How to Play Caribbean Stud Poker

A chance because in order to hit the progressive jackpot you must have a royal flush in your hand. Caribbean Stud Poker is that game you see in the casinos where you happen to be walking around and see flashing numbers on a card table in your peripheral vision just to grab your attention. As you turn your head the sign reads $100,000 + that is only increasing in number hence the name "progressive jackpot". As you stand behind the players at the table you realize there is a seat open for play. A few more hands go by and you decide to sit down and try your luck, but there is a major problem standing in your way. You don't know how to play.

In Caribbean Stud Poker the first thing you will want to do is make sure you have plenty of $5 chips and at least five $1 chips. Why? The reason for this is because a normal ante for Caribbean Stud Poker is $10-$15 and in order to continuously play the progressive jackpot it's $1 each time. Next, all players at the table will be asked to place their ante in the area that says ANTE and then place your $1 chip in the slot for the progressive jackpot. When all players have done so the dealer will then disperse five cards at once to each player. The dealer is the last to receive five cards and must turn over one card for the us to see.

Now it's time to look at your cards and decide if you want to continue playing. Your decision will depend mostly on two things. One, how good are the cards in your hand (see royal flush link above for hand sequences). Two, what is the card that the dealer turned face up. Why? Because the dealer must have at least an ace and king in their hand to be able to beat your hand. So if you decide you would like to continue playing you must play double the amount of your ante. If you are playing the minimum ante of $10 then you would place $20 behind it in the BET area. Once this is done the only thing left to do is find out whether you won or lost.

The dealer will flip the house cards over and show the highest hand within their 5 cards. Then one by one, each player's cards will be turned over as the dealer checks to see if the house hand has been beaten. A simple process for many, but for others it may be a little sketchy still. If you fall into the latter take a deck of cards out and role-play a hand or two until it makes sense. For your own benefit DO NOT continue reading until you understand the instructions above or you may become more confused.

It is important to understand the odds of every game you play in a casino and Caribbean stud is no different. There is two different odds set; one for your ANTE/BET winnings and the other for the progressive jackpot winnings. If your dealer's hand does not qualify (meaning an A/K or better was not in their hand) and you played you will only receive money for your ANTE and not your BET (which is returned to you). If the dealer qualifies then the odds for your hand will be as follows:

One Pair: Even Money
Two Pair: 2-1
3 of a Kind: 3-1
Straight: 4-1
Flush: 5-1
Full House: 7-1
4 of a Kind: 20-1
Straight Flush: 50-1
Royal Flush: 100-1

**all odds are up to maximum table payouts**

If you placed your $1 in the slot for the chance at the progressive jackpot you have some bonus payout odds:

Flush: $50
Full House: $75
4 of a Kind: $100
Straight Flush: 10% of Jackpot
Royal Flush: 100% of Jackpot

Tips: Whenever you can get an advantage against the casino other than cheating, take it! Below you will find a few tips that will give you better odds when you venture out to the Caribbean Stud tables. This comes from 19 years of gambling experience.

#1 Always remember the dealer must have Ace/King in hand to quality in beating your hand.

#2 If you have at least a pair or better you will want to stay in the hand, double your ante, and place in the bet area.

#3 With Ace/King in your hand most will play especially if the dealer's turn up card is low. However it is still not as strong as a pair.

Warnings before playing: Speaking with several inside sources to several casinos over the last decade Caribbean Stud is considered to have some of the worst odds and payouts for table games. Some considered Caribbean Stud the worst odds in the entire casino. In addition:

#1 This game requires no skill

#2 It is not wise to play a hand if you don't have at least Ace/King because if the dealer doesn't have at least Ace/King you only win your ante amount and not the bet (risking at least $20 to win $10).

#3 If the dealer qualified and you didn't already have at least Ace/King you have already lost which turns out to be a loss of at least $30. Odds are playing like this will result in losing more money than winning.

****This article is in no way written to entice anyone to gamble with their money. It is only written as an informative piece for those interested in learning how to play the game. Please gamble responsibly****