How to Play Caribbean Stud Poker: Rules and Strategies

Caribbean Stud Poker is a casino table game where players must try to make the best five-card poker hand to beat the dealer's hand. Unlike five card stud poker, Caribbean Stud is played against the house rather than other players. This means that this game is not profitable in the long run, as there is a built-in house edge that favours the dealer.

Before the round begins, each player places an ante bet in the space provided, signalling that they want to play the hand. Five cards are dealt face down to each player who has made a wager; once each player has received their cards, the dealer deals themselves four cards face down, and one face up.

One at a time, players must look at their hands privately and determine whether or not they will continue in the hand. If they decide to continue, they must place a bet worth 2x their ante bet; for example, a $5 bet would require an additional $10 bet to continue. If the player folds, they lose their ante bet, and are out of the game until the next round begins.

Once each player has made their decision, the dealer opens their hand to see if they qualify. The dealer must have Ace King high or higher to qualify. If the dealer does not qualify, only the ante bet is paid out. If the dealer qualifies, the player and dealer compare hands to see who wins; if the dealer wins, the player loses all of their bets, but if the dealer wins, the player receives a payout based on their hand strength.

Progressive Jackpot Side Bets

Some casinos offer the option to place a bet on progressive jackpots, which can be triggered by making strong hands. These jackpots can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on the casino. Players can only play the progressive jackpot before the start of each round, so remember to get your jackpot bets in if you want a chance of winning the top prize.

Below, we've listed an example of an average jackpot payout table for Caribbean Poker:

The game of Caribbean Stud Poker is played using the traditional hand rankings chart. To win at Caribbean Stud, it's important to know what hands beat what, so take a look at the table below before you start playing.

In the Caribbean stud, you only need to make one decision. Looking at your cards, you must decide whether you want to continue and triple your wager, or give up right away and surrender your bet. You have to make this decision based on the strength of your hand and the dealer's up-card. Luckily, developing and implementing a super-precise strategy isn't required, as there are only two simple things you need to know:

• If you hold a pair or better, always play your hand
• If your hand is weaker than Ace-King, fold it

Based on these rules, the only hand worth discussing is Ace-King high. A good strategy here can decrease the house edge somewhat, as it’s a crucial cutoff point. When you're dealt Ace-King, you should follow these simple tips:

• You should raise if the dealer shows any card from 2 to Q and you hold a card of the same rank.
• Only raise when you also have a Queen or Jack in your hand when the dealer shows an Ace or a King.
• When you hold a Queen, and the dealer has a lower card than your fourth highest card, raise.

While there's no such thing as a winning Caribbean Stud Poker strategy, implementing these rules will ensure that your losses do not exceed the house edge of 5.2%. Unlike other forms of poker, Caribbean Stud Poker games are played against the house, so don't expect to walk away a winner in the long term.

If you find poker games such as Caribbean Stud interesting, you'll be pleased to hear that there are plenty of other casino games with rules derived from this one. Aside from Stud, Caribbean Draw is the most popular game played at online casinos and around the kitchen tables of poker fans around the world.

Caribbean Draw Poker

Caribbean Draw is almost identical to Caribbean Stud, with one key difference; both the player and the dealer can discard cards and draw new ones to improve their hand. In this way, Caribbean Draw is similar to video poker, in that players can change cards to alter their hand strength. Caribbean Draw also offers a progressive jackpot feature, offering large payouts to players who make the strongest possible hands.

As players are able to improve their hand after the initial five cards have been dealt, the payout table is different from Caribbean Stud. Strong hands such as two pair, three-of-a-kind, and straights have lower payouts in Draw compared to Stud, meaning players have to rely on making exceptionally strong hands to receive a bigger payday.

Caribbean Stud is a popular casino game that's loosely based on 5-card stud but is more similar in practice to casino games such as blackjack, so no need to work on your poker skills. Players have the potential for significant payouts if they make a strong hand, as well as the option of progressive jackpot bets that can further increase their winnings. Caribbean Stud strategy is easy to learn, and the knowledge you need to play the game perfectly could easily fit on a small piece of paper.

If you want to learn how to play Caribbean Stud without risking your money, you can play free games using one of the many demo options available at the best casinos in Canada. And when you're ready to play for real, you can choose a casino from our best online casino Canada reviews to ensure a safe and enjoyable gaming experience.