
If you've ever dabbled in other higher variations of poker like Omaha, Five Card Draw, Stud, or Hold 'em, you should have a wide enough frame of reference to start with. The basics of the game are that hands are ranked from high cards, which are the lower end of the scale, to a royal flush, the highest. Suits have no relevance in Caribbean stud poker.
As we mentioned previously, Caribbean stud poker is a poker variation played against the house. This means your only goal is to beat the dealer. More than one person can play simultaneously at a table, but anyone else participating has the same single goal as you; beat the dealer. Think of the other players as teammates and cheer each other on, something you can’t do when you play against other players.
To start a hand, you place the ante in a designated container. Thereafter the dealer will distribute five cards to each player, always face down. The dealer also takes five cards for themselves, but one of their cards will be placed face up for all to see. Once they've done that, everyone has an opportunity to look at their own cards and make decisions.
At this point, it's worth mentioning that you shouldn't show your cards to anyone else. This is technically cheating because you give other players more information than they need to play a fair game.
You have two simple options when you examine your hand. You can either fold and give up your ante or play and place a double-the-ante bet. When everyone has made their decisions, the dealer will turn over the rest of their cards and issue payments to the winners.