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:
Hand value table
Hand Value |
Payout |
Flush |
$75 |
Full House |
$100 |
4 of a Kind |
$500 |
Straight Flush |
10% of the jackpot |
Royal Flush |
100% of the jackpot |