Five Card Stud Rules
Five Card Stud is the oldest stud variant and one of the simplest poker games to learn. Each player receives one hidden hole card and up to four face-up cards across four betting rounds, with no community cards. With almost every card exposed, it rewards careful hand reading over bluffing. The high hand at showdown wins.
The objective
You want the best five-card poker hand at showdown. Because only one card is hidden, you can see most of what your opponents hold, so the game is about judging whether your board plus your hole card is ahead and betting accordingly.
The streets
Second Street
Each player receives one card face down (the hole card) and one card face up. The lowest up card posts the bring-in, and the first betting round follows.
Third Street
A second up card is dealt. From here the best hand showing acts first.
Fourth Street
A third up card. Betting rises to the big bet size.
Fifth Street
A fourth and final up card, then the last betting round and showdown.
Hand rankings
Five Card Stud uses standard poker hand rankings, strongest at the top.
| Hand | Example |
|---|---|
| Straight flush | T♥ 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ |
| Four of a kind | K♠ K♥ K♦ K♣ 4♠ |
| Full house | Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 8♣ 8♠ |
| Flush | A♣ J♣ 9♣ 6♣ 3♣ |
| Straight | 9♦ 8♠ 7♥ 6♣ 5♦ |
| Three of a kind | 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♠ |
| Two pair | J♠ J♦ 5♣ 5♥ 9♠ |
| One pair | T♦ T♣ A♠ 8♥ 4♦ |
| High card | A♠ Q♦ 9♣ 6♥ 2♠ |
A worked example
At showdown Alice shows 8♦ up cards 8♠ Q♥ 8♣ 3♦ with a hole card of 8♥. Bob shows up cards A♠ K♦ J♣ 9♠ with a hole card of A♦.
Alice’s five cards make four of a kind, four eights.
Bob’s five cards make a pair of aces with a king, jack and nine.
Four of a kind crushes one pair, so Alice wins. Note how little Bob could tell: only one of Alice’s eights was ever hidden.
On SPN
Five Card Stud uses fixed-limit betting on SPN, with the bring-in and bet sizes handled automatically. With most cards visible the game rewards hand reading and patience. Dealing is provably fair and tables are bot-free.
Frequently asked questions
What are the streets in Five Card Stud?
Five Card Stud has four betting rounds. Second Street is the first two cards (one down, one up), then Third, Fourth, and Fifth Street each deal one more up card with a betting round after each. There is no First Street because the initial deal is two cards at once.
How many cards are face down?
Just one. Each player has a single hidden hole card and up to four face-up cards, so almost your whole hand is public. That is what makes Five Card Stud a reading game rather than a bluffing game.
Who acts first?
On the first betting round the lowest up card posts the bring-in and acts first. On every later street the best hand showing acts first.
How is Five Card Stud different from Seven Card Stud?
Five Card Stud deals only five cards with one hole card and four betting rounds, while Seven Card Stud deals seven cards with three hidden and five betting rounds. Five Card Stud is the older, simpler game.
What wins at showdown?
The best five-card poker hand using standard rankings. Since each player has exactly five cards, your hand is simply all the cards you were dealt.