Online Caribbean Stud Poker Rules

Caribbean Stud Poker is the most popular casino adaptation of a simple stud poker game. When you get down to it, though, Caribbean Stud Poker is much closer to being a casino table game than being a poker game. The table looks like a standard blackjack table and the players aren’t even playing against each other. Instead, you go head to head against the dealer. Die hard poker players are quick to write this game off, but for casual players, this is a much simpler game than traditional poker. In fact, for unskilled poker players, the mid-range house edge is probably a good deal compared to the reality of playing poker against experienced players. Continue reading to learn the rules of the game.

Getting Started

The absolute first thing you have to do in Caribbean Stud Poker is make a bet. This first wager is called “the ante” and it must be made before you can even receive a hand. This wager can be any size within the table limits. You also make an optional $1 progressive side bet at this point. Once all of the players have placed their antes, as well as any side bets, the dealer will proceed by dealing the cards.

Every player at the table receives five face-down cards and the dealer receives four face-down cards as well as a one that is facing up. You can look at your cards but you may not show them to anybody else at the table. Based on the strength of your five cards, and the strength of the dealer’s face-up card, you have a decision to make: fold or raise. If you fold, you lose your ante (and side bet if applicable) but you get out of the hand without any further losses. If you raise, you must make an additional wager two times bigger than your ante.

Determining The Winners

Once everyone has decided to either fold or raise, the remaining players reveal their cards, as does the dealer. The dealer starts by examining his hand – it must at least have Ace high with a King kicker (AK) to qualify. If the dealer’s hand is worth less than this, then all players receive an even money payout on their ante, and their raises are returned to them. Otherwise, the dealer compares his qualified hand with each of the players’; normal poker hand rankings apply.

If you beat the dealer’s qualified hand, then your ante pays 1:1 while the payout on your raise wager is paid based on the game’s pay table. Stronger hands will receive larger payouts. If the dealer’s qualified hand beats yours, then you lose both the ante and the raise. A tie results in a push; you neither win nor lose anything on the ante nor the raise. Note that if you hand is a flush or higher, you qualify for a jackpot payout on your side bet. The pay table will show what this payout is worth based on the strength of your five-card hand.