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How is five-card stud played?

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Five playing cards showing a flush in clubs: king, ten, eight, seven, and five of clubs. — poker A poker hand containing five cards of the same suit but not in sequence is called a flush.

In five-card stud, each player is dealt one card facedown (the hole card) and one card faceup, followed by a betting interval. The game continues with three additional rounds of dealing, where each active player receives one more faceup card per round, with a betting interval after each. After the fourth and final betting interval, a showdown occurs where all remaining players reveal their hole cards to determine the winner.1

During each betting interval, the first player to bet is the one showing the highest-ranking poker combination in their faceup cards. If there is a tie, the player closest to the dealer's left acts first. In the initial betting interval, the first player must place at least an established minimum bet, while in subsequent rounds, they may choose to check.1

The objective is to win the pot by holding the highest-ranking poker hand or by making a bet that no other player calls. While once a dominant professional game, five-card stud has significantly declined in popularity since the 1950s.21