Caribbean Stud Poker

Caribbean Stud Poker

Caribbean Stud Poker, which has a stronger resemblance to blackjack than to poker, is not exactly a player friendly game because of its high house advantage. However, the house edge reduces when the game is played online. In spite of this, people still play the game, possibly because its simple rules and the progressive jackpot attached to it.

Caribbean-born Game

The game was born in the Caribbean Island and was first played on cruise ships, after which it was brought to American land casinos. Later, a progressive jackpot was attached to the game to make it more popular.

History reveals that Caribbean Stud Poker like games were played in the early sixteenth century in Spain under attractive names such as Primera, Pochen, Brag, Poque, and others. Reportedly, the French brought the game to the US in the eighteenth century.

The game enjoyed a great deal of popularity among southerners, but made its way up north in the nineteenth century. Scholars and writers have mentioned Caribbean Stud Poker in their journals and records.

How to Play

Players who have played Five Card Stud Poker can easily understand and play Caribbean Stud Poker because of the striking similarity between the two. The table on which Caribbean Stud Poker is played is very similar to that of blackjack, which makes the game very popular among blackjack players. Just like blackjack, the game is played against the house, and not against other players at the table.

Caribbean Stud Poker involves making 3 different types of bets—an Ante bet, a Play bet, and a Progressive Jackpot bet of $1, which is optional.

The Ante bet is mandatory and players must place it before the game can begin. Players who want to have a shot at the progressive jackpot must also place the optional Progressive Jackpot bet. The dealer then deals a hand of five cards each to all the players, after which players decide to either fold and lose their Ante bets or continue playing.

If players decide to continue playing, they must place the Play bet, which is double the Ante bet. The dealer will now expose his hole cards, and the game will continue only if the dealer has an Ace – King combination or better. If the dealer’s hand does not qualify, players will receive even money on their Ante bets and their Play bets will be returned to them.

If the dealer’s hand qualifies and the player’s hand turns out to be stronger than the dealer’s, players will receive their payouts as per the payout table. A pair or less pays 1 – 1, two pairs pay 2 – 1, Three of a Kind pays 3 – 1, Straight pays 4 – 1, Flush pays 5 – 1, Full House pays 7 – 1, Four of a Kind pays 20 – 1, and Straight Flush pays 50 – 1.

How to Win

Certain unique features of Caribbean Stud Poker need to be studied before players can develop their strategies. The game has a house edge of 5.22 percent, and the dealer has to qualify by having an Ace – King combo or better for the game to continue. The possibility of the dealer getting a pair is around 42 percent, and the dealer’s up card gives players plenty of information on the basis of which they can make their next move.

If players have a pair or better, they must raise; and if they have a hand lower than an Ace – King comb, they must fold. Some experts advise players to fold smaller pairs and Ace – King combos, but not everybody approves of this strategy.

The most interesting feature of Caribbean Stud Poker is its progressive jackpot, the value of which is revealed by a tiny meter on the screen. If players want to win the progressive jackpot, they must place a fixed bet of $1, but experts warn that this bet has a high house edge of over 22 percent. Experts advise players to bet on it only if the value of the progressive jackpot is as high as $150k.

Where to Play

Caribbean Stud Poker is available at hundreds of online casinos such as Winward Casino, Crazy Vegas Casino, Golden Casino, Golden Riviera Online Casino, and others for fun as well as real money.