Five Card Stud Rules

Five Card Stud Poker is played at two to eight player tables. Five Card Stud is not a community card based poker game; each player plays their own cards.

In Five Card Stud each player is dealt one card face down, the "hole" or "pocket" card and one face up, "Door" card. Three cards are then dealt to each player face up. Each player then uses their own cards to make the best five card poker hand.

Ante Up - Play Begins
All players ante a nominal amount; this is a forced bet by each player. Each player is then dealt one card face down, this is the Hole card and one face up, the Door card.

Five Card Stud Play
The player with the lowest face card is the "bring-in", and is forced to make a wager of either a half a small bet or a full small bet (for example $1 in a $2/$4 game); the round of betting continues from there.

If more than one player has the same lowest face up card a tie is broken by the suit of the card; with the order being spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs.

A card, "Third Street", is then dealt to each player face up.
The player with the highest face up poker hand then begins the next betting round.

A card, "Fourth Street", is then dealt to each player face up.
The player with the highest face up poker hand then begins the next betting round.

A card, "River" or "Fifth Street", is then dealt to each player face up.
The player with the highest face up poker hand then begins the next betting round.

The "Showdown" occurs.

The Showdown
If there is more than one player left in the pot at the end of the last round of betting the player with the best "high" five card poker hand wins the pot; the hand is made up of the five cards that the player was dealt.

The rules are the same for all of the different betting structures Limit and Pot Limit with a few exceptions:
Limit
Pot Limit