Play Mississippi Stud

One of the more volatile table games ever devised, Mississippi Stud is a hybrid of traditional Five-Card Stud played against the dealer rather than other players.

Mississippi Stud is a poker-based table game where wins are based on the player’s final five-card hand. The skill is in determining how much to raise or fold as the cards are revealed. Find this exciting carnival game on the Dreamcatcher side of the Casino near The Grand Lobby. Below is a guide on how to play Mississippi Stud. No-limit starts at $1-$3 and goes up. Play Mississippi Stud online here. This is a free Mississippi Stud game. Learn the Mississippi Stud rules. We keep track of your game stats so you can see how well you will do in Las Vegas at the real casinos. Learn how to play Mississippi Stud free. Play Mississippi Stud online here. This is a free Mississippi Stud game. Learn the Mississippi Stud rules. We keep track of your game stats so you can see how well you will do in Las Vegas at the real casinos. Learn how to play Mississippi Stud free. Master Mississippi Stud’s Basic Strategy. Every table game which allows players to make decisions.

At first glance, Mississippi Stud seems to be quite simple. Players place a mandatory ante bet to kick off the hand, then they take two cards at random. From there, the goal is to decide between paying a “third street” bet in exchange for a third card, followed by fourth street and fifth street bets to complete your five-card poker hand.

The standard hierarchy of poker hand rankings is used and hands are scored against the pay table below.

Mississippi Stud Poker Pay Table

But things get tricky… On all three of the street bets, players have multiple options to choose from. You can fold to avoid further damage, or you can size the street bets in either 1x, 2x, or 3x multiples of your original ante bet.

When you do, you’ll be looking to improve your skills and strategy knowledge ASAP. After all, in a game like Mississippi Stud that challenges players to three decision points on every deal, knowing when to hold’em and when to fold’em is what separates the sharps from the suckers.

To help you become the best Mississippi Stud player you can be, I’ve put together the following list of three ways anybody can bring their game to the next level.

1 – Master Mississippi Stud’s Basic Strategy

Every table game which allows players to make decisions and act on their hand is beholden to a basic strategy.

And while the name might suggest simplicity, there’s nothing at all “basic” about these guides to optimal decision making. Gamblers who play blackjack have used supercomputers to crunch the numbers since the 1960s, seeking the most mathematically profitable play for every possible player total vs. dealer up card scenario the game can create.

Mississippi Stud hasn’t been around nearly that long, but savvy players know that a 52-card deck and binary player decisions (fold or bet) make it possible to develop a similar basic strategy.

In other words, for every possible combination of cards you can hold, and the inherent probabilities of making a payable hand those combos create, one decision will always offer the highest expected return over the long run.

You may lose the hand you’re playing right now while applying basic strategy, but when you use it consistently over a lifetime of Mississippi Stud sessions, you’ll wind up winning more (or losing less) than the next guy playing by gut instinct alone.

Take a look below to find basic strategy guidelines for the great game of Mississippi Stud:

Key

• “High” card = Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces. All high cards are valued at 2 “points” using this specialized system
• “Middle” card = 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, and 10s. All middle cards are valued at 1 point
• “Low” card = are 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s. All low cards are valued at 0 points

With Two Cards

• Bet 3x on 3^rd street with any pair
• Bet 1x on 3^rd street with any hand valued at 2 points or higher (one high card; two middle cards)
• Bet 1x on 3^rd street with exactly 5-6 suited
• Fold everything else

With Three Cards

• Bet 3x on 4^th street with any payable hand (one pair of 6s or better)
• Bet 3x on 4^th street with any Royal Flush draw
• Bet 3x on 4^th street with any straight flush draw containing zero gaps AND ranked 5-6-7 or better
• Bet 3x on 4^th street with any straight flush draw containing one gap AND at least one high card
• Bet 3x on 4^th street with any straight flush draw containing two gaps AND at least two high cards
• Bet 1x on 4^th street with any other three suited cards
• Bet 1x on 4^th street with any low pair (5s or worse)
• Bet 1x on 4^th street with any hand worth at least 3 points
• Bet 1x on 4^th street with any straight draw containing zero gaps AND ranked 4-5-6 or better
• Bet 1x on 4^th street with any straight draw containing one gap AND two middle cards
• Fold everything else

