Caribbean Stud Poker - Game Strategy

Like any other casino game you play, you can play it in such a way as to reduce the house edge to a minimum. Player mistakes are by far and away the most common reasons why a casino takes the money. The information below will help you get a better deal at Caribbean Stud Poker.

Written by Henry Tamburin, a professional gambler for many years, it has some good advice to follow.

Common Mistakes

Two of the most common playing mistakes made by players is to fold when they have a small pair or to bluff the dealer by making a call bet when they have a weak hand.

First, never fold your small pairs. You will be dealt a pair about 42% of the times and you'll win more (or lose less) in the long run by making the call bet rather than to fold (the casino has about a 7% edge against players who fold on small pairs).

Also, never try to bluff the dealer! Some player's mistakenly believe they can win more hands by making the call bet when they have a weak hand. They figure that the dealer who doesn't qualify pays off the ante wager for player's who stay in (i.e. make the call bet) regardless if the player has a strong or weak hand.

The problem with this strategy is that when the dealer does qualify (and he will about 56% of the time), the player loses not only the ante bet but also the call bet (which is twice the ante bet). Mathematically a player who bluffs with a weak hand will lose 25% more of his ante over the long run than if he folded. Bottom-line - don't bluff!

Strategies

There are at least six published basic playing strategies that will yield a casino edge of 5.2-5.3%. They vary in complexity but here is a simple basic playing strategy to get you started.

Basic Playing Strategy
1. Fold if you have less than Ace-King.
2. Make a call bet if:
* You have at least any pair or higher.
* You have at least an Ace-King and one of your other cards is the same as the dealer's face card

The 5.2-5.3% casino edge is based on the player's ante wager. Using the concept of "Element of Risk" that was proposed by Michael Shackelford (Casino Player, Dec. 1999), the casino edge based on the average amount bet by the player (that includes the ante and call bet) is about 2.6%.

You can use the latter figure to compare Caribbean Stud Poker against other table games like Let It Ride, Three Card Poker, etc.

If you want to play Caribbean Stud Poker, remember to play it smartly by following the basic playing strategy, avoid bluffing on weak hands & folding on low pairs.