how to play caribbean stud poker

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Caribbean stud poker is a casino game based on five-card stud poker with a progressive jackpot and is played on a blackjacklike table with seven spots. All players play against the dealer, not against one another.

Rules

1. Player makes an ante wager plus an optional $1 progressive side bet
2. Each player and the dealer get five cards each. All cards are dealt face down, except one dealer card is exposed. The player may examine his own cards but sharing of information is not allowed.
3. Player must fold or raise.
4. If player folds he forfeits his cards, ante bet, and side bet (if made)
5. If player raises then he must make a raise wager exactly equal to twice the ante
6. The dealer will turn over his other four cards
7. The dealer must have an ace and a king or higher to qualify. In other words, the lowest qualifying hand would be ace,king,4,3,2 and the highest non-qualifying hand would be ace,queen,jack,10,9. If the dealer does not qualify the player will win even money on his ante wager and the raise will push.
8. If the dealer qualifies and beats the player, both ante and raise will lose.
9. If the dealer qualifies and loses to the player, then the ante will pay even money and the raise according to the posted pay table. The U.S. pay table is shown below.
10. If the player and dealer tie, both ante and raise will push.
11. The progressive side bet will be entrirely based on the poker value of the player's hand. Various pay tables are available.

The Player can win if:

• Ante - The Player has a higher 5-card poker hand than the Dealers.
• If the Player Raises and the Dealer does not qualify.
• Raise - The Player has a higher 5-card poker hand and the Dealer has a minimum of an Ace/King.
• Progressive - If the Player places $1 in the Jackpot slot, the Player receives a flush or higher.

The Player loses if:

• The Player folds.
• The Dealer qualifies and has a higher 5-card poker hand.

Hand Ranks/Payout Amounts

Hand Name	Description	Example	Payout
Royal Flush	A, K, Q, J, 10 of same suit	AH, KH, QH, JH, 10H	200:1
Straight Flush	5 cards of same suit in sequence	7S, 6S, 5S, 4S, 3S	50:1
4 of a Kind	4 cards of same rank	6S, 6H, 6D, 6C	20:1
Full House	3 of a kind, plus a pair	2S, 2H, 2D, 3S, 3H	7:1
Flush	5 cards of same suit	9D, 8D, 7D, 6D, 5D	5:1
Straight	5 cards in sequence, mixed suits	7D, 6S, 5H, 4C, 3H	4:1
3 of a Kind	3 cards of same rank	7S, 7D, 7C	3:1
Two Pair	2 pairs of different rank	6S, 6H, 4D, 4C	2:1
One Pair	1 pair (2 cards) of same rank	KH, KD	1:1
High Card	5 cards of different ranks and suits	AH, KS,

Strategy

Optimal strategy in Caribbean Stud is very complicated. The number of people who know it perfectly is probably zero. However, we can make two generalizations that cover most hands.

1. Always raise with a pair or higher.
2. Always fold with less than the dealer's qualifying hand (ace/king)

It is the ace/king hands that are tricky. In general it helps if the three singletons are high or the dealer's up card is jack or less and matches one of the player's cards (making is less likely the dealer will form a pair). I personally developed the following strategy, which results in a house edge of 5.225%, just 0.001% less than optimal.

The Wizard's Caribbean Stud Poker Strategy

Always raise with a pair or higher, fold with less than ace/king, and raise on ace/king if any of the following three rules apply.

1. Raise if the dealer's card is a 2 through queen and matches one of yours.
2. Raise if the dealer's card is an ace or king and you have a queen or jack in your hand.
3. Raise if the dealer's rank does not match any of yours and you have a queen in your hand and the dealer's card is less than your fourth highest card.