Best Strategies for Mississippi Stud Poker

Poker strategy is a set of choices that lay out a plan to maximize a player’s profit in a poker game based on the elements of poker influenced by game theory.This includes information asymmetry, variance, and element of chance. No matter what the variant, that rings true—and Mississippi Stud Poker is no different. This article will break down the best game theory-optimized Mississippi Stud strategy, charts, and tips for success to improve your chances of winning.

Mississippi Stud Poker: What It Is and How to Play

Since being invented in 2005, Mississippi Stud has become a fixture in brick-and-mortar and online casinos around the world. One of its major selling points is its low house edge, which is even lower than traditional blackjack.

Like its cousins, Caribbean Stud Poker, Pai Gow Poker, and Three Card Poker, Mississippi Stud Poker is a house-banked game inspired by traditional poker games where players bet on their own hands. In this variant, the objective is to build the best five-card hand possible using two hole cards and three community cards, where the payout is based on the strength of your final hand.

Since you’re paid based on the paytable, the better your final hand is, the more money you stand to win. That’s why learning the game theory-optimized Mississippi Stud strategy is important—to ensure you get the best results every time.

Why Mississippi Stud Strategy Matters for Winning

The crux of poker—regardless of variant, including Mississippi Stud—is that it’s a game of incomplete information. You have no idea what cards you or other players will be dealt or which cards will be dealt next. Like all games of chance, there will always be unforeseen outcomes and variance in Mississippi Stud—but there ARE certain aspects of the game you can control. This includes understanding the rules of Mississippi Stud, making smart moves, and building a strategy that will give you the best chance of winning and better results at this poker game over the long run.

Since Mississippi Stud Poker features a diverse array of betting options with high payouts, the variant enables players to tweak their gameplay and optimize their strategy as they see fit. Like all poker variants, the best way to view the game isn’t as a card game that involves betting but rather as a betting game that involves cards.

How to Win at Mississippi Stud

Now then, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of the key factors involved in winning at Mississippi Stud. In essence, it’s all about making the right betting decision at every stage and knowing when to raise or fold. To understand how to win, let’s begin with how the action in a Mississippi Stud Poker game unfolds as follows:

Each player makes an “ante” bet.
All players are then dealt two face-down cards.
The dealer draws three separate face-down “community cards.”
Then, each player will be given time to look at their cards, with each deciding if they wish to play the cards they are dealt or fold them.
If you decide to continue, you will be able to bet either 1x, 2x, or 3x your initial ante bet (or fold them if you no longer wish to wager). This betting round is called the “3rd Street Bet.”
Once the continuing players have acted, the dealer will then reveal one of the community cards.
This will be followed by another betting round called the “4th Street Bet,” where players will again decide whether to bet 1x to 3x their ante or fold their current hand.
The dealer will then reveal another community card.
This will be followed by a final betting round called the ”5th Street Bet,” where players still in the round can again bet 1x to 3x their ante or fold.
The third and final community card is then revealed, and the dealer pays out winning wagers based on the game’s pay table.

The ultimate goal is to put together a five-card hand with a pair of sixes or higher. Any player who lands a pair of sixes, sevens, eights, nines, or tens gets their stake back. You also get your initial stake back if you land a pair of jacks or better, and the corresponding amount based on the paytable.

It’s important to remember that you don’t have to beat other players’ hands to win, nor do you have to beat the dealer, whose only role is to accept bets, deal the cards, and pay out bets. Rather, you get paid based on the final value of your hand. In many ways, Mississippi Stud Poker is akin to video poker, only with a live dealer and with real cards.

Mississippi Stud Strategy: When to Raise, Call, or Fold

The crux of Mississippi Stud poker is the ability to know when to raise or fold. As mentioned earlier, if you’re dealt a pair of sixes in your first two cards, you’re guaranteed not to lose your stake. Depending on the final hand you obtain with the community cards that follow, you can get paid exponentially (see pay table below).

That said, you need to know when you should pound it and when to fold it. Following the optimized Mississippi Stud strategy, you’ll most likely fold one out of three times after you’re dealt your first two cards. As with traditional poker, playing every hand is a surefire way to the poorhouse.

However, each time you have at least a pair of sixes upwards, it’s important to pound it and bet 3x on each street because there is no way you can lose and everything to gain. Another important tip to remember is that while you can bet 2x your initial stake on any given street, there is no strategic benefit in doing so.

The 3rd Street, 4th Street, and 5th Street Decisions

The strategic part of Mississippi Stud is whether you choose to play with the cards you’re dealt or to fold them. Likewise, you need to decide how much you need to bet, especially when you get through the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Street as the community cards are revealed.

