About
While less popular today compared to other poker games, it remains favored in certain regions, notably in Finland where a variant called Sökö (or Canadian/Scandinavian stud) is prominent. In Finland, “sökö” also means “checking” in poker parlance.
Assuming familiarity with general poker gameplay and hand values, the game can be played with various betting structures like no limit, pot limit, fixed limit, or spread limit. Commonly, a small ante and a bring-in are used, with higher limits in later betting rounds.
In the event of a card shortage, burn cards can be used, and if insufficient, a single community card is dealt in the final round. Discarded cards aren’t reused.
Stud poker players utilize face-up cards for strategic decisions, unlike draw poker where cards remain unseen until showdown. Seeing folded cards helps players make informed decisions.
Rules
In Five-card stud, each player is initially dealt one card face down, then one card face up, starting from the player to the dealer’s left. If there’s a bring-in, the player with the lowest-ranking upcard pays it, with betting following. Suit rankings may resolve ties in low cards. If no bring-in, the first betting round starts with the player showing the highest-ranking upcard, who can check. Suit isn’t used for tie-breaking here. After the first betting round, another face-up card is dealt to each player, followed by subsequent rounds of betting. The player with the best poker hand among their upcards acts first. This process continues with additional upcards and betting rounds until a potential showdown, though most deals end early due to bets without calls.
