Caribbean Stud Poker is a fun alternative
game of poker, designed for those who just
can’t get their heads around regular Texas
Hold ‘Em. Caribbean Stud has the same basics
as regular poker, but it removes both the
community cards and the element of bluffing.
Caribbean stud is also played 1 on 1 between
the player and the dealer, meaning it has
a setup that will be very familiar to Blackjack
players.
You can find the guide to poker hand rankings
we made for our Texas Hold ‘Em guides here,
if you need to catch up. The version of Caribbean
Stud we’d recommend is made by NetEnt and
can be found at Reel Island Casino. We’ve
put a link down below for both the casino
and our review if you want to take a look.
But for now, let’s get stuck into the basics
of Caribbean Stud.
In Online Caribbean Stud the player and the
dealer each receive 5 cards. The player’s
5 card hand will be dealt face up against
the dealer’s hand with one card revealed.
Before the cards are dealt the player bets
an ante. The player chooses the value of their
bet to start a round. The ante acts a bit
like the small blind in poker. It’s the
amount that any following bets are based on.
Unlike Hold ‘Em there isn’t a set amount
for the blind.
After the ante is placed, the cards are dealt.
The player will then see their hand as well
as one of the dealer’s cards. Players then
have a choice of whether they want to fold
their hand, and lose the ante, or continue
the game by placing a call bet. The call is
always double the ante, meaning that by playing
on you end up wagering 3 times your original
bet in total.
The aim of the game is simply to have a better
hand than the dealer. The hands are ranked
on the same basis as regular poker, with a
high card being the lowest ranked hand and
a Royal Flush being the highest.
Caribbean stud only lasts for one betting
round and then everything comes to a head.
Once the call bet is made, all cards are revealed
and the hands are compared. In Caribbean Stud
the ante and call bets are actually counted
as separate pots. Depending on the outcome,
you cannot necessarily win on both.
In this poker variant the dealer’s hand
has to qualify to go head to head with the
player. To qualify they must have at least
an Ace/King high card hand, if not, the dealer
folds his hand.
Overall there are 4 outcomes when the dealer’s
cards are revealed:
If the dealer doesn’t qualify, the player
wins the amount of their ante. The call bet
is returned to the player.
If the dealer’s hand qualifies and outranks
the player’s, then both the ante and call
bets are lost.
If the dealer qualifies and the player has
the stronger hand, then the player wins back
even money on their ante bet and a multiplier
of their call bet. The multiplier depends
on the hand rank they won with. It ranges
anywhere from 1 to 1 with a pair, to 200 to
1 on a royal flush. We’ve put a link to
the full paytable in the description below.
If the dealer and player have hands of the
exact same value, then everything is pushed
and the player receives their ante and call
bets back.
Afterwards the cards are reshuffled and the
game starts over.
The player’s main advantage to use against
the dealer is seeing 1 of the dealer’s cards
before deciding whether to call. Always check
if the dealer’s card is an Ace or a King.
If they have either of these, then they’re
halfway to qualifying. This doesn’t mean
you shouldn’t play on, but it’s useful
information to know how close the dealer is
to qualifying, especially if you have a weaker
hand.
We find it’s usually a good idea to raise
on any hand with a pair, and fold anything
lower. Calling on a high card is essentially
betting that the dealer will not qualify.
You are risking twice your ante on the call,
with a win only paying the amount of the ante.
If you find yourself with an Ace/King hand
then the call may be worth it if you have
high value kickers. Since, if the dealer qualifies
with Ace/King and has lower kickers, then
a win WILL pay the same as winning with a
pair, but you are taking more of a risk.
We hope you found this guide to Caribbean
Stud Poker helpful. For more help with your
poker game, take a look at our guide to Texas
Hold ‘Em poker. Remember to check out the
links below to our main site for the Caribbean
Stud payouts and loads of other up to date
casino guides and news.
Until next time, thanks for watching!
