How to Play Mississippi Stud

Last Updated: May 19, 2022 References

Looking to expand your poker horizons? Mississippi Stud could be the game for you. In this 5-card poker variant, you play solely against yourself and the payout table, rather than battling against the house and your fellow betters.^{[1]
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Section 1 of 6:

Setup

1
Place your ante bet on the table and get 2 cards from the dealer. Think of an ante as an “entry fee” for the round. Since you aren’t playing against any opponent, your ante acts as the foundation for your future bets in the game. Once you’ve placed your ante bet, the dealer will hand you 2 cards.^{[2]
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- Most Mississippi Stud players just put down a single chip as their ante bet.
- Some Mississippi Stud enthusiasts recommend having a pool of at least $400 to work with if you’re starting with a $10 ante.
2
The dealer places 3 cards face-down in front of them. These are also known as “community cards”—think of them as an extension of your 2-card hand. You and any other players at the table will be using these community cards to get the best possible 5-card hand.^{[3]
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Section 2 of 6:

How to Win

Obtain at least 1 pair of face cards or aces in your hand to win a payout. The smallest payout in Mississippi Stud goes to a pair of Jacks, Queens, Kings, or Aces. Of course, higher combos (like a two-pair, three-of-a-kind, straight, or flush) get you an even higher payout—a pair of face cards or Aces is just the minimum you need to earn money.^{[4]
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- Unlike other forms of poker, you don’t need to have a better hand than the other players to win the round. Anyone who has a least a pair of face cards or Aces gets paid!

Section 3 of 6:

Gameplay

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Fold or make a 3rd Street wager based on the 2 cards in your hand. The first bet in a Mississippi Stud game is known as a “3rd Street” wager, where players can bet 1X, 2X, or 3X the ante bet they just put down. You also have the option to “fold,” or forfeit your bet for the round.^{[5]
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- If you fold, you’ll lose the ante bet that you placed earlier.
- In a casino, there will be a special spot to place all of your bets, including your 3rd Street wager.
2
The dealer turns over the first community card. Examine the card and see how it meshes with your existing cards. Do you already have a pair? Do you think you can build a better card combo with future community cards? These are all important factors to keep in mind as more cards get entered into the game.^{[6]
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- Let’s say you had a Jack of hearts and an 8 of spades in your hand. The dealer turns over the first community card, revealing a Jack of clubs. You might decide to play a little more aggressively in the next phase of the game since you’ve already scored a pair of Jacks.
3
Make a 4th Street (second) wager or fold your hand. Now that you’ve seen the first community card, it’s decision time—do you feel confident to keep betting on your hand, or is a good payout just not in the cards for this round? Place 1X, 2X, or 3X your ante bet in the designated spot, or fold for the rest of the round.^{[7]
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- The later you decide to fold in the game, the bigger your losses will be.
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The dealer flips over the second community card. Compare the second card with the rest of your hand (including the first community card). Are any good combos popping up? This is the last time you’ll have to brainstorm and strategize before this round ends.^{[8]
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- If you don’t have a guaranteed win in your hand yet, you might choose to bet 1X the ante instead of going for a larger wager. If you’ve already won the minimum payout, you might be a little more aggressive with your bets.
5
Place a 5th Street (third) wager or fold your hand for the round. You know the drill—set down 1X, 2X, or 3X your base ante bet in the 5th Street wager section of the table. If you aren’t feeling confident about your hand, think about folding instead.^{[9]
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The dealer reveals the third community card and you collect your winnings. You now have a full, 5-hand card that you can compare to the payout table. Cross-check your cards with the payout and see if you’ve won (and if so, how much).^{[10]
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Section 4 of 6:

