Caribbean Stud Training
Caribbean Stud Poker is a game that was born years ago in the Caribbean islands and soon flocked to cruise ships in the area. Soon enough, it found its way into American casinos and has been a staple game ever since. Many games have come and gone on the casino floor, but Caribbean Stud Poker has withstood the test of time. Why has this game continued to prove its worth on the casino floors and why have players continued to patronize the game? Most likely because it is very fun to play and it tends to be, in a live setting, a sociable game. Playing online can be very fun and addicting as well.
The game of Caribbean Stud Poker is played with one 52 card deck and the table seats up to seven players. If you are going to play Caribbean Stud Poker online, you will be playing solely against the dealer. You will be able to play as slow or fast as you like.
The Table
You will notice that your spot at the table has four key spots.
Card Area: This is the area that your cards will be placed.
Ante: Your initial Ante bet will be placed here.
Raise: Your Bet wager will be placed here. This area might be called BET in some houses.
Progressive Slot: By placing $1 in this slot, you are entered into the progressive jackpot for the hand.
The Action
Ok, now that you know the setup, let's take a look at how the game of Caribbean Stud Poker is broken down. First, you must place a wager on the Ante circle. If you want to be in the progressive for the hand, you must place a $1 wager in the progressive slot. If you are in the progressive and receive a hand of a flush or better, you will receive a bonus payout.
Now, it's time for the cards. The dealer will deal you five cards. The dealer also takes five cards and shows one of the cards (also called an "upcard"). Now that you have your hand, it's time to evaluate it. If you think your hand will beat the dealer's you can stay in the game by placing a wager in the Raise circle. The wager has to be equal to exactly two times your Ante bet-so if your Ante was $10, your Raise must be $20. If you think your hand is not worth much, you can fold-losing your Ante bet and progressive bet if one was placed.
If you decided to Raise, the dealer's hand is now shown and evaluated. In order for the dealer to qualify, the dealer must have a hand that ranks Ace-King or better. We will discus hand rankings in a moment. If the dealer does not qualify, your Ante is paid, but your Raise wager is given back. Ante bets are always paid even money and Raise bets are paid in relation to your hand. We will go over the payouts in a moment. To get paid on your Raise bet, you must beat the dealer and the dealer must have a qualifying hand. Once all bets are taken and/or paid, the hand is over. It's important to note that if the dealer does not qualify, you win your Ante bet no matter what you had. So, for example, you could have absolutely nothing and you would still win.
The Payoffs
If the dealer has a qualifying hand and you beat the dealer, your Raise bet is paid according to the following schedule.
One Pair: You are paid even money.
Two Pair: You are paid two to one.
Three of a Kind: You are paid three to one.
Straight: You are paid four to one.
Flush: You are paid five to one.
Full House: You are paid seven to one.
Four of a Kind: You are paid twenty to one.
Straight Flush: You are paid fifty to one.
Royal Flush: You are paid one hundred to one. Some houses pay two hundred to one.
If you spend the money to be in the progressive and finish with a progressive qualifying hand, you win the progressive amount regardless if the dealer qualifies or not. Each casino is usually different with their progressive payout amounts, but here's a general example.
Flush: $50-$100
Full House: $75-$250
Four of a Kind: $100-$500
Straight Flush: 10%
Royal Flush: 100%
Before sitting down to play, check out the progressive payout amounts-if you plan on playing the progressive. It's really a bad bet, but some players use it as insurance. Think about this. If you get a four of a kind and the dealer does not qualify, you lose out on that twenty to one payout. However, if you had simply bet the $1, you would be receiving $100-$500 anyway. The level of your Ante bets determines how much the progressive will eat into your bankroll. If you are a $3 bettor, it's unwise to add $1 to the progressive. However, if you are betting $15 on the Ante, the $1 extra is minimal.
Ranking Hands
It's now time to see how the hands rank. Following is a listing of ranking hands for Caribbean Stud Poker-ranked from lowest to highest.
High Card: This is a hand that has formed nothing so your highest card is your rank. For example, a hand with 2,3,4,A and 10 would be an Ace high hand.
One Pair: Two cards of the same rank, like two Kings.
Two Pair: Two cards of one rank and two cards of another rank, like two Kings and two Tens.
Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same rank, like three Kings.
Straight: Five cards in consecutive order, like 2,3,4,5 and 6. The Ace card can be played before the two (as a one) or after the King (10,J,Q,K,A).
Flush: Five cards of the same suit, like five clubs.
Full House: This hand is also called a boat. It's three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank, like three Kings and two Fives.
Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same rank, like four Queens. This is a difficult hand to hit, because there are only four cards of any one rank in the deck.
Straight Flush: Five cards, all of the same suit, in consecutive order, like 2,3,4,5 and 6 of Diamonds. The Ace can be played in front of the two (as a one) or after the King (10,J,Q,K,A).
Royal Flush: The big one. The Royal Flush is a 10, J, Q, K, A of the same suit. The probability of receiving this hand is very minimal, but it feels real good when it hits. In the event of two Royal Flushes, the holder's tie.
Strategy
There is a basic strategy for playing Caribbean Stud Poker that can give you a shot at winning more often. The house advantage on this game is pretty hefty and nothing you do will reduce it much. Here's some tips for playing Caribbean Stud Poker better.
1. Fold if you have nothing. To win, you would need the dealer to not qualify (have nothing) as well and you are risking more money (Raise) that can only get paid even money. It would be a poor value play to continue. Some players argue that you should stay in if your highest card outranks the dealer's upcard. However, the value is not there and it is better to lay it down.
2. Don't play the progressive. It really is a sucker bet and the house advantage on it is tremendous. As mentioned earlier, if you are not too concerned with the financials and want to go for the big payday, make sure your regular Ante bet is large enough to warrant the extra progressive payout.
You are now ready to tackle the fun game of Caribbean Stud Poker. One last piece of advice-don't bluff. The dealer, unlike you, can't fold. Remember, if you plan on playing the progressive, shop around. The progressive at one place might only be $30,000 and could very well be $200,000 at another place. Furthermore, the payouts on the lesser progressive hands fluctuate between houses. You want to make to make sure you are getting paid very well if you happen to hit a progressive hand. For instance, I saw one Internet casino that offered $500 on a four of a kind, which is a super payout for this hand. Additionally, their Royal Flush payout (non-progressive) was two hundred to one, which is great. Take the time to do your research and find the casinos that are friendly to Caribbean Stud Poker players-it will be worth it in the end.
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