Gambling terms, explained straight

Poker

5 card stud poker rules

Five-card stud is a poker variant in which each player is dealt one private card and four exposed cards across four rounds of betting, and the strongest five-card hand takes the pot.

Cards per player
5 (1 hole, 4 face-up)12
Betting rounds
41
Ante required
Standard rules require an ante; without one, the highest exposed card opens with a minimum bet12

Key points

  • Each player is dealt one hole card and one face-up card, then betting begins with the player showing the highest card or best hand.12
  • After each of the next three betting rounds, one more face-up card is dealt; incomplete straights or flushes do not count for determining the opener.1
  • Surviving players reveal their hands after the final round, and the highest-ranking five-card poker hand wins the pot.12

Where this term is used

Not the same as

  • 5 card poker rules — a generic term for any poker rules involving five-card hands, whereas five-card stud is a specific variant with one hidden and four exposed cards
  • 5 card poker hands — the hand-ranking system used to compare hands, not the dealing and betting rules of five-card stud
Poker 5 card poker rules Covers generic poker rules for games that use five-card hands. Poker 5 card stud The same game as five-card stud poker, explained under its shorter name. Poker 5 card poker hands Explains the hand rankings used to determine the winner in five-card stud. Poker Poker hold em rules Rules for Texas hold 'em, a community-card poker game distinct from stud variants. Poker Poker betting rules General betting structures that apply across many poker games, including stud. Poker Pl o poker rules Rules for Pot-Limit Omaha, another poker variant with a different dealing format.

Sources

  1. Five Card Stud Poker - card game rules - Pagat pagat.com Provides the standard rules for five-card stud, including the dealing procedure and betting rounds.
  2. Poker Rules - Pagat pagat.com Offers additional detail on the no-ante opening rule and confirms the card count and hand evaluation.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.