Caribbean Stud Poker

Playing Caribbean Stud Poker pits your skill as a poker player, against the dealer, so instead of having a better hand than the other players at the table, the player must have a better hand than the dealer, much like the game of blackjack. The betting starts the game in Caribbean Stud Poker and this is the “Ante”, once this has taken place a 5 card hand is dealt. One of the dealer cards is delivered face up and they also receive five cards, with four face down. This is when the player has to decide if they should fold, and they base this judgment upon the one face up card of the dealer in comparison to their hand. Below we have listed the top online casinos offering Caribbean Stud Poker Online; sign up through the promotional links to ensure maximum super sign up bonus through the exclusive casino bonus codes we have included in the promotional links. Players signing up to play Caribbean Stud Poker online at any of the below listed internet casino sites will benefit from the exclusive offer we have negotiated exclusively for our readers. Click on any of the tabs above to read more about Caribbean Stud Poker History, Caribbean Stud Poker Probabilities, Caribbean Stud Poker Rules or Caribbean Stud Poker Strategy.

Rules

It is simple to fold when playing Caribbean Stud Poker online, because the player clicks on the “fold” button. If this is done the ante bet is lost, but if the player is sufficiently confident to continue they click on “challenge” and away the game goes. Once the challenge is called, the dealer reveals the remaining four face-down cards and results are compared. The dealers hand must have an ace and a king for them to qualify, but if it doesn’t contain these two vital elements the challenge is lost. The player is then paid 1 to 1 on their ante. In the case of a dealer qualifying, both hands are compared and this is the “challenge”, it is the “win or lose” moment. If the hands are equal this is called a “push” and it means the player gets their wager back. Like many games of poker, when playing Caribbean Stud, the type of hand produced determines the payout. Refer to the pay-tables of the game; but even common sense tells us that a Royal Flush will pay more than three of a kind.

History

Its all in a name and the same applies in the case of this game it was originally found in the Caribbean Islands, and played on traveling cruise ships. It was introduced to casinos in the US but as it is not a very advantageous game in terms of odds, a PJP (progressive jackpot prize) has been added. This offers players more excitement and an opportunity to win very large prize pots, therefore making it more attractive to players. It is popularly played in casinos both off and online today, and basically it just offers poker fans a wider range of choice when it comes to the game of poker. The main reason why people play this game however is because of the exotic appeal of its name and it is not as widely played as for example Texas Holdem. Historically speaking, the closest game in similarity to Caribbean Stud Poker, would probably be a 16th century game known as Primero in the UK or Primera in Spain. This game was played with three cards, and winning hands would consist of “three of a kind”, “pairs” or a “Flux’ which would be there cards of the same suit. “Flux” is where we derive today’s use of the word “Flush”! Games always evolve and so did Primera. By the 18th century betting had been incorporated as had bluffing. The concept of betting on a poor hand or bluffing soon became popular and spread throughout the world. Poker just so happens to be the only card game in which a player can win, without a winning hand. This was a very important innovation in this particular card game and was known in the British Isles as the “brag”. In Germany this is “pochen” which means to bluff, in France this was “Poque”, and we can already see the relationship to the name “poker”. 

Scholars of the gaming world believe that poker was taken to North America during the 18^th century with the French. Historically the French and British have been at war a good deal, and this was the case in North America also, so the British settled the north of the continent and the Frenchies went down South and to Canada.  French colonists in Louisiana played Poque and it became extremely popular. The process of enculturation took place and as more people enjoyed this game it traveled up-river on the Mississippi. It spread into the Wild West in the mid 1800’s as more settlers went where no white man has gone before. It has already been adapted to suit a 52 card deck and Poque or poker is mentioned in the journals of many explorers and settlers. In those day this was a game for men, and today poker is still regarded as a game for “thinking men” but of course women play it too and poker playing is becoming more and more popular amongst the fairer sex.  Poker has been associated with the Wild Wild West for many years, and a cowboy film isn’t the same if there is not at least one poker playing/gunfight scene where someone is caught out cheating. One of the worst things any man could and still can do when playing poker!  

From the US, poker found its way back to the Europe and the British Isles with Robert C. Schenck a US ambassador to England. He spoke about poker to the court of Queen Victoria and it was proposed they play. This was in the early 1870’s and he wrote a definitive book of rules thereafter.  The Golden Age of poker, as with most gambling games, is closely related to the change in gambling laws. Legal gambling became part of the landscape of Nevada, and still is, however it is interesting to note that during 1910 was prohibited to gamble in Nevada and was in fact a felony.  Because Stud and Caribbean poker are only related to the element of chance and playing involves no skill it was illegal to play, while Draw poker was allowed. But this law was repealed in 1931 and virtually all forms of gambling became legal, so once again Caribbean Stud Poker took its place in the hallowed halls of Las Vegas casinos, and became a popular fixture. 

Probabilities

All cards are a numbers games and Caribbean Stud Poker is no different. The “probabilities” refers to the probabilities of, winning, losing or drawing a good or bad hand, however you want to look at it. I think it takes the fun out of the game to know this, but many millions of poker players would disagree. Looking at the chances of being dealt a particular hand is actually mind boggling and when you look at these probabilities, you will probably think it best to just get down to a game and not worry too much about them.   o, the odds of  winning in Caribbean Stud Poker are as found below;

Now you see what the probabilities are, these are the payouts on these particular hands, and obviously the rarer the hand the higher the pay out. 

So as you can see the pay outs reflect the value of the hands in direct relationship to the probabilities of obtaining such a hand. You can also see how there is a very clear distinction between winning with a pair for example and winning in Royal Flush style! 

Strategy

Caribbean Stud Poker is considered to be a game of luck and not necessarily skill, but with every game of poker comes certain strategies. Practical tips can help anyone become a better player, but it is really a matter of knowing what the hands are, and how to constitute them with a winning outcome. This game is popular because of its simplicity and this may lead to the assumption that strategy is secondary, but, every game has a way to manipulate a winning outcome and this is what strategy is about. The house edge in Caribbean Stud poker is built-in at 5.26%. This means that every $100 wagered means the player will lose $5.26; however there are ways to decrease the house advantage and influence the players’ bankroll positively. There are a few common mistakes made by novices of the game and these include, but are not limited the strategy of folding on pairs with a face value of less than 5, where it is assumed that this is a weak hand and not worth the risk. It is important to consider that the dealer faces the same odds and probabilities as the player and over time pairs are in fact able to defeat the dealer. Fold and the ante is lost, challenge and at least the player has a chance of being paid 1 to 1, effectively doubling their money. It has been proven that 50.08% of the time, that a hand of low pairs beats the dealers hand in Caribbean Stud Poker. Check it out in the table of probabilities at the bottom of the page.

The decision to raise or fold is actually quite simple, and it must be based on whether or not they have a winning hand. Raising should be done in the hope that the dealers hand is a qualifying hand, but the player should fold if they have a crap hand, ie. a hand without an Ace and King or a pair. Always remember that if a pair is dealt the odds will be in the player’s favor to win. If the pair is not dealt and neither is the Ace King combination, fold and lose the ante.

Player Hand	Dealer’s Upcard
Any Pair	Any Card
A-K-Q-J-x	Any Card
A-K-Q-x-x	*Must match one of player’s cards
A-K-J-x-x	*Must match one of player’s cards
A-K-10-x-x	*Must match one of player’s cards

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