Tango Poker

Stud Poker and its Variants

Stud Poker, from its beginnings in the late 1800s, has, through its numerous variations and transformations, remained a Poker table favorite to this day. Its rules are somewhat similar to Draw Poker, but with some crucial differences.

In traditional Stud Poker (called 5 Stud Poker), players are initially dealt two cards, one up and one down. The player with the highest up card value begins the letting round. Three down cards are dealt one at a time, with a betting round in-between. After the final betting round the showdown takes place. In traditional play the High and Low hands split the pot.

There are numerous Stud variants, and here are soem of them.

7 Stud Poker is virtually identical to 5 Stud except that players are dealt one up card and two down cards at the beginning. The last card is also dealt up. It should be noted, however, that 7 Stud has its own variants, including High Chicago, Low Chicago, 7 Stud High/Low Declare, and others.

In English Stud, players are dealt two down cards and one up card. The sequence of play follows 7 Stud Poker, except when the sixth card is dealt, each player has the option of exchanging a card. Discarding a down card gets him a new down card, and the same holds true if he opts for an up card.

After the sixth card is dealt a betting round follows. Players can choose to make another exchange, and after the final betting, the showdown takes place. Variants of English Stud include playing with seven cards or requiring players to pay for an exchange.

Turbo 5 Card Stud is played by three to seven players. They are each given five cards, four down and one up. After the preliminary betting round each player is dealt a down card, after which the player must discard a down card and turn one down card up. This process is repeated for three betting rounds.

After the last betting round, players must turn up one of their two cards up. A final betting round ensues, and then the showdown. The High Hand wins, although in some Turbo 5 variations the High/Low is used.

Mexican Stud is yet another interesting variant. Two cards are dealt to each player, one of which they face up. A betting round follows, and the players are dealt another card. Once again a down card must be faced up. The betting round commences. This process continues until all players have five cards, four down and one up.

After the betting the showdown begins. The High Hand wins. There are several possible twists to Mexican Stud: three cards can be dealt at the start; the down card can be a wild card, and the last card to be dealt is down.

Despite all the myriad Poker derivations and variants out there, Stud Poker still commands a strong following. The intricacies and seemingly endless possible variations that are possible with it will no doubt continue to enthrall its followers and win over new ones.