Mississippi Stud: you vs. the paytable.
Mississippi Stud is a house-banked poker table game — no opponents, no dealer's hand, no bluffing. You get two hole cards, build a five-card hand with three community cards, and get paid strictly by a fixed payout schedule. A pair of Jacks or better wins; 6s through 10s push; everything else loses. Here are the rules, the paytable, and the correct strategy.
This is not player-vs-player poker.
Mississippi Stud is a casino table game, not a competitive poker variant. You don't beat other players or a dealer's hand — your payout is determined entirely by your final five-card hand against a fixed paytable. That changes everything about how to think about it: there's no one to outplay, only odds to respect.
- No opponents to beat
- No dealer's hand to outdraw
- No bluffing — there's nobody to fool
- No reads, no position, no table image
- You vs. a fixed payout schedule
- Two hole cards + three community cards
- Pairs of 6s–10s push; Jacks+ pays
- A solved game with one correct strategy
How a hand plays out.
One ante, then three escalating decisions as the community cards turn over one at a time. At each street you either fold — losing everything you've put in — or bet 1× to 3× your ante. The three decision points are highlighted.
Place your ante
The ante enters you into the hand and sets the base for every later bet — all street bets are sized as multiples of it.
Receive two hole cards
You're dealt two cards face down. Three community cards go face down in the middle. Players may not share hand information.
3rd Street decision
Based on your two hole cards alone, fold (forfeiting your ante) or make a 3rd Street bet of 1× to 3× your ante.
4th Street decision
The first community card is revealed. Fold, or make a 4th Street bet of 1× to 3× your ante.
5th Street decision
The second community card is revealed. Fold, or make a 5th Street bet of 1× to 3× your ante.
Showdown
The final community card is revealed. Your best five-card hand is checked against the paytable. A pair of 6s–10s pushes; Jacks or better pays.
The paytable.
This is the entire game — your final five-card hand against this schedule. Memorize the two thresholds: 6s through 10s gets your money back, Jacks or better starts paying.
Payouts apply to all bets you placed during the hand — your ante plus every street bet.
The house edge is real.
Even with perfect strategy, Mississippi Stud carries a house edge of approximately 4.91% — several times higher than blackjack or craps. The appeal is the big-payout potential on premium hands, but the math favors the house over time.
Optimal strategy.
Mississippi Stud has a mathematically derived optimal strategy. The full version is complex, but these guidelines cover the most common decisions and get you close to the best possible house edge. Toggle between the two decision points.
- Raise 3× with any pair of 6s or higher.
- Raise 1× with any pair of 2s through 5s.
- Raise 1× with two suited cards 6 or higher (e.g., 8-J suited).
- Raise 1× with two connected cards 6-7 or higher (e.g., 6-7, 9-T, J-Q).
- Fold low unconnected, unsuited hands with no pair (e.g., 2-8 offsuit, 3-9 offsuit).
- Raise 3× with any made paying hand (pair of 6s or better).
- Raise 1× with a four-card flush draw or open-ended straight draw.
- Raise 1× with two high cards (Jacks or better) among your visible cards.
- Fold if you have no pair, no draw, and no high cards that could pair to Jacks or better.
Similar table games.
Enjoy the structure of Mississippi Stud? These related casino table games offer similar gameplay with slightly different rules and pressure points.
Let It Ride
Similar structure, but you can withdraw bets if your hand looks weak. Slightly more conservative gameplay.
Caribbean Hold'em
You play against the dealer's hand rather than a paytable. All community cards are dealt at once, and a progressive jackpot sidebet is usually available.
Three-Card Poker
Faster-paced variant using only three cards per hand.
High Card Flush
Ranked by flush hands specifically, adding a different dimension to hand evaluation.
No opponents. Just the math.
It's you vs. the paytable.
No opponents, no bluffing, no reads. Jacks or better pays, 6s–10s push, everything else loses. Hand strength is the only variable.
3× made hands, 1× potential, fold the rest.
Raise big with paying pairs, small with draws and high cards, and fold dead hands early — paying streets with nothing is the bankroll killer.
Respect the 4.91%.
Even played perfectly, the house wins over time. Set a loss limit before you sit, chase the fun of the big paytable hits, and never treat it as income.