Caribbean Stud Poker

Caribbean Stud®is a registered trademark of Bally Gaming, Inc. and is used with permission on this website.

Caribbean Stud Poker is a very popular table game that is found in nearly every casino that offers table play.

How to Play Caribbean Stud Poker 

Caribbean Stud Poker is played on a blackjack type table with six or seven seating areas. Each betting zone contains three positions to place bets: a slot for the optional progressive Jackpot bet, an ante box and a bet (call) box. The objective is for a player to have a higher poker hand than the dealer.

A 52-card deck is used. Before the cards are dealt, all players must make an ante bet. An optional progressive jackpot bonus wager may be made by inserting a one-dollar chip or coin into the appropriate slot. The dealer then deals five cards in the down position to each player. S/he will also deal his or herself four cards down and one card up. After reviewing the hand, the player must then make a decision to either call, (make an additional wager) or fold (forfeit the ante and optional jackpot bet). If the player calls s/he must place a bet in the appropriate box, which must be twice the ante amount.

After collecting the chips and cards from the players that folded, the dealer will reveal his or her four cards and turn over all the players’ five card hands.

Dealer Qualifier

The dealer must have at least an Ace, King or higher hand to qualify for play. If the dealer does not qualify, all hands will win the ante bet at even money. The call bet becomes a push and is returned to you. This applies to all hands, even if the players are of lower value than the dealers.

 If the dealer qualifies, his or her hand is compared to the players. If the hand beats or ties the players, that player loses the ante and call bets. If the player beats the dealer, he or she is paid. The ante wins even money and the call bet is paid according to a basic pay table. The amounts may vary depending on jurisdiction. Here is one example:

Hand                                    Payout

One Pair                                        1/1

 Two Pair                                       2/1                          

Three of a Kind                              3/1

Straight                                           4/1

Flush                                               5/1

Full House.                                      7/1

Four of a Kind                                  20/1

Straight Flush.                                  50/1

Royal Flush                                      100/1

Most casinos have a maximum table payout amount. Many are set at $5,000.

One drawback for this game is the dealer-qualifying requirement. A player might have a high paying hand but if the dealer does not qualify, the player will only win the ante bet at even money.

Progressive Jackpot Bonus

Provided the player placed one dollar in the jackpot slot, the bonus pays off to all qualified players that called. The dealer’s hand does not matter. Most progressive jackpots are at least $10,000. Here is one example:

Hand                                  Payout

Flush.                                $50

Full House                           $100

Four of a Kind.                     $500

Straight Flush                  10% of Jackpot

Royal Flush                      100% of Jackpot

If two or more players qualify for all or part of the jackpot in the same hand, the winners will share the jackpot.

Basic Strategy for Caribbean Stud Poker

The following strategy is recommended by gambling experts:

 Always call on a pair or higher

Always fold with less than an Ace, King

Call with an Ace, King if you have a Queen, and your fourth highest card is equal to or higher than the dealer’s up card.

The house edge for Caribbean Stud Poker is about 5.3% when proper strategy is used.

If you decide to take a shot at the Progressive Jackpot, the edge is a whopping 26.5%!

If you want to brush up on your skills with some free play on line before you participate with real dollars try www.table-games-online.com/caribbean-stud-poker

This site is for educational purposes to learn,practice and master.

Books, videos, and games about Caribbean Stud Poker can be found on Amazon. Direct link from this page to purchase.

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