How to Play Mississippi Stud

close up of a hand of cards
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Learning how to play Mississippi Stud, the poker game popular in Mississippi casinos like Biloxi, doesn't take more than a few minutes. Memorizing the strategy required to keep the house edge below 5 percent will take a bit longer, though.

How to Play

Mississippi Stud is a table game played like a shortened version of Texas hold'em. Each player makes an ante bet and is dealt two cards, face down. These cards are kept secret from other players.

After looking at their cards, players may fold and wait for the next hand to be dealt, or they can make a wager in the first circle, marked "3rd Street." This bet may be one times, two times, or three times the ante bet. The dealer then pulls the first community card and places it face up on the table, for all players to see.

After seeing the first community card, each player again has a chance to either fold (and lose all their wagers up to that point) or place a bet of one times, two times, or three times their ante bet in the "4th Street" circle. The dealer then exposes the second community card.

After seeing the second new card, each player has a final chance to fold (and lose all their wagers up to that point) or place a bet of one times, two times, or three times their ante bet in the "5th Street" circle. At this point, all wagering is finished for this hand, and the dealer exposes the third and final community card.

Winning Payout Table

If the player has a final five-card hand of at least a pair of sixes, they will not lose. A pair of sixes through tens is a push, and the player keeps all their wagers and begins the next hand with an ante bet. Higher five-card hands have higher payoffs. The payoffs for additional hands are as follows

  • Royal Flush, 500-to-1
  • Straight Flush, 100-to-1
  • Four of a kind, 40-to-1
  • Full House, 10-to-1
  • Flush, 6-to-1
  • Straight, 4-to-1
  • Three of a kind, 3-to-1
  • Two pairs, 2-to-1
  • Pair of jacks or better, 1-to-1

Strategy

Like Let-It-Ride, you have a chance to make three decisions on what to risk from your chip stack. Before seeing the community cards you'll look at your first two cards and make the decision to raise or fold. If you have any pair at all, increase your chance of making a big hand and getting a substantial payoff by raising three times your ante. If you hold a face card or an ace, raise by one time. If you hold a likely push hand (two cards from 6–10, but not a pair) you should raise one time. Fold all other hands.

After seeing the first community card, raise three times with any straight flush draw and any pair of sixes or higher. Raise one time with any three suited cards, any small pair (below sixes), at least two cards that are a jack or higher, any three cards 6–10, any three consecutive cards, and any two consecutive cards where the third card could make a flush. Fold all other cards.

After seeing the second community card, raise three times with any hand that already pays or pushes and any four-flush or four-straight that's consecutive (such as 4, 5, 6, 7). All other hands will be raised one time or folded. The hands you want to continue with are: any four straight cards, any small pair (below sixes), any two face or ace cards, and any hand where you already have at least five bets (five times your ante in total bets) out and can make a push or better.

Remember that this isn't a game like blackjack where you place a single bet only. The real key to this game is playing correctly on your first two cards because any mistake is compounded by later raises. Don't go on hunches and get trapped adding raises on a hand that is unlikely to even turn into a push.