Variations of Stud Poker for Playing:

New York Stud

New York stud poker is usually played as seven card stud, but its features can also be used with any other stud poker game. New York stud uses alternative hands ranking, where four card straight (called outside straight in standard poker games) is a legal hand that beats a Pair but loses to two Pair. All other rules correspond to those New York stud is based on.

Canadian Stud

Canadian Stud is a more advanced version of New York stud. Apart from four card straight, Canadian Stud accepts four card flush, which beats four card straight and a Pair and loses to Two pair. Other rules are not changed as in New York stud. One think to take into the account is that there is no such thing as four card straight flush. A four card stud which also is a straight keeps being four card flush and nothing more.

Spanish Stud

Spanish Stud is another game that can be played like any other stud poker, but with a different deck. Spanish Stud deck contains 32 cards instead of 52. All cards from two to six are removed. Such deck increases the odds of all hands and lowers their relative strength. Apart from this, 32 cards is much fewer than 52, and a fewer number of players can play the game.

Bet or Drop

Bet or Drop, like other games described at this page, is not actually a game, but a stipulation that can be added to any other stud game. This stipulation is that the player who opens the betting round (usually it is the player with the highest hand showing) has to open betting with at least the table minimum and can not pass or fold. This structure is similar to blind bets, but is applied to all rounds and not only the first one.

Cold Hands

Cold Hands, also called Showdown, is a game where all cards are dealt face-up, and the best hand wins without any actions from the part of the players. It probably is the most primitive poker game where players do not even have to sit at the table, but can trust the dealer to distribute money after each deal. However, as long as Cold Hands does not have any betting rounds, antes must be high enough to make the game minimally exciting.