Intro to Caribbean Stud Poker
Caribbean Stud is a form of poker that's played against the house instead of against other players. The rules for how each hand are fairly rigid so there's no bluffing or fancy playing in Caribbean Stud. Instead, your strategy is based on choosing which hands to forfeit and which hands to keep.
The play of the game is pretty easy to follow because the rules are straightforward and the dealer controls the play of the game. It helps to know the basics but if you ever get stuck, the dealer will help you out.
Caribbean Stud Rules
- Each hand starts out with every player placing an ante bet on the spot marked "ante" on the table.
- The players and dealer are each dealt five cards face down. After all the cards have been dealt, the dealer reveals one of his cards.
- At this point you may look at your cards and compare them to the dealer's up card. After looking at the cards, you now decide if you want to stay in the game or forfeit the hand.
- If you forfeit the hand, you'll lose your ante and sit out the rest of the hand. If you like what you see, you may stay in by placing a raise on the table in front of you. The raise is equal to two times the size of the ante.
- After all the players have either forfeited or placed their raises, the dealer turns over his remaining cards.
- The dealer must have at a hand at least as strong as Ace/King for his hand to qualify. If the dealer's hand doesn't qualify, your antes are paid 1 to 1 and your bets are a push.
- If the dealer's hand does qualify and you have a stronger hand than the dealer, you will win your ante and be paid back according to the pay schedule posted at the table.
- If the dealer's hand qualifies and your hand is weaker, you will lose your ante and bet.
- If the dealer's hand ties with your hand, the ante and bet is a push, which means you get your money back and move on to the next hand.
Caribbean Stud Payout Schedule
If the dealer's hand qualifies and you beat the dealer, you'll be paid out according to the following pay table:
Optional Side Bet
Most Caribbean Stud poker games have an optional $1 side bet you can activate by placing a chip into the chip acceptor at the table. When your bet has been correctly accepted, a light will turn on and you are considered eligible for the progressive jackpot.
The progressive jackpot pays you for getting certain hands, regardless of whether you win or lose with them. A certain percentage of every dollar paid into the optional side bet is applied to the progressive jackpot so it grows larger with time.
These payouts may differ across various casinos but this is a common payout table in the United States. As a very general rule, the progressive jackpot needs to be about $250,000 or higher for this bet to be worth making. This isn't an exact amount but it's pretty close and it's easy to remember.
Caribbean Stud Strategy
Caribbean Stud is designed to give the casino an inherent edge but if you play the correct strategy, you can lower the house edge dramatically and give yourself the greatest chance to walk away a winner.
The exact strategy for minimizing the house edge in Caribbean Stud poker can reduce the house edge to 5.224% but it's so complicated that it's not even worth using at the casino. Instead, you can use this strategy to reduce the house edge to a comparable amount:
- Raise with any hand that contains A-K-J-8-3 or better.
- Raise with any pair or better.
- Fold everything else.
- Only play the progressive jackpot if it is $250,000 or higher.
This simple strategy will have you fold the majority of your hands but you'll be much more likely to walk away a winner. It's not perfect but it's pretty darned close to the optimal strategy and way less complicated.
For more advanced strategy head over to our Caribbean Stud Poker Strategy article. If you are ready to play, make sure to place at one of our top rated Caribbean Stud Sites. Sites vary in quality and dependability, so it's important to pick a casino that you will be happy with.