Five-Card Stud Betting Strategy
by Bodog Poker | Aug 30 2010
5-Card Stud is a game that many beginners think they can take on and win because it offers you an unparalleled view of the other players' cards. This is actually why the game requires more attention be paid to every player's moves. This fundamental shift in gameplay means that you need to change your gameplaying style drastically, particularly if you've just moved on from Omaha or Texas Hold 'Em poker.
The first realization is that a pair can be considered a strong hand a good deal of the time, especially if only one of the cards is up and the other players can see it. Texas Hold 'Em and Omaha players see big hands all the time: straights, flushes and full houses are common occurrences when community cards are involved. Players can actually go for several months playing Five Card Stud without seeing a full house beat out a flush at the table, but players of Omaha are likely to see this every day.
A very good rule of thumb for five-card stud? Fold if you can not beat what other players have showing up on the table. While Texas Hold 'Em and Omaha players can go for a hand or two, feeling out what others have, playing up to 25% of the hands they're given without worrying too much, Five Card Stud players have to very carefully weigh the amount of the ante/blinds and rake in a hand to see if it's worth even going in on it. To win money in Five Card Stud poker, you have to put into the pot back and completely overwhelm the rake.
It benefits players greatly to earn a reputation as a tight/conservative player and then switch up their game to bluff their way into additional pots if hands you've played haven't gone your way and you're down. Mind you, it doesn't make any sense to throw in a big bet to win $3 from the pot, but with the right methodology and no small amount of patience, you can benefit greatly from playing pot odds well. Here are some more general tips for five card stud that can help every player benefit.
• If you see the cards you need in someone else's hand? Those won't help you out.
• There are thirteen cards in each suit. You need five of those cards to make a flush. Pay close attention to the suits that other players have and immediately remove the possibility of a flush from your mind if you see more than one or two among the other players' up cards.
• If another player's exposed cards are strong, presume they've got a kicker of some time in their pocket and walk away while you still can.
• Straights work the same way as flushes: if you see that other players have the cards that you need, even if they're in another suit, then fold. It's not worth wading in too deeply chasing something that's very, very unlikely to happen.
Good luck at the tables and make sure that you review the Five Card Stud Poker rules here at Bodog before diving in feet-first.
