Caribbean Stud Poker - Game Rules and Strategies Guide

Introduction

Caribbean Stud Poker is one of the more popular online casino games and even more exciting when you play for the Progressive Jackpot.

When you play this game you play against the dealer and not other players. The game itself is played on a table that is very similar to that of a blackjack table and the table features places for your 'Ante' bets and for your Progressive Bets.

Your initial bet or 'Ante' is placed in the areas marked 'Ante.' If you think your hand will beat the dealer's hand you can place an additional bet that is double your ante bet. Before the dealing of the cards, you can place Progressive bets on any hand you have placed an ‘Ante' bet on.

Decks

Progressive Caribbean Stud Poker is played using one 52-card deck which are shuffled after each hand is played. At some online casinos you can play up to 5 hands of Caribbean Stud Poker at the same time. Each hand played is a separate wager against the dealer.

The Play

After placing your 'Ante' bet and optionally a progressive bet, each player is dealt five cards face up. The Dealer is also dealt five cards but only one card is face up. Based on the strength of your hand and on the value of the dealer's face up card you must decide whether to increase your bet to maximize your winnings 'CALL' or to minimize your losses and 'FOLD'.

No additional cards are dealt in this game. The player and the dealer compare hands formed from their five cards dealt initially.

Objective

The aim of the player is to beat the dealer's poker hand. If the player places a progressive bet on the hand, the player wins the appropriate share of the progressive pot even if the dealer's hand wins.

Dealers Hand Must Qualify

In Progressive Caribbean Stud Poker, the dealer's hand must contain at least one ace and one king in order to qualify. If the dealer's hand does not qualify, you receive 'evens' on your ante and your bet is returned to you without winnings.

If the dealer's hand does qualify with a value of at least one ace and one king, the best hand wins. Your winning hand receives ' evens' on the ante plus the winnings on your bet calculated according to the winnings table.

If you fold you lose your ante whether or not the dealer qualifies.

If the dealer's hand doesn' t have a minimum poker combination of an ace-king the dealer fails to qualify. If this situation occurs the game is over. Your bet is returned to you together with double your 'Ante' regardless of the value of your cards.

If the dealer's hand does qualify, it is compared to the your hand and if the dealer's hand has a higher poker combination than your hand then you lose both your 'Ante' and your 'Bet'.

In the event that the dealer's hand has a lower poker combination than your hand, you will win twice your ‘Ante' and are paid out on your 'Bet' according to the paytable.

If in the case that both the dealer's and player's hands tie, the party with the next highest-ranking card is the winner. If there is an absolute tie, you'll get all your money back.

You always win on your progressive bet, even if the dealer does not qualify.

Poker Hands Payout Progressive Payout
Royal Flush 1,000 to 1 - 100% of Jackpot
Straight Flush 200 to 1 - 10% of Jackpot
Four of a Kind 100 to 1 - $500
Full House 15 to 1 - $100
Flush 10 to 1 - $50
Straight - 4 to 1
Three of a Kind - 3 to 1
Two Pairs - 1 to 1
One Pair - 1 to 1
Ace & King - 1 to 1

Simple Strategy

A simple strategy for new or casual players would be to bet any pair or better as even the weakest pair will beat the dealer at least 50.08% of the time. In addition don't bet on all hands. A lot of players will try to bluff the dealer but in reality the dealer will have qualifying hand some 56% of the time. For a more in depth look at strategies please take a look at our Caribbean Stud Poker Strategy page.

Caribbean Stud Poker is like any other game. There's a way to play it that will reduce the edge to an absolute minimum and get you winning more often.

Playing Caribbean Stud Poker is a fun and exciting game to play. If anything it's actually easier to play than Blackjack although you might not think so if you're coming to it for the first time.

If you are and would like to play it properly we would recommend you play it for fun first at one of our approved online casinos. That way you'll soon be playing according to the rules and discover how good a game it is.