Caribbean stud poker

Caribbean stud poker is a variation of the five-card stud poker game. What makes it different from many other types of poker is that it’s played against the house rather than other players, so it’s an ideal card game for casinos. That’s why you’ll find Caribbean stud available in many online casinos, either as an RNG (the outcome is determined by an algorithm called Random Number Generator) or a live dealer game, in which case it is streamed live to your device.

In the following guide, we’ll discuss how to play Caribbean stud and where to find the popular games online. Read on.

Caribbean Stud Poker at Online Casinos

Take a look at the best casinos offering Caribbean stud poker. The list was crafted by our online casino experts, who hand-picked the platforms offering the popular type of poker.

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A Little Bit of History About the Game

Caribbean stud is a relatively new form of poker, and it was created mainly for the sake of adopting the player-vs-player type of poker for casino play. It remains unclear who and where the game was created, which is a bit strange, as the game was created in the second half of the 20th century.

David Sklansky, a professional poker player, has claimed that he was the inventor of Caribbean stud poker, although his version was slightly different from the current form of the game. Moreover, his version didn’t focus on a progressive jackpot, which is now pretty common for Caribbean stud. He wasn’t able to patent the game but claimed he was approached by another player who had introduced the game to The King International Casino in Aruba, where it was further modified and marketed as Caribbean stud.

What Is the Objective of the Game?

The objective of Caribbean stud is to create a better hand than the dealer and receive the payment for that. Below is a quick overview of how a single round of the game is supposed to play out.

  1. Place a wager before the dealer announces “no more bets.” You have an option to place a $1 side bet to take part in the progressive jackpot.
  2. Each player, including the dealer, get five cards face-down. However, one dealer’s card is exposed. The players then get to examine their five cards and the dealer’s up card to decide what to do next.
  3. Decide whether to fold or raise. If you fold, you forfeit a bet, but if you decide to continue, you must raise your bet twice the ante.
  4. If you decide to continue, the dealer must turn the remaining four cards face-up.
  5. The dealer needs to have an ace and a king or higher cards in his five-card hand to qualify. If they don’t qualify, the player wins and gets paid 1:1 on their ante bet.
  6. If the dealer qualifies and beats the player, the player loses their ante bet + the raised amount.
  7. If the dealer qualifies and loses the bet, the player gets paid according to the paytable determined for each hand.
  8. The tie will result in a push.

The player can get a piece of the progressive jackpot based only on their hand. Different Caribbean stud games have different paytables for this type of prize.

The Poker Hand Rankings for Caribbean Stud

The poker card rankings aren’t different from other popular forms of poker. Here’s an overview.

  • High card – The hand with a higher card wins
  • One pair – A pair of cards, such as a pair of jacks
  • Two pair – Two pairs of cards, such as JJ and QQ
  • Three of a kind – Three cards of the same value, such as three jacks
  • Straight – Five cards in a sequence, such as 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10
  • High card – The hand with a higher card wins
  • One pair – A pair of cards, such as a pair of jacks
  • Two pair – Two pairs of cards, such as JJ and QQ
  • Three of a kind – Three cards of the same value, such as three jacks
  • Straight – Five cards in a sequence, such as 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10
  • Flush – All five cards in one suit, such as 2, 4, 7, J, Q, and A of hearts
  • Full house – Three of a kind + a pair
  • Four of a kind – Four cards of the same value, such as four aces
  • Straight flush – All five cards in a sequence + the same suit, such as 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 of hearts
  • Royal flush – Top cards in a sequence + the same suit, such as 10, J, Q, K, and A of clubs
  • Flush – All five cards in one suit, such as 2, 4, 7, J, Q, and A of hearts
  • Full house – Three of a kind + a pair
  • Four of a kind – Four cards of the same value, such as four aces
  • Straight flush – All five cards in a sequence + the same suit, such as 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 of hearts
  • Royal flush – Top cards in a sequence + the same suit, such as 10, J, Q, K, and A of clubs

The Best Strategy for Caribbean Stud

Strategies in Caribbean stud can be divided into simple and complex. Here are the two simple ones.

1. Don’t fold small pairs — You’ll find that even if you have a low pair, there’s a fair chance to make a small profit.

2. Don’t play weak hands — A weak hand doesn’t feature an ace or a king as a high card or any other poker combination.

Just like every type of poker, Caribbean stud comes with an optimal playing strategy which is considered a bit more complex. Poker gurus determined when’s the best time to raise and when to fold depending on your cards and the dealer’s up card. Therefore, if you really want to excel in Caribbean Stud, you need to carefully analyze the strategy chart and learn what’s the best action.

Please remember that Caribbean stud is still a game of chance, so even if you use the optimal strategy, you’ll need a bit of luck to make a profit.

Tips for the Game

Caribbean Stud Payouts

Here’s a quick overview of the payout structure in case you decide to raise, win against the dealer, and complete the round.

HandPayout
High card or one pair1 to 1
Two pair2 to 1
Three of a kind3 to 1
Straight4 to 1
Flush 5 to 1
Full house7 to 1
Four of a kind20 to 1
Straight flush50 to 1
Royal flush100 to 1

How to Gain an Edge in the Game?

The house edge on Caribbean stud varies, but it can get as low as 5% if you use the right approach and strategy. Of course, this means Caribbean stud isn’t the best choice if you aim to play the games with the lowest house edge.

There isn’t really a method to gain an edge, especially not in online casinos. In land-based casinos, players use edge-sorting, hole carding, and collusion. However, all of these options are considered cheating.

FAQ

📝 Is Caribbean stud available online in Canada?
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📝 Are there live dealer Caribbean stud games?
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📝 Is Caribbean stud rigged?
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📝 Is Caribbean stud difficult to learn?
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📝 What is the highest-paying hand in Caribbean stud?
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📝 Is Caribbean stud available on mobile?
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