Caribbean Stud is a popular casino poker game where up to seven players and a dealer are dealt a five card poker hand. The object is to beat the dealer’s hand.
Play begins with all players placing an ante bet. Cards are then dealt, with the dealer exposing a single card from their hand face up on the table. Players then have the option of staying in the hand by doubling their ante with a raise bet, or they may fold their hand and forfeit their ante.
Once all players have acted on their hand, the dealer turns over their cards. If you have a better poker hand than the dealer, you win! A pair pays even money and the house pay table decides what odds other hands are paid at. Look for the casinos where a royal flush is paid 1000-1 for the best value. (some only pay 200-1!)
Most casinos will also offer the option of an additional jackpot bet. That’s why this game is sometimes called jackpot stud poker. Usually for $1 per hand, a player can take the jackpot bet and be eligible for jackpot payouts if they get a high hand. A royal flush will usually pay 100% of the jackpot, a straight flush pays 10% and other hands will pay a fixed amount.
Caribbean Stud Poker Basic Strategy
Perfect Caribbean Stud strategy is quite complicated and takes a lot of remembering. We suggest following these very simple guidelines for close to optimal play.
- Fold anything less than Ace-King
- Raise on any pair or higher
- Raise with Ace-King if you also have a Queen or Jack
