Mississippi Stud
Mississippi Stud is a five-card poker-versus-pay-table game developed by Scientific Games, introduced in 2009 and rapidly adopted by casinos across the United States and online. Unlike most poker casino games, Mississippi Stud has no dealer hand to beat — the player simply needs to make a pair of Jacks or better to win, with stronger hands paying more. The game involves three community cards revealed sequentially, with the player deciding to raise or fold after each reveal. With optimal strategy, the house edge is approximately 4.91%, though perfect play requires memorising relatively simple decision rules.
Rules & Gameplay
Player places an Ante. Two hole cards are dealt face-down to the player; three community cards are dealt face-down in sequence. After seeing the two hole cards, player may fold or bet 1x, 2x, or 3x the Ante (3rd Street bet). First community card revealed: player may fold or bet 1x, 2x, or 3x (4th Street bet). Second community card revealed: player may fold or bet 1x, 2x, or 3x (5th Street bet). Final community card revealed; hand is evaluated using all five cards. Pay table: pair of 6s–10s: push (1:1), pair of Jacks–Aces: 1:1, Two Pair: 2:1, Three of a Kind: 3:1, Straight: 4:1, Flush: 6:1, Full House: 10:1, Four of a Kind: 20:1, Royal Flush: 500:1 (some casinos offer 100:1 for Straight Flush). Anything lower than a pair of 6s loses all bets.
Basic Strategy
3rd Street (after seeing hole cards): Raise 3x with pair of 6s or better, suited connectors 6-7 through J-Q, any two high cards (J+); raise 1x with any two suited cards or any open-ended straight draw; fold all others. 4th Street (one community card visible): raise 3x with three of a kind or better, strong two-pair draws; raise 1x with any pair, four to a flush or straight; fold weak hands with no draw and no pair. 5th Street (two community cards visible): raise 3x with three of a kind or better; raise 1x with any pair of 6s or better, four flush or straight; fold otherwise. Raising 3x on strong draws is key to optimal play.
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