Mississippi Stud is a five-card stud table game where you play only against a pay table. You get two cards, three community cards are turned over one at a time, and before each one you either fold or raise one to three times your ante. A pair of jacks or better wins, a pair of 6s through 10s pushes, and the house edge is 4.91% of the ante with perfect play.
Because nobody else’s hand matters, it plays more like Let It Ride than real poker. The difference is that you can add to your bet on every street instead of only pulling bets back, which makes the swings bigger.
Mississippi Stud at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Maker | Scientific Games, now Light & Wonder |
| Deck | One 52-card deck |
| Bets | Ante, then 3rd, 4th and 5th street raises of 1x to 3x the ante |
| Winning hand | Pair of jacks or better (6s through 10s push) |
| Top payout | Royal flush, 500 to 1 |
| House edge | 4.91% of the ante; about 1.37% of total money bet |
| Last checked | November 2026 |
How to play Mississippi Stud
- Ante. Place an ante to get a hand.
- The deal. You get two cards face down that only you look at. The dealer places three community cards face down. These belong to every player, not the dealer.
- 3rd street. Looking only at your two cards, fold (losing the ante) or bet 1x, 2x or 3x the ante on the 3rd street spot.
- 4th street. The first community card is turned over. Fold (losing everything bet so far) or bet 1x to 3x the ante again.
- 5th street. The second community card is turned over. Fold or make a final 1x to 3x bet.
- Payout. The last community card is turned over. Your two cards plus the three community cards make your hand, and every bet you made is paid from the pay table.
There is no checking. On each street you either put more money in or fold, so a hand that runs to the end with three 3x raises has ten units in play.
Mississippi Stud pay table
The pay table is printed on the felt. This is the standard version:
| Hand | Pays |
|---|---|
| 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 pair | 2 to 1 |
| Pair of jacks or better | 1 to 1 |
| Pair of 6s through 10s | Push |
| Anything else | Loss |
House edge
With the standard pay table and perfect strategy, the house edge is 4.91% measured against the ante. Because the average hand ends with about 3.59 units in action, the casino’s edge on all money wagered (the element of risk) is about 1.37%. In practice that means the game feels cheap per dollar bet, but you put a lot of dollars in play on each hand.
Mississippi Stud strategy
The best-known strategy, created by Joseph Kisenwether and checked by the Wizard of Odds, uses a point count: jacks through aces are worth 2 points, 6s through 10s are worth 1 point, and 2s through 5s are worth nothing. “Mid” cards are 6 through 10 and “high” cards are jack through ace.
Two cards (3rd street)
- Raise 3x with any pair.
- Raise 1x with at least 2 points (for example one high card, or two mid cards), or with a suited 6 and 5.
- Fold everything else, such as 2-3 or 4-7 offsuit.
Three cards (4th street)
- Raise 3x with a pair of 6s or better, a royal flush draw, or a strong straight flush draw: three suited cards in a row from 5-6-7 up, one gap with at least one high card, or two gaps with at least two high cards.
- Raise 1x with any other three suited cards, a low pair, at least 3 points, three to a straight with no gaps from 4-5-6 up, or a one-gap straight draw with two mid cards.
- Otherwise fold.
Four cards (5th street)
- Raise 3x with a pair of 6s or better, any four-card flush draw, or an outside straight draw that is 8-high or better.
- Raise 1x with any other straight draw, a low pair, at least 4 points, or three mid cards if you raised 3x earlier in the hand.
- Otherwise fold.
Two easy mistakes to avoid: playing two low cards on 3rd street, and raising only 1x with a pair of jacks or better. A made paying hand should always get the maximum raise, because it cannot lose.
Mississippi Stud FAQ
What is the house edge in Mississippi Stud?
4.91% of the ante with perfect play on the standard pay table, or about 1.37% of all money bet.
Can you check in Mississippi Stud?
No. On each street you must raise 1x to 3x the ante or fold.
What happens with a pair of 6s through 10s?
It pushes. All your bets are returned with no win.
Are you playing against the dealer?
No. The three community cards are shared, and the dealer has no hand. You are paid only on the pay table.
Please gamble responsibly. If gambling is causing problems for you or someone you know, call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET.