The Complete Guide to Playing Caribbean Stud Poker Online
The Caribbean Stud Poker game you can play online is a variant of Five-Card Stud Poker. Instead of the classic betting structure, players must bet on whether their hand will beat a dealer’s up-card.
The dealer doesn’t have to hit or stay according to the rules of the traditional blackjack game. So, it makes for a more exciting and fast-paced poker experience as the player never knows what they’re going to get. The game is widely regarded as a simple, fast, and sometimes, largely rewarding, table game.
If you’re looking to start playing Caribbean Stud Poker online or at your favorite casino, this quick guide is a great place to start. You’ll learn how to play Stud Poker, the types of bets you can make, the advantages of online casino Stud Poker, and more.
How to Play Caribbean Stud Poker
Unlike other variations of poker, Caribbean Stud (sometimes known as casino stud) is played between the player and the dealer. At the end of the game, the player must have a better hand than the dealer to win.
The biggest differences between Caribbean Stud and other poker variations are these three things:
- No bluffing is involved.
- You play against the house, not other players.
- No card draws are made (in most common variations).
While these are the most important things to remember, here are some of the basic rules to get acquainted with before you can start playing Caribbean Stud Poker online.
The Basic Rules for Online Caribbean Stud Poker
The dealer uses a standard 52 card deck. Each player places an ante bet into the pot. A five-card hand is dealt to both the player and the dealer, with one card face up and four cards face down. The game has three rounds of betting: ante, bet, and raise—starting from left to right with each turn.
There are a total of nine bets in a Caribbean Stud Poker game: three bets per round times three rounds for a total of nine bets on your part.
The initial deal begins with a two-coin wager from each player, called the ante bet. Once the dealer flips over his hole card, there will be another bet called the come bet. Once the come bet is resolved, there will be another round of betting called the play bet.
The dealer exposes their hole card to begin a final round of betting for each player called the draw bet. A new set of four cards are then dealt, and a final round of bets occurs—this time, with different rules!
The seventh bet is a final bet from the player and a final raise from the dealer. The last two face-up cards determine whether anyone has won or lost. And if there was a winner, they collect all bets on the table except any bets that have been declared an “All In.” If nobody wins the hand, then all hands play against one another using Caribbean Stud Poker’s push-or-fold rule: If a player has a lower pair than the dealer, they fold; otherwise, they bet. Players who have folded can’t win any of the side bets.
Types of Caribbean Stud Poker Bets
There are only a few bets for Caribbean Stud Poker, but it’s important to know what’s what. There is the ante, come, and the bonus bet.
Ante Bet
This is the first bet that occurs during the course of a hand, and you’re required to make this bet to play the hand. The ante is often a fraction of the minimum bet and is meant as an incentive to play the game instead of folding every time. If you fold, the hand ends and you lose your ante bet.
Come Bet
This bet is exactly what it sounds like: a bet on whatever cards remain after the draw of another card or cards (depending on your hand). If your come bets are higher than those of all other players, then that’s considered a win for both of those hands. The come bet is often referred to as upping the ante or doubling the ante.
Bonus Bet
This bet for Caribbean Stud Poker is meant for those trying to win the progressive jackpot. This bonus bet, called a side bet, is a wager on the poker hand that is dealt during each round of play. If you don’t have a bonus bet placed, then you cannot win the progressive jackpot at all.
How to Win at Caribbean Stud Poker
Winning at Caribbean Stud is straightforward. Get a better hand than the dealer.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t bigger picture wins, like winning a progressive jackpot.
The Best Online Casino for Caribbean Stud Poker
When it comes to finding the right online casino to play real money Caribbean Stud Poker (or any table game for that matter) you have to consider a few things.
- Check to make sure the online casino you want to use is mobile-friendly. It gives you the option to play on the go, or from the comfort of your home.
- Do they offer fast payout? Some online casinos take up to two weeks to process your withdrawal, so know which payment methods to use for the fastest payout. (They’re usually e-wallets, like PayPal and Skrill, or cryptocurrency wallets).
- Are they licensed and are their games tested? Reputable real money casinos will prominently display their certifications so you know they’re legit!
That being said, we recommend Las Atlantis as your go-to real money online casino!
Las Atlantis Casino
Las Atlantis is relatively new, but they’ve already established themselves in the scene as one of the best there is. Las Atlantis offers new players up to $14,000 in deposit bonuses as well as numerous free spins for slot machines.
