How to Play Mississippi Stud and Choose Your Bets

In Mississippi Stud, you receive two hole cards, make up to three additional bets and finish with a hand consisting of all five cards. Under the standard paytable, optimal strategy chooses between folding, betting 1x and betting 3x the original Ante: apply the first matching rule in the chart for your current decision.

You play against a paytable, not a dealer’s hand. There is no bluffing or opponent range to assess. Correct strategy does not guarantee profit: the house edge is approximately 4.91% of the initial Ante.

The rules below follow the archived official Loto-Québec document. They describe a particular standard version, not the current rules of every casino.

How a hand works and how it is settled

Place your Ante before the deal. Before each of the three community cards is revealed, either fold or add a bet of 1, 2 or 3 times your original Ante. Folding loses all base wagers already committed.

The Loto-Québec rules specify a standard 52-card deck reshuffled for each game. You receive two hole cards, while three community cards initially remain face down.

The street names do not indicate how many cards you already know: 3rd Street is the first decision with two known cards, 4th Street is the second with three, and 5th Street is the third with four.

Every multiplier refers to the original Ante, not the previous bet. With a $10 Ante, a 3x bet always adds $30.

Your final hand uses all five cards; you do not choose a subset. An Ace can be low only in A–2–3–4–5. Q–K–A–2–3 is not a straight.

A complete hand: a pair of sevens becomes three of a kind

With 7♠7♥ and community cards 7♦, 2♣, K♣, three 3x bets produce a $300 net profit on $100 in total stakes.

For a $10 Ante, the hand proceeds as follows:

1. Place $10 and receive 7♠7♥. Any starting pair calls for 3x, so add $30.
2. The first community card is 7♦. You have three of a kind; add $30 on 4th Street.
3. The next card is 2♣. You still have three of a kind; add $30 on 5th Street.
4. The final card is K♣. Three sevens pay 3:1 in net profit.

Your total stake is $100. Net profit is $300, and total cash returned, including your stakes, is $400.

The starting pair of sevens justifies 3x, but that does not mean every pair produces a profit. If the final hand had remained a single pair of sevens, it would push: all base stakes would be returned without profit.

The paytable: profit versus cash returned

The payout ratios below describe net profit per unit of base wager, not total cash returned. A winning hand also returns the stake; a push returns only the stake.

This schedule comes from the archived Loto-Québec rules.

English base-wager paytable cropped from the archived Loto-Québec Mississippi Stud rules

Source: archived Loto-Québec document. The asset path suggests 2023, while the document carries copyright 2019; its publication date is unstated.

The chart’s zero for a pair of 6–10 means zero net profit, not loss of the stakes. A “nonlosing pair” of sixes or higher therefore includes both pushing pairs and profitable pairs; it does not mean every such pair pays a profit.

How to read the strategy: points, suits and gaps

Count points on all your known cards, then apply only the first matching row in the chart for that decision. These points are card categories used to evaluate your hand, not a running count of the deck.

Hand-based rules take priority over point totals. For example, a starting pair of twos has zero points, but the first row of the starting chart still requires 3x.

For straight-draw rules, a gap is a missing rank between your known cards within a possible five-rank straight:

• 5–6–7 has no gaps.
• 8–10–J has one gap: 9.
• 8–J–Q has two gaps: 9 and 10.
• Three cards to a royal must be a same-suit subset of 10, J, Q, K, A.

The charts below express Joseph Kisenwether’s original strategy, published with permission and verified by Michael Shackleford at Wizard of Odds. That is mathematical attribution, not regulator certification.

Two known cards: the 3rd Street decision

Bet 3x with any starting pair. Without a pair, bet 1x with at least two points or exactly suited 6–5; otherwise fold.

Read from top to bottom and stop at the first matching row.

Important examples:

• 6♠5♥: fold. It has one point and is offsuit.
• 5♠7♠: fold. It has one point; there is no separate one-gap suited exception.
• K♠2♥: 1x. The King supplies two points.
• 8♠10♥: 1x. Two middle cards supply two points.

Higher suited connectors generally already qualify through the point rule. Do not extend the exact 6–5 suited exception to every similar-looking hand.

Three known cards: the 4th Street decision

Bet 3x with a pair of sixes or higher, a stronger made hand or one of the listed strong same-suit draws. Then check the 1x conditions; fold if none applies.

Each row applies only if all earlier rows have failed.

These examples distinguish similar hands:

• 5♠6♠7♠: 3x, but 4♠5♠6♠: 1x. The latter does not meet the stronger straight-flush-draw threshold.
• 8♠10♠J♠: 3x. One gap and one high card.
• 8♠J♠Q♠: 3x. Two gaps and two high cards.
• K♠6♥2♦: 1x. Three points, despite having no pair or common suit.

A pair of 6–10 already ensures a nonlosing final base hand if you continue, but it is not yet profitable: without improvement, it pushes.