A mathematician and game designer by the name of Joseph Kisenwether devised a game theory optimal strategy for Mississippi Stud Poker as follows.

The first step is to assign point values to the cards. Face cards and aces are worth 2 points. Sixes, sevens, eights, nines, and tens are worth 1 point. Any card lower than 6 is worth 0. Then, the strategy is implemented as follows, categorized depending on which street you are in:

3rd Street Bets

If you have a pair, bet 3x the ante.
If you have a hand worth 2 points, bet 1x the ante.
If you have a suited 5 and 6, bet 1x the ante.

Otherwise, fold everything else.

Remember that there is no strategic use for betting 2x the ante. It’s either 3x (if you have a pair) or 1x the ante (if you have a couple of 1-point cards or a suited 5 or 6).

4th Street Bets

Always bet 3x the ante for the following hands.

Any paying hand
Any royal flush draw
Any straight flush draw with no gaps and 5 as the lowest card, or one gap and a high card, or two gaps and two high cards.

Bet 1x the ante if you have any of the following:

Any flush draw
A small pair
Any hand worth 3 points
A straight draw with no gaps, with 4 as the lowest gap
A straight draw with one gap and 2 mid-valued cards

Otherwise, fold everything else.

5th Street Bets

Bet 3x the ante with any paying hand.

Raise if you have any of the following:

Any flush draw
Any outside straight draw (a potential straight with four out of five cards in sequence that can be completed on both ends)

Bet 1x the ante if you have any of the following:

An insight straight draw
Any low pair
Any hand worth 4 points
Any 3 mid-valued cards if you raised in any previous street

Mississippi Stud Strategy Chart: A Visual Guide

In order to visualize the aforementioned strategy easily, you can refer to the following strategy chart.

Mississippi Stud Basic Strategy for Beginners

Here’s a simplified strategy for beginners to increase their chances of winning without getting too lost in the sauce:

If you already have a pair ranging from six to ten or a pair of face cards for your first 2 cards, bet 3x your initial stake since you’ll get your stake back + any winnings since it is the minimum needed for a payout.
Only bet 1x your initial stake for a starting hand of an Ace or a face card, cards between six to ten that do not constitute a pair or a pair that is lower than sixes. You can also bet 1x your initial stake if you have a three-card flush or a pair of cards needing only one more consecutive card to form a flush.
Once the first community card is revealed, bet 3x your initial stake if you hold at least a pair of 6s or higher or if you have a winning five-card hand.
Fold every other hand outside the aforementioned specifications.

This will help you maximize your good hands while remaining conservative in your approach and folding bad or sub-optimal hands instantly.

Mississippi Stud Poker Tips for Consistent Wins

Finally, here are some tips to help increase your odds of turning a profit whenever you play Mississippi Stud Poker:

Practice proper bankroll management. Set a strict budget for each playing session and stick to it whether you win, lose, or draw. Don’t try to recoup losses by increasing your bets when you’ve lost your set roll.
Be patient. Don’t be greedy for action and play every hand, especially when you have a bad hand. Only play the round when you have a starting hand worth playing with a good chance of winning. Don’t be afraid to fold weak hands—and keep a tight rein on your emotions.
Recognize betting patterns. Keep an eye on your betting habits and avoid straying from the Mississippi Stud strategy for best results.

Conclusion

Ready to experience the best of high-octane Mississippi Stud action and put these tried-and-tested, mathematically sound strategies to the test? Play Mississippi Stud Poker at Lucky Block Casino today!

Frequently Asked Questions

How to win in Mississippi Stud?

While no strategy will guarantee a win due to the inherent variance of the game, the Mississippi Stud strategy is optimized and tested to deliver the best chances of turning a profit.

Does the Mississippi Stud have good odds?

The house edge in Mississippi Stud Poker could be as low as 1% to 4.9%, depending on the strategy used. It’s one of the poker games with the lowest house edge on offer.

Is Mississippi Stud easy?

Mississippi Stud is easier than variants like Texas Hold’Em since the only goal is to create the best hand possible. There is no element of competition against other players or the dealer. However, mastering the Mississippi Stud strategy takes time and practice.

What hands to play in Mississippi Stud?

Only play hands with the potential to win, such as pairs or a potential straight/flush draw that could improve in succeeding betting rounds. Do not play weak hands with little chance of improving.

What is the difference between Texas Holdem and Mississippi Stud?

The key difference between both poker variants is that with Texas Hold’Em, you try to outmaneuver other players to take their chips, while Mississippi Stud is basically a poker-based betting game where players try to create the best five-card hand to win a payout akin to live video poker.