With Four Cards

• Bet 3x on 5^th street with any payable hand
• Bet 3x on 5^th street with any four-card flush draw
• Bet 3x on 5^th street with any four-card open-ended straight draw ranked 8-high or better (5-6-7-8, 10-J-Q-K, etc.)
• Bet 1x on 5^th street with any other straight draw
• Bet 1x on 5^th street with any low pair
• Bet 1x on 5^th street with any hand worth at least 4 points
• Bet 1x on 5^th street with three middle cards AND a previous bet of 3x made on any earlier street
• Fold everything else

As you can see, the strategy tips start off with a fairly “tight” approach, which is poker-speak for conservative. When you only have two cards to work with, the only time to be betting the 3x wager on third street is when you hold a pair. From there, one high card alone is good enough to bet 1x, as are two middle cards, along with the 5-6 suited combo.

Other than that, you should be folding from the get-go on all other hands.

From there, the subsequent streets are a little tougher to navigate. But in a nutshell, you’ll be firing away with the big 3x bets whenever you’ve made payable hands or draws to the topline “jackpot” hands like a royal flush or straight flush.

When you utilize these basic strategy tips, the casino house edge on Mississippi Stud comes to 4.91%. That may seem a tad high, and it technically is when compared to similarly designed table games.

But most analysts who study Mississippi Stud point to the game’s multiple betting points to judge the game by a different metric, element of risk. In this case, Mississippi Stud’s element of risk is 1.37%, which is about half as risky as hybrid table game relatives like Let It Ride (2.85%) and Caribbean Stud (2.56%).

2 – Fold Away Small Bets While Waiting for Big Hands

According to the game’s leading strategy theorists, folks using a perfect basic strategy should find themselves folding on third street approximately 31.07% of the time.

You’ll make the third street bet before folding on fourth street another 7.67% of hands.

And you’ll fire two bets on third and fourth streets, only to fold fifth street when you miss everything on 4.85% of hands.

All told, you should be folding without a showdown right around 43.50% of the time.

This can be too much to bear for action-junkies that just like to bet and see what happens, but basic strategy’s mathematical foundations make things clear.

If you want to maximize the rewards reaped from your winning hands, while minimizing the damage inflicted by losers, taking advantage of basic strategy’s tight design is the only way to play.

3 – Practice for Free Until You’re Playing Every Hand Perfectly

It’s one thing to read about basic strategy guidance on a page like this, but it’s a different beast altogether attempting to put those tips into play at the table, especially with real money on the line.

To make that task much easier, dial up this handy Mississippi Stud training tool to test your knowledge without parting ways with a single penny.

Keep practicing until your perfect your Mississippi Stud Poker strategy, then move forward to playing real money poker games.

Play Mississippi Stud For Fun

Conclusion

Mississippi Stud is one of the more devilishly designed table games of all time. Players get to have a direct impact on the hand, not only once, but three times before it’s all said and done. You can chase draws, modulating your bets to control the risk while you do, and even fold when the uphill climb to a winner becomes too steep.

But, because most players don’t like the idea of folding without a fight, Mississippi Stud is typically played in one of two ways—expertly or awful. Mistakes tend to compound themselves in this game, turning a small $5 investment into a big $50 loss on the turn of just five cards. If you’ve made it this far, you’re fully prepared to minimize the mistakes, while maximizing the house’s punishment when you hold the goods.

Most popular casino games

Free to Play Table Games Online

There are many forms of casino poker available online. Mississippi Stud Poker is slightly different, with more strategy involved in the game play compared to similar games.

This game has four rounds of betting. Your initial ante bet, then three further rounds, where you get to choose your bet size. In addition, you can place a side bet based on the three community cards.

Mississippi Stud Poker is available online today in New Jersey for real money. Residents and non-residents can enjoy the game, the only rule being that you have to be within the state when you play. Look out for this game coming online in other states with online gambling regulation soon.

You’ll find everything you need to get started playing Mississippi Stud below. The game play and betting rounds are explained first below. This includes the pay table. You’ll also find information on the popular side bets below.

How Mississippi Stud Poker Works

To start a hand of Mississippi Stud, you place an ante. In live casinos there is typically a $5 minimum for this game. Bets can be much smaller if you are playing online. When placing your ante, keep in mind that there are three more betting rounds, each with up to three units. This means your total outlay for a hand can be up to 10x your initial ante.

Having placed your ante bet, you’ll be dealt two cards, while three community cards are also dealt (these community cards will be face down at this stage).