Four known cards: the 5th Street decision

Bet 3x with a pair of sixes or higher, four cards to a flush or a sufficiently high outside straight draw. Other genuine straight draws, low pairs and certain point conditions call for 1x.

An outside straight draw can complete at either end of the sequence. A one-ended draw needs one particular rank; an inside straight draw, or gutshot, needs a missing internal rank.

Examples make the draw distinctions clearer:

• 5–6–7–8: 3x. Either a 4 or a 9 completes the straight.
• 2–3–4–5: 1x, if you encounter this state. An Ace or a 6 completes it, but it is a low outside draw. It can be a hypothetical practice state rather than a hand reached by following every earlier chart.
• A–2–3–4 needs only a 5; J–Q–K–A needs only a 10. Neither has two valid ends.
• 5–6–8–9: 1x. This is a genuine gutshot needing a 7.
• 4–6–8–9 is not a straight draw. Adding a 7 still leaves the sequence missing a 5. Without an earlier 3x raise, fold.

The last exception involving three middle cards accounts for previously committed stakes in the EV comparison. It is not permission to chase any weak hand merely because you have already spent money.

Why the strategy does not choose 2x

A 2x bet is permitted, but standard strategy uses the endpoint sizes—1x and 3x—alongside folding. This does not mean 2x “always loses.”

At the final decision, expected value (EV) is linear in the amount added. If each extra unit improves EV, choose 3x. If each extra unit reduces EV, compare 1x with folding. When the slope is zero, different bet sizes can have equal EV.

The published strategy also uses these endpoint sizes on earlier streets. Different payouts or betting caps can change the decisions.

How to reproduce the final-decision EV calculation

You can check the final decision by evaluating all 48 possible final cards and comparing each action’s average result with folding. The following calculations assume only four known cards, a standard deck and the standard net paytable, with no information about other exposed cards.

Define:

• S: stakes already committed, measured in Ante units.
• k: the added bet, equal to 1, 2 or 3 units.
• r: the final net result per wager unit—for example, 6 for a flush, 0 for a push or −1 for a loss.

The whole-hand conditional expected result is:

EV of continuing = (S + k) × Er.

Folding has EV = −S. To express the advantage of continuing relative to folding, add S to the continuing EV. This is an average over possible final cards, not guaranteed cash.

Four cards to a flush: why 3x is best

With 7♠9♠ and community cards 2♠4♠, 3x has the highest EV even though the flush misses on 39 of the 48 possible final cards.

Assume S = 3 Ante units: the Ante and two earlier 1x bets. The 48 unseen cards give:

The flush probability is 9/48 = 18.75%.

Er = (9 × 6 − 33) / 48 = 0.4375.

At a $10 Ante, expected net profit is $17.50 with 1x versus $26.25 with 3x. The difference is $8.75 only for this state, not for an arbitrary hand.

If the flush actually completes after a 3x bet, total stakes are $60, profit is $360 and cash returned is $420. If it misses, the outcome is either a push or a loss, as shown above.

A low pair: continuing can beat folding despite negative EV

With 2♠2♥ and community cards 7♦9♣, 1x is better than folding or betting 3x, although its EV remains negative.

Assume S = 5: the Ante, an initial 3x bet and a subsequent 1x bet. The possible final cards produce:

• Two remaining twos: three of a kind paying 3:1 net profit.
• Six sevens and nines: two pair paying 2:1 net profit.
• The remaining 40 cards: a loss.

Er = (2 × 3 + 6 × 2 − 40) / 48 = −22/48.

That is why a starting low pair calls for 3x, while a low pair without sufficient improvement later calls for 1x. Negative continuing EV does not automatically mean fold: compare it with losing all previously committed stakes.

A gutshot versus a similar hand with no straight draw

With 6♥8♦ and community cards 5♠9♣, choose 1x. With the same hole cards and community cards 4♠9♣, choose fold when S = 3.

In the first state, four sevens make a straight, nine sixes, eights and nines produce pushes, and the other 35 cards lose:

Er = (4 × 4 − 35) / 48 = −19/48.

The 1x EV is −19/12 ≈ −1.583333 Ante units, better than folding at −3 or betting 3x at −2.375.

In the second state, a straight is impossible. Nine cards produce pushes and 39 lose:

Er = −39/48.

The 1x EV is −3.25 Ante units, worse than folding at −3. With no earlier 3x raise, the three-middle-card exception also fails.

To reproduce these results, remove the four known cards from the deck, evaluate the five-card hand for each of the 48 remaining cards, assign its net result from the paytable and average those results. Then compare actions using the formula above. Displayed approximations are rounded to six decimal places where needed; rounding does not change the best action in these examples.

House edge, RTP, outcome frequencies and budget

Under standard strategy, expected loss is approximately 4.91% of the Ante or 1.37% of total wagers. The corresponding return to player (RTP), measured against total wagers, is 98.63%.

