5 Card Stud - Strategy Basics
Basic betting tips
Like 7 Card Stud, 5 Card Stud Poker is a highly strategic game. By sticking to a few straight forward strategies, and not just playing automatically, your game will improve and your winnings will go up. There are four simple strategies to learn to begin with.
1. If you are playing a pot limit game and two raises have already been placed one of the other plays will be “all-in”. Because of this they are extremely unlikely to fold after so many raises, therefore only raise in this situation if you have the best of hands. If you raise there is a chance that the other player will re-raise making the pot even larger, so do not risk it unless you are confident your hand is excellent.
2. If you are playing five card draw poker, do not raise in a pot limit or a no limit game unless you are certain that you do not need to replace any cards. This is not as important in limit games where all raises are equal and set.
3. Assess your opponents, try and work out whether they are tight or loose players. A tight player is someone who will only play if they are holding a good hand and fold on other hands. A loose player is the opposite; they will play with weak hands as well and not worry about matching high raises. Good players will often switch between tight and loose playing. If they are a tight player you will need to be playing an aggressive strategy, with high raises and preferable without drawing any cards. If you are playing with loose players it is advisable to only play with strong hands and do not attempt to bluff.
4. If you are playing in a pot limit game and you are not sure about the strength of your hand then it is advisable to fold. This will prevent your opponent from hesitating and placing a large raise or folding. Do not place a small raise, then the other player will have nothing to lose by continuing to play and the odds will work against you. If you are playing a limit game and you are not sure about your hand then it is advisable to call.