Based on your initial two cards, you’ll now decide whether to fold, or to bet either 1x, 2x or 3x the ante.

If you decide to continue, the first of the community cards is turned over. Once again, you’ll now choose whether to fold or bet 1x, 2x or 3x the ante. If you continue, the second community card will be revealed – and you’ll get to choose whether to fold or bet (1x, 2x or 3x the ante).

If you’re still in the hand at this point, the final community card will be revealed. The final five card hand will now be compared to the pay table and if you have a hand of a pair of 6’s or better, you’ll get paid.

Pay Table for Mississippi Stud Poker:

• Royal Flush 500:1
• Straight Flush 100:1
• Four of a Kind 40:1
• Full House 10:1
• Flush 6:1
• Straight 4:1
• Three of a Kind 3:1
• Two Pair 2:1
• Pair of Jacks or Better 1:1
• Pair of 6s to 10s – Push

Basic Strategy for Mississippi Stud

By dividing cards into high, medium and low – the strategy becomes simple. High cards are jacks or over (you bet paid for a pair of these). Medium cards are the ‘push cards’ 6 through 10, and low cards are 5 or under.

If you are dealt any pair 6+, you will bet three units on all streets. You have at least a push and can improve your hand as the community cards are revealed. For pairs or 2’s through 5’s you can bet three units initially. If you improve on the next card, you’ll win big – if not then betting a single unit on the remaining streets is optimal.

You bet a single unit on any hand with containing at least one high card or two medium cards. Suits are not relevant. Fold hands with one medium and one low, or two low cards. There is one exception to this – bet a single unit on 5-6 suited.

As the community cards are revealed, your strategy will adapt. Bet three units any time you make a pair of 6’s+. Continue betting single units as more high cards or push cards are revealed. If you have a draw to a straight or a flush before the last community card is dealt, bet 3 units. You’ll fold single high cards with a low, or two medium cards if the first community card is a low.

3 Card Bonus Bet

As well as the standard game you can also place a side bet – the ‘3 Card Bonus Bet’. This side bet is based on the hand strength of the three community cards. The side bet is completely optional and plays out independently of the main game. Even if you fold before the community cards are revealed in the main game. You can only play the bonus bet if you bet in the main game.

Here is the pay table for the 3 Card Bonus Bet:

• Royal Flush 50:1
• Straight Flush 40:1
• Three of a Kind 30:1
• Straight 6:1
• Flush 4:1
• Pair 1:1

In some live casinos there is an optional 6 card bonus. This is based on your hand in combination with an additional 4 cards revealed after the main hand is over. Progressive jackpots can be paid for 6 card ‘Super Royal’ hands in some casinos.

Where To Play Mississippi Stud In Las Vegas

SG Digital’s Mississippi Stud Poker in New Jersey

SG Digital’s version of the game in New Jersey has table limits that range between just $0.10 and $50, and these apply to both the ante and the side bet. The chip denominations are at the bottom of the screen and you can scroll from left to right to move through them. With your chip value selected (an arrow points to the selected chip denomination) you’ll simply click on the ‘Ante’ section of the betting area to place that bet. Click again on the ‘3 Card Bonus’ section to place the side bet.

When your betting is finished, hit ‘Deal’ and the five cards are dealt, with the 3 community cards face down. You can now choose whether to bet 1x, 2x or 3x the ante, as well as fold. Your final option is ‘Max Bet All’, which will automatically enable you to place the maximum bet on all three rounds of betting (this would be a good option if you are dealt a high pair, such as Kings, with your initial 2 cards).

The game has a crisp and clear lay out, with all of the pay outs displayed clearly on the felt.

What is the house edge for Mississippi Stud Poker?

The house edge at Mississippi Stud Poker is relatively low for casino games, at just 1.37%. This edge applies when you play with the optimum strategy. Keep in mind that playing optimally in this game is far more difficult than in other casino poker variations which only have a single play / fold decision point.

One thing to bear in mind when playing is that you should never use the 2x the ante betting option – always use either the 1x or the 3x options.

The side bet has a slightly higher edge for the house at 2.14%.

Final thoughts

Mississippi Stud Poker is an enjoyable and engaging game from SG Digital. The strategy in this game comes from the bet sizing and whether to fold or not, as you’ll have no control over the cards (you can’t discard any cards and receive new ones).

Enjoy Mississippi Stud Poker online in New Jersey today. You can also find this game in live casinos around the country.