Stud poker

Stud poker is played with an English deck of 52 cards. They are, from highest to lowest value:

• Ace, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2. The ace can also be used as the lowest card, with a value of 1.

The table has 7 betting areas divided into three sections; one for the Initial Bet, another for the Second Bet and a third for the Community Cards. Unlike other forms of poker, players are only competing against the bank. If there are any mistakes in dealing the cards, the number or undue appearance of any revealed card leads to the cancellation of the round. Players are not allowed to talk to each other or show each other their cards during the game.

To start playing, players have to place their Initial Bet in the first betting area, as well as on the Community Cards if they wish to do so. The croupier then deals five cards face down to each player and five more to himself, turning the last card over.

If a player believes that they cannot beat the Bank, they place their cards face down on the table. The croupier removes these with their Initial Bet. Players who wish to continue have to place double their initial bet on their cards. The croupier then reveals their hand, and if it is not higher than Ace-King, he pays out the Initial Bet (1x1) without revealing the cards of the players who continued with a second bet. If the croupier’s hand is equal to or higher than Ace-King, he turns over each player’s cards, and pays out to anyone with a higher hand than his own, removing any inferior hands. Payments are made according to the payment/hands table.

The Insurance are an additional area of luck. Whether or not the bank wins a hand, players can increase their insurance bets as often as the payments table allows. If any of the combinations set out in the table of hands are achieved, the prize is:

• Full: 100 times the amount bet on the Insurance bet.
• Poker: 300 times the amount bet on the Insurance bet.
• Straight Flush: 1,000 times the amount bet on the Insurance bet.
• Royal Flush: 2,000 times the amount bet on the Insurance bet.

You have to have placed a Second Bet to be able to use this option. Each player can buy a card to change it for one of the 5 in their hand. The card the player wishes to change is placed in front of the Community Card bet and an amount equal to the initial bet is placed on top of the card. The croupier removes this amount and deals a card face-up, to complete the other 4 cards in the player’s hand located in the Second Bet area.

If the player and the Croupier have the same hand, the bet with the combination of highest value cards wins. If the cards are the same, the player keeps their bet but wins no prize.