Stud and Draw Poker Strategy

What are Stud and Draw Poker?

With all the talk of Texas Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha, you would be forgiven if you thought they were the only poker variants, but they are not. Stud poker (Like Razz and Seven Card Stud) is still very popular in America and is a great format to learn if you are a fan of fixed limit games, because the bet structures are similar.

Even very niche games like Five Card Draw, Triple Draw and Badugi are making a comeback – especially as the World Series of Poker now features Dealers Choice event.

There are more rounds in stud poker which means more decisions to be made. As a result knowing how to play drawing hands is very important.

The other big difference in stud poker games is you get to see some of your opponents cards and they can see yours, meaning that observation is an important skill to master.

Because there isn’t much information widely available for these poker variants, it is important that you consume every article and video you can find. Self-study is also a prerequisite of thriving in these games. Unlike a game like Pot Limit Omaha, it is much harder to pick up these other poker variants after playing Texas Hold’em. But mastering games like Badugi, Razz, Five Card Draw and Seven Card Stud will sharpen your overall poker game and you’ll have a lot of fun along the way.