FIVE-CARD STUD
If It’s Good Enough for Steve McQueen
POKER PLAYERS: 2 to 10.
CARDS: Four up cards, one “hole card”.
BETTING: There are four rounds and betting picks up in the later rounds.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Do your first two cards offer any hope for building a strong hand ? Look at your opponent’s up cards: Do they have cards that you need to improve your hand? What type of hands are they going for?
WHAT WINS: Winning hands tend to be low. High pairs or better usually take the pot
With the uncertainty of that one hidden card (hole card), five-card stud has its own mystique. It is, after all, the game that Steve McQueen and Edward G. Robinson played in The Cincinnati Kid. With four cards showing, each player has a fairly solid basis upon which to judge the hands of his or her opponents. However, the hole card can make or break a hand and is often what the game and betting strategy hinge on. To improve your chances of taking the pot, pay close attention to your opponents’ up cards, remember what cards have been folded, and assess your chances for improving your hand as the game goes along.
The game begins with the dealer giving each player one card facedown. The dealer then deals each player one up card.
The player with the highest card showing starts the betting. The betting then moves clockwise around the table. Some open the betting the opposite way and have the player with the lowest card open the betting in the first round. The dealer must decide who opens prior to dealing the cards.
After the first round of a poker game is completed, the dealer deals another up card to each player. At this point, and for the remainder of the game, the player with the highest-ranking hand showing opens the betting, followed by the person on his left, and then moving clockwise around the table.
Once the second round of betting is finished, the dealer gives each remaining player another up card. At this point, all remaining players have three up cards and a hole card. Another round of betting commences, followed by the fourth and final up card being dealt, followed by betting. After all players have placed their bets, everyone shows their cards with the highest hand taking the pot.
In The Cincinnati Kid’s climactic scene, Lancey Howard’s [Edward G.Robinson] straight flush beats the Kid’s [Steve McQueen] full house. It makes for great drama, but in reality, it would probably never happen.