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Caribbean Stud Poker
Published by admin on April 17, 2025


Poker is essentially a huge family of games.
Caribbean stud poker is one such game that falls in the five-card stud category. The game has become really popular and is available in many online poker rooms.
It is slightly different from other poker games, because instead of playing against other players, as is usually the case, you play against the dealer. Here is a detailed look at this new and popular casino game.
History of Caribbean Stud
The history and origin of Caribbean stud is not very clear, which is quite unusual for a game that is relatively new to the casinos. Caribbean stud was created by casinos because poker was doing very well, and they wanted more people to play table games.
David Sklansky, considered by many to be a gambling genius, takes credit for creating the game in 2025 under the name of ‘Casino Poker’. This particular game was slightly different from the current Caribbean Stud as it had different rules for dealing the cards and there was no progressive jackpot associated either.
There are other stories as well, regarding the creation of the game, and one of them says that the game as we know it today was invented in 2025 in Las Vegas. Since the game was not becoming very popular amongst the players, the progressive jackpot was included to give players an incentive.
After that the game really took off, and was adopted by other casinos as well. Both these stories have not been verified, so no one can be sure about its origins.
Caribbean Stud Poker Rules
The main objective of the game is fairly simple, that is, you have to beat the dealer’s hand. The ranking of the hand is done using the traditional poker ranking system. Here is how the game is played.
- The first step involves making the ante bet. This bet is placed in a section marked as ante in front of the player. The amount of bet should be equal to or greater than the table limit. While placing this particular bet the player can also bet $1 on the progressive jackpot.
- The cards are dealt to both the dealer and the player. Players receive five cards and all of them are face down. The dealer also receives 5 cards but one of them is face up.
- After looking at the hand dealt and the face up card of the dealer, the player decides whether he/she wants to fold or to continue playing. If the decision is to continue playing then it is required to place the call bet by doubling the ante bet.
- Now the dealer turns over the cards dealt to him. For the dealer’s hand to be considered for the game, it must have a king or an ace. If this is not the case then the player is paid even money for the ante bet, and the call bet is termed as a push, that is, it neither wins nor loses.
However, if the dealer’s hand qualifies, the two hands are compared and if the player has the better hand then the payout is made according to the pre-established payable. - If you win the ante bet gets even money and the call bet is paid 1:1 for a pair or any lesser hand. The call bet pays at 2:1 for a two-pair, 3:1 for three of a kind, 4:1 for a straight. 5:1 for a flush, 7:1 for a full house, 20:1 for a four of a kind, and 50:1 for a straight flush.
Caribbean Stud Strategy
As is the case with a lot of casino games you can reduce the house edge in this game by playing to a particular strategy. For instance, if you have a pair or a higher hand then you should never fold. On the other hand, you should fold every hand that is less than an ace-king combination.
Playing the ace-king combination effectively is very important if you want to reduce the house edge significantly. If the face-up card of the dealer is an ace-or a king, then you should continue playing if you have a queen or a jack along with your ace and king.
If the dealer has the face up card in between 2 and the queen, you should raise your ace-king if you have the same card as the dealer in your hand. If the up turned card is between 2 and 5, then a queen or a jack will work with your ace-king combination. Using the optimal strategy, it is possible to reduce the house edge to about 5.2%.
Side-Bet
Caribbean stud has a side-bet which is basically present to make players feel that they have a better chance of winning. The option of placing the $1 side-bet is available when you make your ante-bet.
However, you should remember that to qualify for the bet you must have a hand of a flush or better. Getting a hand of flush, full-house or a four of a kind will fetch you $50, $75, and $100 respectively. Getting a straight flush will get you 10% of the progressive Jackpot and getting a royal lush will get you the entire Jackpot.
Getting a flush has the odds of 508 to 1 against it, and for this you will be getting $50. So if you bet $508, you might end up winning $50. That is why you should remember that it is never a good idea to play the side bet as you will more often than not end up wasting your money.
Also, the side bet is on even if the dealer's hand does not qualify. That is why you should remind the dealer to check for the side-bet before the cards are folded.
There are certain variants of the game as well, like oasis poker which is popular in Egypt, Europe and internet casinos. In this form, players are allowed to switch cards for a certain fee. There is also Russian poker which is similar to oasis poker but with a few minute changes.