A fun poker variant first introduced in casinos in the 1980s, Caribbean Stud Poker is another easy-to-learn game that can provide lots of entertainment at relatively little cost. And with just a little bit of poker know-how and basic strategy, players can increase their chances of walking away as winners.
Game Play
Unlike regular poker games, players play Caribbean Stud Poker against a dealer, like blackjack. Play begins with players placing an ante bet to show they wish to be dealt into the hand. The amount of the ante bet should be clearly indicated at the table, so be sure to make note of that before sitting down. Players also have the option to make an additional side bet called the "progressive jackpot" (more on that below).
The bets having been made, the dealer then delivers five cards each to every player and to himself. Cards are all dealt face down, then the dealer turns over just one of his five cards -- again, kind of like in blackjack. Thus do players get a bit more information about the dealer's hand when evaluating their own.
Players are allowed to look at their hands, then must place the cards face down once again. Hand values are the same as in other poker games. Having seen their hands, players then have just two choices: play or fold. There is no discarding or redrawing in Caribbean Stud Poker.
If you fold, that means you're forfeiting your ante bet. If you want to play, you have to put out a second bet worth twice the ante. For example, if the ante was £5, to play you have to put out an additional bet of £10. This second bet is sometimes referred to as a "call bet" or a "raise."
At that point, the dealer turns over his other four cards. The dealer must have at least an ace-king-high hand to qualify (A-K-x-x-x). If he has worse, players still in the hand receive even money (1-to-1) for their original ante bet and the additional bet is considered a "push" (that is, they get that bet back). So if the ante was £5, players would win an additional £5, and they'd also get their £10 bet back, too.
Note that you have to decide about your hand before finding out if the dealer has a qualifying hand. So it could happen that you fold a hand, then discover the dealer has less than A-K-x-x-x and you would've won a little had you played.
If the dealer does have a qualifying hand, players show their hands to see if theirs rank higher than the dealer's. If your hand is worse than the dealer's, you lose both your ante bet and your call bet.
However, if your hand beats his, you win even money (1-to-1) for your ante bet plus an additional amount for your call bet depending on the value of your hand. Payouts vary according to the casino, but they often run as follows:
One pair or less: 1-to-1
Two pair: 2-to-1
Three of a kind: 3-to-1
Straight: 4-to-1
Flush: 5-to-1
Full House: 7-to-1
Four of a kind: 20-to-1
Straight flush: 50-to-1
Royal flush: 100-to-1
For example, let's say you're at a £5 ante table where you're dealt J-8-6-6-6 (three of a kind) and the dealer only has J-J-8-7-2 (one pair). You win £5 for your £5 ante bet (1-to-1), plus another £30 for your £10 call bet (3-to-1), making a total profit of £35 on the hand.
Progressive Jackpot
Before the cards are dealt, players have the option to make an additional side bet -- the "progressive jackpot" -- that wins them an extra amount should they be dealt a flush or better. (This side bet is usually for $1 or £1.)
This is a separate wager simply on the value of the hand you're dealt. In other words, whether you beat the dealer's hand or not is of no consequence, nor does it matter whether the dealer has a qualifying hand.
The payouts for the progressive jackpot vary depending on the casino, too. Here at Betfair (where your side bet is for £1), payouts are as follows: 50x the side bet for a flush; 100x for a full house; 500x for four of a kind; 10% of the total collected jackpot for a straight flush; and 100% of the total jackpot for a royal flush.
That should get you started. An additional understanding of hand probabilities and basic strategy can increase your chances of winning at Caribbean Stud Poker, but at least now you know what to expect when first sitting down to play.