Stud Poker

In the 17th & 18th centuries, there were two prominent and popular card games…a French game named “Poque”, and a German game named “Pochen”.  Both of them were derived from a 6th century Spanish game called “Primero”, which involved three cards being dealt to each player.  Primero dates back to 1526, and is often referred to as the original poker game; using betting and bluffing with weak cards to throw off an opponent, winning a hand they otherwise may have lost.  Thus, it is the first version of any game we can directly relate to modern day poker.

The game came to North America with the French colonials arriving to the “New World” in Canada.  Known as Poque, it was the national card game of France.  In the beginning of the 18th century, French-Canadian settlers founded New Orleans, and Poque spread from the state of Louisiana…up the Mississippi river…and then throughout the whole country.

In 1834, Jonathan H. Green made one of the earliest written references to poker ,when in his writing, he mentions rules to the "cheating game" being played on Mississippi riverboats.  The ‘Cheating Game’ quickly began to replace 3-card monte on the gambling circuit,  and gamers welcomed the new game as it was thought of  as “a more challenging and 'honest' gamble than the notoriously rigged 3-card game”.  Green took more than a passing interest in the new game, and took it upon himself to formally name and document the 'Cheating Game' in his book 'An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling'. Poker, as we know it, was born.

Originating in the era of the Civil War, 5-card stud is the earliest form of the game of stud.  At the end of the Civil War, the game was taken west by settlers as the new frontier opened up.  Every gaming room, saloon, or other card house had some form of poker, and stud was in every one.  Almost unheard of before the Civil war, it soon became the one of the most popular card game for the next century.

Nevada made it a felony to run a betting game.  However the Attorney General of California declared that draw poker was based upon skill, and therefore the anti-gambling laws could not stop it. But, stud poker was still deemed illegal, as it was based solely on chance.  With this decision, draw poker games developed and grew, and Nevada reversed itself in 1931…legalizing casino gambling.

With Draw becoming more popular among players, another form of stud was born, 7-card stud.  Since California outlawed Stud poker, 7-Card Stud then took over the throne shortly before WWII, and maintained its position for about 40 years with the help of the new and thriving Las Vegas casino industry. That is, of course,  until it’s replacement as the most popular game by Texas Hold’em…which continues to be one of the world’s most popular poker games.

You can still play 7-card stud at casinos in Vegas and around the world where such games are legal.  5-card stud may be difficult to find in some casinos.  There just aren’t as many poker players or tables around for it like there used to be.