Caribbean
Stud
Poker
is
a
lot
of
fun
to
play,
but
just
a
word
of
warning...it
is
not
a
great
returner,
with
a
house
edge
of
over
5%
even
if
played
optimally.
So
don't
look
to
raid
the
casino's
coffers
playing
this
game.
The
rules
of
the
game
are
pretty
simple...
Play
begins
with
players
placing
a
starting
wager,
called
the
'ante'
Each
player
is
dealt
a
5
card,
face
up
hand.
The
dealer
also
receives
5
cards,
although
1
is
face
up,
the
other
4
are
face
down.
Players
must
then
decide
whether
to
stay
of
fold.
If
they
fold,
they
forfeit
their
ante.
If
they
stay,
they
must
add
a
further
bet
equal
to
2x
the
ante
('the
raise').
Once
players
have
made
their
choices,
the
dealer
reveals
their
cards.
Now,
for
the
game
to
continue,
the
dealer
must
qualify
(have
a
minimum
Ace
and
King
poker
hand).
If
the
dealer
doesn't
qualify,
players
still
in
the
game
win
even
money
on
their
ante
and
the
raise
is
pushed
(ie
returned
to
the
player
-
no
win
no
lose)
If
the
dealer
does
qualify,
then
the
player's
and
dealer's
hands
are
compared
and
the
highest
wins
(applying
normal
poker
rankings).
-
If
dealer's
hand
wins,
the
player
loses
both
the
ante
and
raise
-
If
the
player's
hand
wins,
the
player
wins
even
money
on
the
ante,
and
gets
odds
on
the
additional
wager
according
to
the
following
payoff
table:
Payout Table
Hand
Description
Payoff
Royal
flush
A,
K, Q, J, and 10, all in the same suit
100
to 1
Straight
flush
Five
cards in sequential order & of the same suit
50
to 1
Four
of a kind
Four
cards with the same value
20
to 1
Full
house
3
cards of the same value, along with a pair
7
to 1
Flush
Five
cards of the same suit
5
to 1
Straight
Five
consecutive cards
4
to 1
Three
of a kind
Three
cards of the same value
3
to 1
Two
pair
Two
pairs in the same hand
2
to 1
Pair
Two
cards with the same value
1
to 1
Ace/King
An
ace or king in your hand
1
to 1
Game Strategy
As
we
noted
on
our
Caribbean
Poker
rules
page,
this
is
not
a
great
returning
game,
with
a
house
edge
of
just
over
5%
even
if
played
optimally.
So
if
you
are
looking
to
win
big
online,
or
at
your
local
casino,
this
perhaps
isn't
your
best
game
choice.
But
still,
it
is
lots
of
fun,
and
to
play
it
optimally
is
really
easy.
Optimal
strategy
for
Caribbean
Stud
is
pretty
simple,
and
its
this:
Raise
on A-K-J-8-3 or better (the
"beacon
hand")
Fold
otherwise.
While this won't make you a
long-term winner, it will help slow your losses. It's the paying
hands, a pair or better, that will net you the good wins.
Trouble is that the dealer must qualify (A-K) in order for you
to get the real payoffs and this only 54% of the time.
This means that 46% of the time you'll only get paid for your
Ante bet at 1-1 no matter how good your cards are.
Good
luck!
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