Russian Poker: Rules, Payouts, Odds and Strategy (2026)

What is Russian poker

Russian poker (also called Russian stud) is a banked casino game based on five-card stud. There is no bluffing and no other players to beat: every seat at the table plays its own hand against the dealer’s hand. It became popular in Russian casinos in the 1990s and spread to Europe and online casinos as a richer version of Caribbean stud poker.

The hand rankings are the usual poker ones — see our poker hand rankings. What makes Russian poker special is the number of options: you can pay to exchange cards, buy a sixth card, and if the dealer has no qualifying hand you can buy a game for the dealer to get your strong hand paid.

Russian poker rules step by step

1. 1
   You place an ante within the table limits.
2. 2
   You and the dealer each get five cards. In most versions one of the dealer’s cards is dealt face up, the other four face down.
3. 3
   You look at your cards and choose: fold (you lose the ante), bet (usually twice the ante), exchange cards or buy a sixth card — the last two cost an extra ante each.
4. 4
   After an exchange or a sixth card you decide again: bet or fold.
5. 5
   The dealer reveals the hand. If it is weaker than Ace-King, the dealer doesn’t qualify: you are paid on the ante and the bet is returned (or you can buy a game — see below).
6. 6
   If the dealer qualifies, the hands are compared. A better hand wins 1:1 on the ante plus the bet multiplied by the payout table; a worse hand loses both; a tie returns the stakes.

When the dealer qualifies: Ace-King or better

The dealer’s hand “has a game” when it holds at least Ace and King — a hand with no pair but with an ace and a king, or any pair or better. Anything weaker, such as A-Q-high or K-Q-high, does not qualify.

In a five-card hand the dealer qualifies roughly 56% of the time and fails to qualify about 44% of the time. That 44% is why weak hands are sometimes worth a bet: if the dealer has no game you still collect the ante.

Exchanging cards and buying a sixth card

These two options are the heart of Russian poker. Both cost you an extra stake (usually one ante) that is not returned, so they only make sense when they improve your expected result.

Whether you can both exchange and buy a sixth card in the same hand, and how many cards you may swap, differs by casino. Approximate chances when drawing (the dealer’s cards are unknown, so these are close estimates):

Buying a game for the dealer

If you have a strong hand and the dealer doesn’t qualify, you only get the ante back with a 1:1 win — the big payout on your bet is lost. To avoid that, many casinos let you buy a game for the dealer: you pay an extra stake (usually equal to the ante), and the dealer replaces one card — typically the highest — with a new one, or draws an extra card, depending on the rules.

• If the dealer now qualifies and you still have the better hand, your bet is paid by the payout table.
• If the new card makes the dealer’s hand better than yours, you lose the ante and the bet.
• If the dealer still has no game, the exact outcome depends on the house rules — the money paid for buying the game is usually not returned.

Insurance in Russian poker

Some casinos offer insurance for players holding a strong hand. Its exact form varies: most often it is a side stake that pays if the dealer doesn’t qualify, so a big hand is not left with only the ante payout. The maximum insurance is usually limited (for example, a share of the possible win on the bet), and if the dealer does qualify, the insurance stake is lost.

Insurance is a separate wager with its own edge for the house. Use it only if you understand the specific casino’s rules — it does not change the odds of the main hand.

Russian poker hands and payout table

Your bet is paid according to your combination. A typical table is below — the exact multipliers, especially for the flush and the top hands, differ between casinos, and many tables also set a maximum payout per hand.

Two combinations and bonuses

A feature of many Russian poker tables is paying two combinations at once — for example, when six cards (after buying a sixth card) contain two different hands. Some casinos also pay extra bonuses for top hands regardless of the dealer’s hand. These rules are not universal, so check the table’s help screen before you play.

Odds of each hand

These are the chances of being dealt each combination in five cards from a 52-card deck, before any exchange. They explain the payout table: the rarer the hand, the bigger the multiplier.

In other words, about half of all hands have no pair at all. The decisions you make with those hands — fold, bet, exchange — have the biggest effect on your results.

Russian poker strategy basics

There is no strategy that beats the house over the long run, but good decisions reduce how much you lose. The general principles agreed on by most guides:

• Common mistakes
• Exchanging cards with hands that have no realistic draw.
• Buying a game for the dealer with a single pair.
• Taking insurance without knowing what it pays and when.
• Chasing losses with bigger antes.

Russian poker vs Texas Hold’em and classic poker

The name says poker, but the game is very different from what you play in poker clubs and poker rooms.

In Texas Hold’em and Omaha you win money from other players, and skill decides the long-term result; the operator takes only a rake. In Russian poker the casino is your opponent and its edge is built into the payout table. If you want to learn real poker, start with our poker rules and the beginner guide.

Where to play Russian poker online

Russian poker is offered by some online casinos, as a software (RNG) game and sometimes with a live dealer. Many casino games of this type have a demo mode with play money, so you can learn the rules for free; whether you need an account for it depends on the site. Real-money play is legal only where online casinos are allowed and only for adults.

• Before you play for money
• Check that online casino games are legal in your country.
• Read the table rules: bet size, exchange cost, sixth card, buying a game, insurance and the payout table.
• Look for the maximum payout per hand — a royal flush may be capped.
• Try the demo mode first to learn the decisions without risk.
• Set a budget you are ready to lose and stop when it is spent.

House edge and responsible play

Every payout in Russian poker is set slightly below the true odds, so over many hands the casino wins. The exact house edge depends on the rules and payout table of the specific game, and the extra options (exchange, sixth card, buying a game, insurance) each cost money. Short-term wins happen — that is variance, not a system.

Poker against players: ClubGG clubs

If you prefer a game where skill can beat the opponents, here are the top ClubGG clubs from our catalog, ranked by player reviews. Each club page lists games, rake and rakeback.

ClubGG 4.5 · 1PPPokerReviews & guide

RatePokerClub catalogTop ClubGG clubs by player reviews

All clubs

#1MOJO 24.51 reviewRakeback 50%Union: Massive Poker UnionOpen club #2MOJO 1No reviews yetRakeback 50%Union: AllinUnionOpen club #3Mr Pink PantherNo reviews yetRakeback 40%Open club #4ZerakeNo reviews yetRakeback Zero RakeOpen club #5POKER VIBE UANo reviews yetRakeback 40%Open club

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