Whether you’re a Hold’em pro ready to make the switch to Stud or a complete Poker newbie, you’ll be happy to know that Casino Stud Poker is a very straightforward game that’s easy to learn. In fact, there are only a few basic conceptions to remember:
- Ace is High: A pair of kings will always be beaten by a pair of aces and an ace high is worth more than a king high. The ace is also the first and last card in a straight. You can have A, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10, J, Q, K, A, for instance, but you can’t have K, A, 2, 3, 4 or Q, K, A, 2, 3.
- Payouts: The lowest payout is 1:1 and the highest is the progressive jackpot. However, you can only win the latter if you have wagered on the jackpot side bet, and it will be shared with other players if they have also made that wager.
- Ante, Call, and Fold: You begin the game with an ante and continue with a call. Alternatively, you can end the hand by opting to fold. Unlike games of Texas Hold’em, there is no option to bet or raise.
- Side Bets: There are two side bets. The 5+1 makes a 5-card hand from all player cards and 1 dealer card. The jackpot awards a progressive prize when a royal flush is revealed.
As for Poker hands values, they are the same for Casino Stud Poker as they are for other Live Poker variants. Keep reading to learn more.
Casino Stud Poker Hands
If you’re a poker player with non-poker playing friends, there’s a good chance you’ve heard the words, “What beats what?”. They are usually uttered as everyone is sitting around the table. They all agree to a game, you count out the chips, deal the cards, and just as you’re ready to start betting, those three words drag everything to a screeching halt, and you realize that your friends are not as prepared as you thought.
Fortunately, understanding poker hand values is actually quite easy. There are not as many of them as newbies seem to think, and when it comes to the question of “what beats what?”, the answer is mostly down to common sense.
You need to learn that a flush beats a straight, but everyone knows that 2 pair is better than 1 pair, 4 of a kind beats 3 of a kind, and a straight flush beats a regular straight and a regular flush.
See our list of poker hand values below for a refresh.
- High Card: A hand that doesn’t include any pairs or anything else of value and, as a result, is judged based on its highest card.
- Pair: Two cards of the same type.
- 2 Pairs: Two pairs of different values, such as 7, 7 and 8, 8. If the cards were all 7s, it would be a four of a kind and not 2 pairs.
- 3 of a Kind: Three cards of the same value, such as 7, 7, 7.
- Straight: A full hand of 5 consecutive cards, such as 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
- Flush: Five cards (of any value) that are all in the same suit.
- Full House: A hand that combines a pair with a three of a kind.
- 4 of a Kind: Four cards of the same value.
- Straight Flush: A straight and a flush combined. The cards need to be consecutive and in the same suit.
- Royal Flush: The ultimate poker hand and one that is formed by having a straight flush using the 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace.
Casino Stud Poker Rules
Place your bet by putting chips in the ante square. The dealer will then give 5 face-up cards to the player and 5 to themselves (only one of which is face-up).
The next step is to call or fold. If it’s a call, the dealer will check to see if they qualify with at least a king high. When they fail to qualify, the bet settles as a 1:1 ante win, with the call wager returned. If they qualify, the two hands are compared and the one with the strongest poker hand ranking wins.
The player then receives a payment based on the payout table below.
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