The cards dealt face down to each individual player are called hole cards, which gave rise to the common English expression ace in the hole for any hidden advantage.
Stud poker variants using four cards were popular as of the American Revolutionary War[citation needed].
Five-card stud first appeared during the American Civil War when the game was much played among soldiers on both sides, and became very popular.
Six-card stud can also be played as 1-4-1, where the first betting round occurs after only two cards are dealt (one down and one up).
Versions differ in the rules for treating straights and flushes as high or low.
In the most common form, known as "eight-or-better" or "stud eight", an 8-high hand or lower is required to win low.
A flush beats a full house (with fewer cards of each suit, they are harder to get).
Originally invented by gambling author David Sklansky using the name Casino Holdem with some slight rule variations,[2] the game was first introduced at the Grand Holiday Casino and eventually all the remaining hotels in Aruba in the 1980s.