Caribbean Stud Poker is most likely one of the most famous poker variations that gamblers play against the house.

Now, this poker game’s origin isn’t exactly clear, although David Sklansky had claimed that he invented it in the early 1980s.

The rules of Caribbean Stud are very straightforward as you are about to discover. You’ll also find out that the rules are easy to learn and follow. In terms of strategy and required skill, this is a somewhat challenging game, so you need to be careful.

However, keep the house’s edge in mind more than 5% even if you decide to play the best strategy possible. This is pretty not so impressive compared to some other table games such as Three Card Poker, blackjack, roulette, or even Texas Holdem.

That being said, bear in mind that Caribbean Stud poker is so much fun, especially if you chose to play with a group of pals. And you can likely win a huge jackpot even as you risk some good money along the line.

How to play Caribbean stud – poker rules

The first thing you genuinely need to know before you take a seat to play Caribbean poker is poker hand rankings. This information comes in handy when you play online at any WeGamble recommended casino.

If you have ever taken your time to play a high poker variation like Omaha, Hold ’em, Stud, or even Five Card Draw, then you can get started with the Caribbean in no time. Hands rank from the lowest (a high card) to the highest (a royal flush). Suits do not make any difference.

Like other games, you also play this one against the house. You can have more individuals at the table playing simultaneously, but the major goal is to beat the dealer.

At the start of a hand, a punter needs to place the ante in the specified box. After that, the dealer can proceed to deal all players a total of five cards each, face down.

Players will also have to take five cards each for themselves, but one of each five cards is turned face up for all to see. After that, you can look at your cards and decide on what to do.

Before you move on to the part where you decide, you must know how private your cards are. No other player must get a glimpse of your cards. While a few casinos may not pay attention if it happens by mistake, revealing your cards repeatedly will get you in trouble.

Sharing your cards deliberately with other players is considered cheating in Caribbean poker games because you and other competitors can get the information they shouldn’t have.

So, once you look at your hand, there are two simple options that you can try:

Fold ( this means giving up your ante) or Play ( this means to place the bet that’s twice the ante).

Once every punter has made a decision, the dealer has to turn over the rest of their cards, and they’ll move on to pay the winners.

Caribbean stud poker payouts

Once the cards are placed on their backs, the dealer proceeds to compare his hand with that of each player at the gambling table.

If your hand is stronger than that of the dealer, you will always get 1 to 1 on your ante as payment. However, you will only be paid 1 to 1 on the ‘Play’ amount when the dealer “qualifies,” that is, if the dealer has a hand that is Ace-King or better.

You can also get paid over 1 to 1 on your ‘Play’ bet. If you get a hand that’s two pair or better, the following table reveals how the payouts will come:

• Two pair: pays you 2 to 1
• Three of a kind: pays you 3 to 1
• Straight: pays you 4 to 1
• Flushes: pay you 5 to 1
• Full boats: pay you 7 to 1
• Quads: pay you 20 to 1
• Straight flushes: pay you 50 to 1
• Royal flush: pays you 100 to 1

The bets above will only get a payout if two conditions are met; your hand beats the dealer’s hand, or the dealer has a qualifying hand

So, if you get Aces’ full when your cards are dealt, but the dealer reveals quads, for instance, you lose the hand with no payouts.

Unlike most other variations of casino poker, Caribbean Stud does not have standalone bets that are sure to pay regardless of the outcome, apart from the progressive jackpot.

Strategy for Caribbean stud poker

There isn’t too much to seek out in terms of strategy here. This is because, unlike some other card games, Caribbean Stud leaves you with only one decision to make when you see your cards.  You can either proceed with gameplay or give up immediately.

The only extra piece of information you can access is the dealer’s up-card.

While it would be a demanding task to develop and memorize super-precise figures for Caribbean Stud Poker, the good news is that you need to follow two basic tips:

• Always play with a hand that features any pair or better
• Always fold a hand weaker than Ace-King

This strategy will only leave you with one hand that needs to be touched, and that’s exactly Ace-King. This is a vital cutoff point in the poker game, and having a good strategy for it can somewhat decrease the house edge.

In a nutshell, these steps can be helpful if you follow them when you’re dealt Ace-King:

If the dealer is revealing any card between a 2 and a Q and you are holding one of the cards of similar rank in your hand, you have to raise.

When the dealer reveals an Ace or a King, only should only raise if you’re holding a Queen or a Jack in your hand.

If you are holding a Queen and you find out that the dealer’s up-card is less than your fourth highest card, you can raise (this means you have A Q K 9 2, and they’re revealing a 7).

As long as you decide to stick to this simple and straightforward strategy, you have nothing to lose that is higher than the house edge.