Caribbean stud is a very entertaining game. Despite its name, most players do not actually think of it as a poker game. It is a variant of poker however, one that’s played versus the dealer. Many online casinos offer progressive jackpots with this variant, which can swing the opinion that this is more of a slot than table game, in addition to this you cannot bluff in this variant.
How to play Caribbean stud
In Caribbean stud you play heads up against the dealer with the objective being to have a stronger hand than the dealer. A single 52 card deck is utilized and the game begins with an initial bet called the ‘ante’. Next, you receive five cards and the dealer will deal himself five cards, one of which is face up and visible to everyone. Based upon your knowledge of your own cards and the dealers visible card you have to make the decision on whether or not you can win the round.
If you choose to continue at this point you have to bet, call or fold. This bet is double the ante. If you choose to fold at this point you only lose your initial ante and the round ends. If you decide to call, the dealer shows their hand (the lowest value must be Ace, King to qualify). If the cards do not qualify you win even money on your original bet and your ante is returned. If the dealers hand qualifies and is weaker than yours then you win the round. You win even money on your original ante then your odds on your bet depend on the strength of your hand. The strength of the hand varies according to the normal order in Poker.
Elimination of the dealer’s hand
If the dealers hand is considered invalid, then bets no longer count and the antes are returned to each player. The starting bets are then doubled but as they are generally low, the winnings are not high. This will always be the case, even when the dealer has a better hand than the players. The new bets are only in play if the dealers hand was disqualified by one of the players.
Pay-outs
Besides doubling the bet of each hand, if you manage to defeat the dealer, you also win an additional amount. The amount can vary depending on the casino you play at but are usually a standard amount.
| Hand | Odds |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 100 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 50 to 1 |
| Four-of-a-kind | 20 to 1 |
| Full House | 7 to 1 |
| Flush | 5 to 1 |
| Straight | 4 to 1 |
| Three-of-a-kind | 3 to 1 |
| Two pairs | 2 to 1 |
| One pair | 1 to 1 |
Progressive jackpot
It’s always unfortunate when you’ve got a strong hand but the dealers hand fails to qualify. This means you win only the ante. Because of this there are some casinos that offer a supplementary game where the prizes are paid according to the strength of your hand, even when the dealer fails to qualify or if you lose because his hand is stronger.
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| Flush | $50 |
| Flush | $100 |
| Four-of-a-kind | $500 |
| Straight | 10% of the progressive jackpot |
| Straight Flush | The entire progressive jackpot |
These additional winnings have a very competitive value although experts advise only betting on progressive jackpots if they’re already set at $30+
Percentage towards the house
Casinos will generally deduct around 5.3% of the player’s winnings. This percentage can be reduced in some cases to around 2.3%. This really depends on how standardized the game is and is also based on strategic considerations. 2.3% really corresponds to a situation where there is an optimal strategy. It’s almost impossible to find this kind of percentage in an online casino.