These percentages use different denominators. The published Wizard of Odds return table contains 155,937,600 weighted combinations. Independent aggregation of that table gives average total action of approximately 3.59 Antes per initial hand; this checks the published table rather than independently solving the entire optimal game.

Do not describe 95.09% as RTP on total wagers. That subtraction uses the Ante while ignoring additional bets. The house-edge guide explains why the denominator matters.

RTP is not your chance of winning a hand. The strategy-weighted results below apply to initial hands, including folds, not just hands reaching settlement:

Folds account for approximately 43.60% of initial hands and are a subset of losses—not a fourth category to add to the table. These are not random-five-card poker frequencies or showdown-only results.

How much one hand can cost

Maximum base-wager exposure is 10 Antes: the initial Ante plus three 3x bets. Plan for that amount before the first wager, not after receiving strong cards.

For an illustrative plan of 50 initial hands at a $10 Ante:

• Expected loss using the rounded house edge: 10 × 50 × 0.0491 = $24.55.
• Average turnover using the rounded action multiplier: 10 × 50 × 3.59 = $1,795.

Fifty hands is a chosen calculation model, not a claimed hourly playing rate. Turnover is not the required starting bankroll: returned money may be wagered again.

Expected loss is not a sufficient bankroll or a survival guarantee. Variance means actual results can differ substantially from the average. Set an affordable loss limit and a time boundary beforehand; reduce the Ante or session length, or decline to play if the stakes are unsuitable. See the bankroll-management guide for practical budgeting principles.

Do not replace correct raises with smaller “fear bets”—choose an affordable Ante in advance. A stop-loss does not change RTP. Do not chase losses, borrow to play or refill the budget after reaching your limit. For a negative-EV game, the financial implication of Kelly is no wager, not a method for choosing an “optimal” casino Ante.

Practice: what the built-in tool actually does

The built-in tool can help you learn card selection, but you must check its recommendations against this guide’s charts. For external free practice, Wizard of Odds offers a Mississippi Stud game; that link is not evidence of real-money availability at any operator.

To work through a simple starting hand in the built-in tool below, follow these steps:

1. In the card selector, choose K♠, then 2♥.
2. The first two selected cards are treated as hole cards; later selections are community cards.
3. Observe the 1x recommendation. For K♠2♥, it agrees with the two-point rule in the starting chart.
4. Press the circular reset control to clear your selections before another exercise.

As a separate exercise, select 7♠7♥ and compare it with the first row of the starting chart: the correct decision is 3x. There are no separate currency controls, EV fields or street dropdown.

Local Mississippi Stud practice interface with K♠ and 2♥ selected and a 1x recommendation

Local interface showing K♠2♥: two points and a 1x decision.

Important limitations: the actual code uses simplified heuristics, not an exact EV solver. It does not calculate exact probabilities, bankroll requirements or full RTP. A known error recommends 1x with four cards to a flush instead of the correct 3x, and it misses several three-card and four-card exceptions. The UI reason “Pair (66+) pays instantly. Max bet!” is misleading: a final pair of 6–10 pushes, returning the stake without any profit. Check every recommendation against this guide.

The following Wizard of Odds tutorial is an additional explanation, not a substitute for the complete ordered charts.

Side bets and other variants

Evaluate each side bet separately: establish which cards count, which paytable applies and whether it settles after a base-game fold. A bonus name alone does not define its rules.

In the archived Loto-Québec rules, the historical 3 Card Bonus uses the three community cards and pays even after folding the base hand. Its stated RTP is 97.86%, equivalent to a 2.14% house edge. That RTP is lower than the base game’s 98.63% measured against total base action, but these bonus rules are not universal.

Other variants may use different card sets, paytables and limits. Betting caps can also change mathematically optimal decisions. No universal progressive-jackpot value threshold can be assigned without the specific rules.

Do not transfer strategy automatically between similar games:

• Mississippi Stud adds three successive bets to one Ante.
• Let It Ride involves decisions about withdrawing two of three initial wagers.
• Cajun Stud Poker and Louisiana Stud require their own rule-specific schedules and decisions.

Before you play: checklist and printable reference

Confirm the payouts, limits and full 10-Ante exposure before playing. For a printable reference, print the three complete decision charts above.

Use this preparation checklist:

1. Check the base paytable. In particular, confirm straight 4:1, three of a kind 3:1 and a push for a single pair of 6–10.
2. Check raise and payout caps. This strategy assumes bets of up to 3x the original Ante.
3. Separate the bonus rules. Confirm the cards used and settlement after a base-game fold.
4. Allow for 10 Antes in one hand. Choose your Ante based on the whole hand, not just the entry wager.
5. Prepare the two-, three- and four-card charts. Always apply the first matching row.
6. Set an affordable loss limit and finishing time. Do not treat average expected loss as enough money to sustain a session.
7. Practice and verify tool outputs. Pay particular attention to four-flushes, low pairs and the difference between a genuine straight draw and a similar-looking hand that cannot complete a straight.