has first position and is given the first opportunity to place a $4 bet. For the rest of the rounds the minimum bet is $4. The minimum call is also $4. The highest showing hand will always take over first position, meaning that all checks, bets, calls, raises and folds will continue to move clockwise from first position.

· The dealer burns one card from the top of the deck before dealing the next round of cards to the remaining players. The sixth street card is dealt facing up. The highest showing hand takes first position. Minimum bet and call is $4. Checks, bets, calls, raises and folds move clockwise from first position.

· If there are any remaining players after the sixth street round, the dealer burns one card from the top of the deck and deals out the last card (the River card). The river card is dealt to the remaining players face down.

· Checks, bets, calls, raises and folds are taken beginning with the person in first position. Minimum bet and call is $4. After a bet is placed and any bets have been called, the players turn all of their down-faced cards up to show who has the best hand and the best hand wins the pot. If there are no calls to a bet on the table the person placing the bet wins the pot and does not have to show their hand.

· The dealer pays out the winning player from the bets accumulated through all rounds. Cards are shuffled, cut, and the next starting hand is dealt after the players ante.

Double Bets

If there is a pair on the board, while on fourth street, the player in betting position has the option to make a double-bet. This is the only time that a double bet is allowed. Some card rooms allow that once a double-bet is made, anyone who wishes to raise, can raise the double-bet, or double-raise.

No More Cards!

Rare instances occur when there are not enough cards to be dealt to each player at the end of a hand. In this event, one card is dealt, called a 'community card', where the single card is in play for each hand at the table.
For example, if all 8 players at a table were to call to up to sixth street, there would not be enough cards to deal each player their last card. A single card from the remainder of the deck, or one of the burn cards, is used and placed at the centre of the table. This single card becomes the last for each player's hand. Bets are placed around the table in the usual way.
Depending on the rules of the house, the dealer may have the choice of using one of the burn cards, a card from the remainder of the deck that would not have adequately supplied 8 players with a last card, or a card would be pulled from a second deck. The house rules may be standardized so that the dealer does not have the option of where to pull the community card from and must go strictly by what the house rule is.
Normally before the community card is dealt, either the burn cards or the remaining cards in the deck are first shuffled. The bottom card of the deck is never played.

When Do Suits Have Rank?

The only time in poker where the suits have rank is with the 'bring-in' bet, in a seven card stud game.
At this table the dealer has a total of four players who have opted to sit at seats 1,4,5, and 8. After the cards are shuffled and cut, the top card is 'burned' by the dealer. All the players make a wager and the starting hand is dealt. The player with the lowest up-facing card has first position and must place the first minimum bet called the 'bring-in'.
Here, player 5 and player 8 both have up-cards showing the number 2. To determine which player has first position, the suits have rank, and the lowest ranking suited card showing a number 2 must place the bring-in bet. The highest suit is spades, followed by hearts, diamonds, and then clubs. At this table, player 5 must place the bring-in bet since the suit of his card is ranked the lowest of both of the lowest up-facing cards.

Back to Las Vegas Gambling >>

Las Vegas Travel Info