In Stud Hi, the deal position does not rotate as
in blind games. The nominal deal position is indicated by a white disk called the stud button. The stud button is always by
seat 8, and each new deal always starts at seat 1. The first card of each succeeding round always goes to the first active
player (one who either has equaled all the bets thus far, or has gone all in, that is, run out of chips with which to call)
to the left of the stud button. If you rotate the table to change your position, the stud button also rotates. This makes
it clear where the deal position is. This is important in those few situations in which two or more players have identical
boards. After the first round, if hands are tied, the hand closest to the left of the stud button begins the betting.
When the antes are in place, the dealer distributes two cards face down to each
player and then one card face up, starting with seat 1. The two downcards are called hole cards. Your hole cards appear face
up on your screen, but don't worry; only you can see your hole cards. You can see the upcards of all the other players,
and they can see your upcard.
Stud Hi, as
any form of poker, is about betting. Stud Hi has five betting rounds. The sizes of the bets depend on the structure of the
game. All Stud Hi games at Full Tilt Poker are limit games. Usually the first two rounds are at one level, and the next three
at double that level. There is one exception to this, in which sometimes the second round of betting is optionally at the
higher level. We'll get to that in a moment.
Third Street
On the first round (known as third street), the betting starts with the player
having the lowest upcard. This bet is a forced bet. The bet must be at least a specified minimum, in which case it is called
the bring-in, but can be more. The bring-in is usually one-fourth the lower limit. If two or more players have the same rank
of upcard, who must make the bring-in is determined by suit, in reverse bridge order (clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades). This
is one of the few times that suits have any bearing in poker. For example, if three deuces appear on the first round in this
order, 2s, 2h, 2d, the holder of the 2d would be required to make the bring-in bet.
You must make a bet. You have two choices only. You can:
- open for the bring-in
- complete the bet, that is,
increase the bet to the lower limit
While you can always
complete the bet, you will find players usually open for the minimum. If everyone folds, you win the antes, and the next hand
is dealt.
Normally everyone would not fold for a bring-in, however.
If you open for the bring-in, each succeeding player has three choices:
- fold
- call, that
is, match the bring-in
- complete the bet, that is, increase
the bet to the lower limit
If you or anyone else completes
the bet, each succeeding player has three choices:
- fold
- call, that is, match the bring-in
- raise, that is, increase the preceding bet
Each player in turn has the same three choices. If there has been a raise, each player who chooses to continue must
either call the total bet thus far or himself raise. In any one round of betting, there can be a maximum of one bet and three
raises. The bring-in plus the completion count as one bet in the first round. For example, in a $2/$4 limit game, you open
for the 50-cent bring-in, another player completes the bet to $2, and then two players raise. That makes the total bet $6.
This is the equivalent of three bets, and another player could make one more raise. Doing so would cap the betting for that
round, that is, cause it to reach the maximum.
If you fold for
a raise, your cards are removed from play and no longer appear on the screen.
Fourth Street
Once the betting for the round is equalized,
that is, once everyone has had an opportunity either to fold or match the total betting, the dealer deals each active player
a second upcard (fourth street). Players still in the hand participate in a round of betting.
The betting on fourth street normally proceeds at the lower limit. The exception is that if any board shows an open
pair, any player may choose to bet or raise at the higher limit. Once a bet has been made at the higher limit, subsequent
raises must be at the higher limit. For example, in a $2/$4 game, the betting on fourth street normally proceeds in increments
of $2. If one of the players has an open pair, that player has a choice of betting either $2 or $4. If that player bets $2,
any other player can call the $2, raise $2, or raise $4. Once a bet or raise of $4 has been made, the betting must proceed
in $4 increments. Specifically, if one player starts the betting at $2 in a round in which an open pair appears, and someone
raises that bet by $4, you cannot reraise by $2.
On fourth and
all successive streets, the betting always starts with the player showing the highest board. If two or more players have the
same high board, the betting begins with the player closest to the left of the stud button. In the picture, since you are
closer to the stud button than the other player who holds ace-deuce, you are first to bet.
The situation is exactly the same if the tied hands are pairs. For example, if
two players show 7-7, the one closer to the stud button starts the betting.
In all rounds after third street, the player first to act has two choices:
- check, that is, make no bet
- make a bet at the proper
limit for that round
If no one bets, each player in turn
has the same choices. It is possible in every round except third street for no betting to occur. No betting in a round is
called being checked around.
If anyone bets, each succeeding
player has three choices:
- fold
- call, that is, match the bring-in
- raise, that is,
increase the preceding bet
A player who checks retains
his cards. If someone bets, when the action returns, a player who previously checked has the preceding three choices. To check
and then raise when the betting returns is known, reasonably enough, as check-raising. If you check with the intention of
raising, you of course risk the possibility that no one will bet.
Fifth
Street
Once the betting for fourth street is equalized, that
is, once everyone has had an opportunity either to check or match the total betting for the round, the dealer deals each active
player a third upcard (fifth street). Players still in the hand participate in a round of betting. The bets on fifth street
are always at the higher level.
Sixth Street
Once the betting for fifth street is equalized, the dealer deals each active player
a fourth upcard (sixth street). Players still in the hand participate in a round of betting. The bets on sixth street remain
at the higher level.
Seventh Street
Once the betting for sixth street is equalized, the dealer deals each active player a final card, face down (seventh
street or the river card). Players still in the hand participate in a final round of betting. The betting proceeds exactly
the same as the three previous rounds.
Showdown
Once the betting for seventh street is equalized, the betting is over, and there
is a showdown. Remaining active players show their cards and the best hand, comprised of the best five cards from among each
player's seven, wins.
Players do not show their cards simultaneously.
The showdown takes place in a specified order.
The first player
to have bet or the last player to have raised in any previous round must show first. (If there was no betting on the river,
the cards of the first player to have bet or the last player to have raised on sixth street would be shown first on the showdown-and
so on.) If the next active player does not have a better hand, he can show his cards, if he wishes, or he can just get
rid of the cards (muck). Each remaining active player in turn has the same choices -either turning over the hand if it is
better than (or tied with) any shown thus far or offering the choice of showing or mucking-and awards the pot to the best
hand.
If the betting is not equalized on
seventh street, that is, one player bet or raised and no one called, there is no showdown, and the the pot is awarded
to the player who made that uncalled bet. This is the case on any previous street, as well. If it happens on earlier streets,
no further cards are dealt, because the hand is over.
Sometimes
a player runs out of chips before all the betting is over. In such case, one or more side pots are created. When a player
is all in, a bet or raise can be made that is not called, but a showdown still takes place.
Back to Poker Rules
