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- Five Card stud is a poker game played by 2 to 10 players. As with all
- poker games, the object is to get the best hand and beat all of the
- other players, winning the pot.
-
- The first card dealt is face down. This is known as the hold card.
- No bets are placed on the this round. The next round of cards is
- dealt face up.
-
- The player having the highest hand showing, after each round of cards
- is dealt, starts the betting.
-
- If there are two players having the hand showing, the player dealt
- first is under the gun.
-
- When a player places a bet, the next player in turn must either call,
- raise, or fold. If a player folds, that player is out of the game for
- the rest of that deal.
- When all players have called the bets and/or raises or have folded,
- then the pot is right and the dealer deals another card face up.
-
- This continues until there are 4 cards up in each player's hand.
- After the last round of betting, each player remaining in the game
- turns their hold card face up and the best hand wins the deal.
-
- If at any time in the game, a player makes a bet and all other players
- fold, the player making the bet wins the hand by default and does not
- have to turn over his hold card.
-
- The mechanics of the game are simple, the betting strategy is what
- makes the game exciting.
-
- A few tips:
-
- Generally, in five card stud, any pair of face cards, Jack or higher
- will win.
-
- Many times a small pair will win, and sometimes an Ace or King high
- hand will drag the pot.
-
- Two pair or better will almost always win and if you hold such a hand,
- you should bet aggressively.
-
- Straights and flushes are occasionally dealt in five card stud. When
- they are dealt, they usually win. The odds of getting a straight or
- flush are very low in 5 card stud. Don't bet a lot of money on the
- possibility of hitting one, even if you have 4 cards out of 5.
-
- If a player is dealt a pair in the first two cards they are known as
- "wired". Often times, it is best to lay back with a wired pair. A
- raise on the first round is usually a dead give away that you have
- your first up card matched in the hole. Other times it may be good
- strategy to raise on the first round to make your opponents think you
- are wired.
-
- When playing high stakes 5 card stud, if you are dealt two low cards
- and see much higher cards face up on the table, you are generally wise
- to fold early. Patience is the greatest skill a high stakes poker
- player can acquire. If your hand doesn't look good, another deal will
- be coming shortly, so fold 'em. A hand that starts out badly will
- almost always end up bad, and in pot limit poker each card usually
- becomes progressively more expensive.
-
- If another player has a large pair showing early in the game, it is
- usually best to fold. His odds of getting two pair is as good as your
- odds of getting a higher pair than he shows. Even worse, he may get
- trips.
-
- Bluffing is the real key to becoming a good poker player. When you
- bluff, you are trying to convince your opponents that you have a
- better hand than you really hold. The bluff is successful only if all
- of the other players fold and let you win the pot by default. The
- greater the number of players still in the hand, the less likely a
- bluff is to work. Either one or more of the players will have hands
- they believe to be better than yours or hope to get a better hand.
-
- Generally the best time to bluff in 5 card stud is after the last card
- is dealt and only one or two other players remain in the hand. To
- successfully bluff, you must have a hand showing that could beat the
- other players hand if you held a certain card in the hole. If you
- have a Queen high and no pair showing, a player with a pair of Kings
- will never be bluffed.
-
- Generally you should not continue a bluff if it doesn't succeed the
- first time. In other words, you raise a player's bet in an effort to
- make him fold. If that player responds by raising you back, you will
- probably not be able to make him fold. If you feel the bluff is
- hopeless, then fold and wait for another hand. However, if you feel
- the other player is bluffing and may hold a hand inferior to yours,
- then by all means call him or raise him back.
-
- There is no shame in being caught bluffing. If the other players know
- that you bluff, it will work to your advantage when you do get the big
- hand.
-
- When playing at the $5 and $10 limit tables bluffs rarely succeed. At
- the pot limit table this is another matter.
-
- If you have a pair showing early in the game and believe that pair is
- the best hand so far, bet aggressively. Make the other players pay
- handsomely for the opportunity to get additional cards to beat you.
- This is known as protecting an exposed pair and is generally good
- practice.
- Don't get too enamored with a good hand. If another player is betting
- very aggressively, and you believe he has you beat, fold your cards.
- Most large losses suffered in poker are by second best, or "bride's
- maid" hands.
-
- Generally don't bet into a better hand. Only do so if you think the
- other player can be bluffed.
-
- Generally don't stay in hoping for an inside straight. Play for an
- inside straight only when it costs little or nothing.
-
- That's about it for general rules. None of these are hard-and-fast.
- The only hard and fast rule is don't be too consistent. There are no
- formulas or "systems" for playing poker. You will develop a feel for
- what is a good hand in a given situation only by observing and playing
- many, many hands.
-
- One of the main advantages of being a member of the Friday Night Poker
- Club is that you are able to play more hands in a few evenings than
- most people will see in a lifetime.
-
- You will notice that no place in this class have we referred to the
- odds of getting this hand or that hand. Statisticians have precisely
- calculated the odds of getting every possible hand in poker. They
- have not and can not calculate the odds of any given hand winning in a
- given situation. That knowledge comes from knowing who you are
- playing against and their style of play. In poker, you must beat the
- other player, not just the cards in his hand.
-
- Next, you will be given an opportunity to observe the play of a hand
- of 5 card stud at the Friday Night Poker Club.
-
- I will play the hand you normally hold and will tell you what I am
- doing and why. You may observe as many such hands as you like. I
- caution you that I may not always be right in any given situation. I
- can be beat. The other players at the Friday Night Poker Club are
- quite proficient and sometimes clean my plow. The main thing to watch
- is my style and pattern of play.
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