Payouts

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Royal Flush: 500 to 1A royal flush is the rarest hand you can get in a round of Mississippi Stud, but it’s also the most valuable by far. A royal flush hand includes a 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace that all belong to the same card suit (either hearts, spades, clubs, or diamonds).
- For example, a 10 of diamonds, a Jack of diamonds, a Queen of diamonds, a King of diamonds, and an Ace of clubs would qualify as a regular straight, not a royal flush.
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Straight Flush: 100 to 1The second-rarest combo out there, a straight flush includes any sequential set of 5 cards that all come from the same suit. So, a 3 of hearts, 4 of hearts, 5 of hearts, 6 of hearts, and 7 of hearts would count as a straight flush, while a 3 of spades, 4 of hearts, 5 of hearts, 6 of hearts, and 7 of hearts would not.
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Four-of-a-kind: 40 to 1This card combo is pretty rare—you need to get all 4 suits of the same card between your hand and the community cards.
- A Jack of hearts, Jack of clubs, Jack of spades, and Jack of diamonds would count as a four-of-a-kind combo.
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Full House: 10 to 1
Just like in Yahtzee, a full house includes a three-of-a-kind set in addition to a separate pair. It’s pretty rare for cards to line up like this in Mississippi Stud, so this card combo pays out more than the others.
- Three Queen cards and a pair of 2s would qualify as a full house combo.
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Flush: 6 to 1For a flush payout, both your hand and the community cards all have to belong to an identical suit. Thankfully, flush cards don’t have to be in sequential order, so this payout isn’t completely out of the question.
- A 2, 4, 7, 10, and Jack of spades would count as a flush.
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Straight: 4 to 1In a straight, all 5 cards have to create sequential order, like 6-7-8-9-10 or 9-10-Jack-Queen-King. These cards can all be from totally different suits, though, so it isn’t as tough to get as you might think.
- A 2 of hearts, a 3 of spades, a 4 of hearts, a 5 of clubs, and a 6 of spades would qualify as a straight.
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Three-of-a-kind: 3 to 1Three-of-a-kind sets all get the same payout, even if the 3 cards in question are pretty low-value. Having three Queens would earn you the same payout as having three 4s.
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Two Pair: 2 to 1A two pair involves 2 separate pairs between your hand and the community cards. These cards can be high- or low-value—as long as there’s 2 of them, you’ll get the 2 to 1 payout from the dealer.
- A pair of 2s and a pair of Jacks would earn you a 2-to-1 payout, even though 2s aren’t normally that valuable in Mississippi Stud.
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Pair of Jacks, Queens, Kings, or Aces: 1 to 1
Not a lot of card pairs can actually win you money in a game of Mississippi Stud. Your pair has to include face or ace cards to qualify for the 1-to-1 payout.^{[11]
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Pair of 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, or 10s: Push
In Mississippi Stud, a “push” simply means that you don’t win or lose any money from the chips that you wagered. Instead, you recollect your chips that are still on the table to reuse in a future round.^{[12]
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Section 5 of 6:

Strategies

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Bet 1X your ante if you have a Jack, Queen, or King in your hand. Face cards are really valuable in Mississippi Stud, even if you only have 1. There’s a chance that your face card could build into a valuable pair, straight, or flush, so it’s worth putting a small initial bet down.^{[13]
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- As more community cards are flipped over, you can decide whether or not you’d like to increase your bet. If you have a 10 of hearts and a Queen of hearts and the 2 revealed community cards are a Jack of hearts and an Ace of hearts, you might bet a 3X ante on the chance that the third community card is a King of hearts (which would give you a royal flush).
2
Fold your hand if both of your cards are 5 or lower and unmatching. Unfortunately, 2, 3, 4, and 5 cards have almost no worth in a Mississippi Stud game, and it isn’t worth betting money on them. If you fold right away, you’ll only lose your ante bet (as opposed to any 3rd, 4th, or 5th Street bets you’d make later in the round).^{[14]
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- For example, you’d want to fold your hand if you were dealt a 2 and a 4.
3
Bet 1X your ante if your hand includes a pair of 2s, 3s, 4s, or 5s. Wait a sec—we just said not to bet on low cards, right? Receiving a pair of low cards is the main exception to this rule (like a pair of 3s or 5s), since an initial pair gets you a better chance at a three-of-a-kind, which pays out 3 to 1.^{[15]
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- Don’t bet aggressively on a pair of low cards! The odds of finding a matching community card are still pretty low, so you don’t want to bet 2X or 3X the ante on this type of hand.
- Feel free to bet 3X the ante on a pair of high-value cards, though (like a pair of 7s, 9s, or Jacks).
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Assign point values to your cards so you can quickly analyze your hand. Treat 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s as low cards—these are all worth 0 points. “Middle” cards (6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, and 10s) are worth 1 point, while “high” cards like Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces are each worth 2 points. Here are some general rules of thumb to follow using these point values:
- Put down a 1X bet on the 3rd Street wager when your initial hand is worth 2 points.
- Set a 1X bet on the 4th Street wager if your total hand is valued at 3 or more points.
- Place a 1X bet on the 5th Street wager if your current hand equals 4 or more points.^{[16]
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Section 6 of 6:

What is a 3 Card Bonus wager?

A 3 Card Bonus wager is an optional bet that you can make in Mississippi Stud. Before you make your ante bet and get your 2 cards for the round, place a bet to the side of your playing area. Then, wait for all 3 community cards to be revealed at the end of the round. If the community cards create a winning hand, you’ll win money.^{[17]
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- Your total winnings are decided by a separate, 3 Card Bonus payout table. The exact payouts may vary depending on the casino, but they usually look something like this:
  - Mini Royal: 50 to 1 (3 cards of a royal flush)
  - Straight Flush: 40 to 1 (3 sequential cards in the same suit)
  - Three-of-a-kind: 30 to 1
  - Straight: 6 to 1 (3 sequential cards of different suits)
  - Flush: 4 to 1
  - Pair: 1 to 1

Things You’ll Need

A standard deck of playing cards
Poker chips

Warnings

If you struggle with a gambling addiction, Mississippi Stud may not be the best game for you. Feel free to call 1-800-522-4700 (National Problem Gambling Helpline) or join your local Gamblers Anonymous group for extra support.^{[18]
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