Not to mention their great customer support and easy deposit and withdrawal options!
Caribbean Stud Poker Strategy
The strategy behind this poker variant revolves around increasing your chances of getting four of a kind or better, but not necessarily hitting it on the draw (round of betting). Think of Caribbean Stud Poker strategy as a three-step process.
- Step 1: Play to your outs (decreasing the number of ways you can lose).
- Step 2: Play for value (playing hands that have a high chance of winning, either by getting four of a kind or better on the draw or not going bust if dealt a lower hand).
- Step 3: Bet for protection (betting enough so that you can get paid if you win without putting all your chips in when losing, thus, protecting your stack from being whittled down).
In addition to following these three steps, another key aspect of Caribbean Stud Poker strategy is knowing how much equity you have at any current point. Equity in poker can simply be calculated by multiplying how much money you have in the pot with your chances of winning a given hand.
For example, let’s say that you have $200 in the pot. Considering Caribbean Stud Poker odds, your chances of winning the current hand are 25%. Your equity would be $50.
There’s a whole science to understanding poker equity. But if you can leverage it to your advantage and pair it with basic strategy, you’re on the road to success.
- Raise with a pair or higher, every time
- Fold with less than a kind or ace high, every time
- Raise if the dealer has a card that is between a two or a queen and matches your own
- Raise if the dealer has a card that is either an ace or king and you have a queen or a jack
- Avoid the bonus bet
Generally speaking, there’s no reason to raise preflop in any number of games because it diminishes your chances of winning compared to checking.
Are There Different Strategies for Playing at an Online Casino?
Absolutely. Playing Caribbean Stud Poker online is very similar to live Caribbean Stud Poker, though you have the added benefits of playing from the comfort of your home whenever you please.
This means that you have the freedom to use different strategies than if you were playing in a casino; specifically, you can vary your bet sizes much more frequently without pushing other players out of pots.
At an online casino, you can raise by one big blind size instead of two or three small blinds if everyone else folds. You have access to all sorts of bets at any point in time, so always keep this in mind as you try out different strategies and learn which strategies work best for you.
Above all else, online gameplay gives you the freedom to test out new strategies, develop your own tactics and play styles without being restricted by table etiquette or other players.
Understanding Caribbean Stud Poker Payouts
Caribbean Stud Poker payouts can easily be explained with this table. It shows the payouts for each possible hand in the game, from highest to lowest profit.
| Your Hand | Description | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | Far and away, this is the hardest poker hand to pull off! It is a sequence of 10 J Q K A, but it all has to be in the same suit. | 100 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | This is a sequence of five cards that happens to be in the same suit. For example, A 2 3 4 5 in spades or 6 7 8 9 10 in hearts or 9 10 J Q K in diamonds. | 50 to 1 |
| Four of a Kind | This is simply four cards of the same kind. An example would be four kings or four 9s or four aces. | 20 to 1 |
| Full House | This is a five-card hand that is comprised of a pair plus a three of a kind. An example would be three Jacks and a pair of Deuces or three 5s and a pair of threes. | 7 to 1 |
| Flush | These are five cards that are all in the same suit regardless of their face value. | 5 to 1 |
| Straight | This is a five-card hand that makes a sequence. No matching suits needed. An example would be 9 10 J Q K or 4 5 6 7 8. | 4 to 1 |
| Three of a Kind | This is simply three cards of the same kind. An example would be three 5s or three 4s or three aces. | 3 to 1 |
| Two Pair | This is simply two cards of the same kind. This would be two kings or two 8s. | 2 to 1 |
| All Others | This is what it known as having high cards, but nothing to make up at least a pair. It goes in order lowest to highest, 2 to ace. | 1 to 1 |
The Bonus Bet Payouts
In our additional tips section, we advised against placing bonus bets. That’s simply our preference, and if you want to try your chance at the progressive jackpot, by all means!
But the bonus bet has a house edge of 25%, which is very high, even among other table games. And that’s why the progressive jackpot might be $200,00, because the house wins often.
