I recently tried the casino table game called Mississippi Stud. The game is played on what looks like a blackjack table with one dealer and seats for players.
Here's how the game is played.
To be dealt in you make an ante bet. Where I played the minimum ante bet was $5. This makes it a low cost game. And if you are looking for a low cost table game this will fit on several levels.
After making your ante bet, you and the other players are each dealt two cards from a single 52-card deck. And three community cards are dealt.
The dealer does not play a hand -- you are not playing against the dealer as in Ultimate Texas Hold'em or in Blackjack.
What you are playing is the value of your two "hole cards" plus the community cards to make your hand. You are paid for the strength or value of your hand.
I will give you some examples. If you have Jacks or Better you are paid "even money" for your total bet. If you have a pair of 6s up to a pair of 10s, you push and your bet money is returned. If you make a straight flush with your two cards plus the community cards the payoff is 100 to 1. If you make three of a kind the payoff is three to one. If you don't make a pair, you lose your bet.
Now, the bets:
While it costs you only the ante bet to see your two hold cards, you must make an additional wager to see each of the three community cards which are revealed one at a time. And here is where the game can become expensive to play. To see each community card you must bet either 1X or 2X or 3X what your ante bet is.
Obviously if you are dealt a pair of 6s or higher you will make the maximum bets to see each of the community cards because you will at least "push" and get your money back.
But what do you do if you have Ace King suited? If you hit a royal flush, the payoff is 500 to 1, but AK suited is not a pair and by itself it is a "bust" hand.
When I played the game, and for several hours, I got a paying pair (jacks once, queens once) only once each. I had "push hands" such as a pair of tens and a pair of 8s a total of three times. Only once did I have a pair that made three-of-a-kind. In the three hours I was at the table, I never saw anyone make a full house, or a flush, or a straight.
What I did see was several players "chase" their cards hoping that high cards such as AK or AQ or AJ or even A6 would pair up -- and they didn't.
The game looks easy to win but it's not. In poker there is a saying "it's hard to make a pair" and when you play Mississippi Stud you should take that saying to heart.
On the other hand I just got a phone call from a player who made quads once (pays 40 to 1) and the hand was worth $8,000 to him based on his bets on the table.
So you should follow this basic strategy: if you have a pair of Jacks or Better bet the max on all three community card bet positions hoping that you make trips or better. You will at least get paid what you bet out. If your total bets (ante plus community card bets) add up to $50 you will be paid $50.
If you have a pair of 6s thru 10s bet the maximum because even if you don't make trips or better you'll get your money back.
Your own hole cards can be worthless but if the community cards have a paying pair, or a push pair, or trips, you will also benefit if you are still in the hand and have paid to see all three community cards.
If you have a single paying card (Jack or better) or suited connectors, or two high cards (JQ off suit) be very careful with how much you bet out to see each additional community card. You might not pair up or make a straight or flush, and in the game of Mississippi Stud you could quickly see your money float away down the river.