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Caribbean Stud Poker Rules

Caribbean Stud is a surprisingly addictive table game that combines some of the best elements of Blackjack, Video Poker and 5-Card Stud.  For table gamers and poker addicts alike, Caribbean Stud is a fun and exciting way to gamble. 

 
Read the below article to learn Caribbean Stud Poker rules and strategies from Gambling City experts.
 

How to Play Caribbean Poker Online—The Basics
 

Step 1) Caribbean Stud poker rules pit player against house; you vs. the dealer. 

Step 2) The game commences with every player at the table placing an initial bet, called the “ante”.

Step 3) Each player then receives five cards face down. The dealer’s last card is turned face up.  Players view their own hand and weigh its potential against the dealer’s face-up card. 

Just like in Blackjack, you only get to see one card. However, unlike Blackjack, Caribbean Poker rules require that you also consider the dealer’s 4 face down cards. 

Step 4) If you decide to keep your hand, your only choice is to raise.  That’s right, no flat calling. You have to either raise with twice your ante, or lay your cards down. Because the raise must be two times that of your ante, the limit on how much you can wager for your ante is equal to one third of your total chip stack.

For example, if you have a chip stack of $1000, the most you can ante is $333. Your raise after two cards will then be $666.

Step 5) If you decide to raise and stay in, both you and the dealer reveal your Caribbean Stud Poker hands. You win money when your hand is better than the dealer’s. However, you can’t win big money unless you beat a dealer’s hand that qualifies.
 

How to Play Caribbean Poker Online - Caribbean Stud Poker Hands
 

In order for a dealer’s hand to qualify, it must have an Ace and King or better.  That doesn’t mean Ace or King, it means the dealer must have high card Ace and a King kicker or a better poker hand.  For example, AK432 would qualify; AQJT9 would not.

If the dealer’s hand does not qualify, you profit only from your ante and receive your raise back as a push regardless of if your hand is actually better.  
 
Returning to the above example of the $1000 chip stack with the $333 ante; if you raised $666 and the dealer didn’t qualify, you would double up your ante and just take your $666 raise back into your stack, leaving you with $1,333, no matter what your hand was.
It’s when the Caribbean Stud Poker hands of the dealer qualify that things get exciting, assuming you still win. The better your hand is, the more money you make.

 

How to Play Caribbean Poker Online—Payouts

 
In order to really learn Caribbean Stud Poker rules, you must also understand the game’s payouts. Below, a standard pay table for Caribbean Poker:
 
 
Hand
Payout
Royal Flush
100:1
Straight Flush
50:1
4 of a kind
20:1
Full House
7:1
Flush
5:1
Straight
4:1
3 of a kind
3:1
2 Pair
2:1
One Pair
1:1
High card
1:1
 
Let’s now look at a simpler example than the one we’ve been using.  Let’s say your chip stack is $300 and you bet a $100 ante. You are then lucky enough to get Four of a Kind.  You happily raise your remaining $200 and the dealer turns over two pair, sealing your victory.  Not only do you double your $100 ante, but you also get 20:1 odds on your $200 raise giving you an additional $4000, making your stack now a sizable $4400.
 
But what if the dealer’s hand didn’t qualify?…
 

How to Play Caribbean Poker Online—Progressive Jackpot

 
…you would be pretty angry right?  Naturally. 
 
Fortunately the game’s designers thought of that, and established a Progressive Jackpot to satisfy  frustrated players.  At the start of each betting round you have the option of posting a $1 bet in the Progressive Jackpot. Participating in the Progressive Jackpot means you can still make a lot of money on a good hand even when the dealer doesn’t qualify.
 
The Progressive Jackpot is essentially a side bet on the quality of your cards, regardless of what the dealer’s cards are.  Progressives typically pay hands of Flush and above, so they’re great security against a dealer’s hand that either doesn’t qualify or beats yours.
 
Progressive Caribbean Stud Poker payouts vary from casino to casino, but the below is a fairly common payout structure:
 

    Royal Flush - 100% of Progressive Meter
    Straight Flush - 10% of Progressive Meter
    Four of a Kind - $500
    Full House - $100
    Flush - $50

The Progressive Meter is usually shown on or near the table in casinos, and on the top of the screen in online casinos.
 

How to Play Caribbean Poker Online—One-Hand Rule

 
When you play Caribbean Stud Poker , you can only play one hand at a time—Sorry Blackjackers.
 
Caribbean Poker rules dictate the use of a single 52-card deck.  Knowledge of any other cards gives players an unfair advantage.  Although card counting and odds computing would make the game more interesting, it would also open up the house to losing big sums of cash in the long-run.
 

Give it a try!

 
Now that you know the rules, play Caribbean Stud Poker free card games online. Risk-free and easy to navigate, free card games allow players to test their knowledge and enhance their strategy without putting their salary on the table. 
 
You can play Caribbean Stud Poker free card games at almost any casino online. Enjoy!

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