However, if you decide to pay in your $1 bonus bets, here’s what you can expect to see in terms of winnings.
| Your Hand | Basic Payout | Payouts with $1 Bonus Bet |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 100 to 1 | 100% of the progressive jackpot |
| Straight Flush | 50 to 1 | 10% of the progressive jackpot |
| Four of a Kind | 20 to 1 | $500 |
| Full House | 7 to 1 | $100 |
| Flush | 5 to 1 | $50 |
Caribbean Stud Poker House Edge
The house edge for Caribbean Stud is 5.22%, which is a bit on the high side of things. American Roulette has a similar house edge.
However, just because the casino’s advantage is up there doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t play Caribbean Stud Poker! Here’s a breakdown of what to expect when it comes to the probability of winning hands.
| Event | Payout | Units Won | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning With a Royal Flush | 100 to 1 | 201 | 16,759,740 | 0.000001 | 0.000169 |
| Winning With a Straight Flush | 50 to 1 | 101 | 156,929,720 | 0.000008 | 0.000795 |
| Winning With Four of a Kind | 20 to 1 | 41 | 2,832,435,800 | 0.000142 | 0.005826 |
| Winning With a Full House | 7 to 1 | 15 | 16,624,475,280 | 0.000834 | 0.01251 |
| Winning With a Flush | 5 to 1 | 11 | 21,856,990,280 | 0.001097 | 0.012062 |
| Dealer Does Not Qualify | 1 | 4,532,514,033,720 | 0.227385 | 0.227385 | |
| Push | 0 | 321,623,100 | 0.000016 | 0 | |
| Fold | -1 | 9,523,005,974,460 | 0.477745 | -0.477745 | |
| Dealer Wins | -3 | 27,226,592,727,512 | 0.136786 | -0.410359 | |
| Totals | 19,933,230,517,200 | 1 | -0.52243 |
Online Stud Poker vs. In-Person Stud Poker
As we mentioned earlier, playing Caribbean Stud online presents you with the opportunity to experiment with different play styles and strategies, but that’s not the only difference between online and in-person gameplay.
- You can practice alone.
- You don’t have to worry about etiquette or breaking the ice, since you’ll be working by yourself.
- There’s no need to spend money on gas, transportation, or lodging for a local casino.
- There’s no need to wait for other players to complete hands (a process that can take hours).
- Some people claim that playing real money casino games online isn’t as appealing because it lacks the social interaction they’re looking for.
While this might be true for some people, many online casinos offer live dealer poker, blackjack, roulette, and even craps. So, if you’re looking for more of an immersive feel, live dealer online games are for you.
A Brief History of Caribbean Stud Poker
Caribbean Stud was supposedly invented in 1982 by pro poker player David Sklansky. He called the game Casino Poker, and the idea came from poker games he used to play that involved an element of Five-Card Stud but with one important difference. What made it unique was that players could wager on each round of cards dealt against a dealer’s hand.
Sklansky had trouble patenting the game, but other players eventually stepped in to popularize the game. It was given a new name, Caribbean Stud Poker, and it gained steam among casino-goers and poker enthusiasts alike.
By the early 2000s, Caribbean Stud was fairly well established as a table game throughout major casinos in Atlantic City. In 2003, Ultimate Gaming introduced it as an online casino product through its partnership with Bodog.com—one of the first online gambling sites that allowed players from all over the world to access real money games at any hour.
With a proven track record and a quickly growing customer base, interest began to grow among competitors. Many of them launched their own versions of Caribbean Stud online within months or even weeks of each other. By 2004, there were five different online poker rooms that offered the game.
Today, it has become a widely popular game among many different online casinos and players from around the world.
Caribbean Stud Poker FAQ
How Many Cards Are Used in Caribbean Stud Poker?
The game is played using a standard 52-card deck without jokers.
What Is the Minimum Bet for Caribbean Stud Poker?
The minimum bet will vary based on where you’re playing. But the minimum bet will usually appear in increments of $5, so you can find tables for as low as $5, or tables for $10 or $15.
How Is Caribbean Stud Poker Different From Regular Stud Poker?
Stud Poker is more of an umbrella term for all the variants. Stud Poker means that the players have a combination of face-down and face-up cards with multiple betting rounds. There are plenty of variations of stud poker, including Mexican Stud, High-Low Stud, Six-Card Stud, and, of course, Caribbean Stud.
How Do I Get Better at Caribbean Stud Poker?
Well, bookmark this page for starters. Then, go play free Caribbean Stud Poker online for practice. Once you feel comfortable, play for real money in small increments. Follow the basic strategy and be patient. It’s a game of skill, but luck is involved quite a bit, too!
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