Caribbean Stud Strategy

Related Pages:

Caribbean Stud Poker is a five card poker game that has become quite popular over the last ten years due mainly in part to the large jackpot available. The object of the game is to make a five card hand that is better than the dealers. At the beginning of each hand all players put up an ante bet and the optional jackpot bet and then will be dealt five face down cards while the dealer will get five cards and turn one face up. At this point each player can either fold (giving up their ante) or raise, where they must place a new bet double the size of their initial ante. If the player beats the dealers hand they win even money on both their ante and their raise. Note however that the dealer must qualify or only the ante is paid. A qualifying hand for dealer’s at most online casinos is at least an ace and a king in the hand.

Strategy for Caribbean Stud poker is much like Pai Gow Poker in that it will take lots of time and practice to truly develop an optimal strategy that minimizes the house advantage the most. For starters there are two rules that should always be followed to maximize winnings. The first is that if you are dealt at least a pair, you should always raise your ante. The second is that you should always fold if you cannot beat a hand containing and ace and a king, which is usually the dealers qualifying hand. These two rules alone will give you a sound beginning strategy. They will help you make the most of your potentially winning hands and minimize your loses on your poor hands.

Playing the Jackpot

In Caribbean Stud players have the option of making a side bet on each hand. The side bet is so that the player has a chance at the jackpot. The jackpot is paid out whenever a player gets a royal flush or a straight flush. Usually a royal flush pays 100% of the jackpot and a straight flush pays 10% of the jackpot. In general these are bad bets to make as the house edge is extremely high. There is however a general rule you can follow in that when the jackpot breaks the $250,000 mark it usually becomes an okay bet to make. Keep in mind however that when you play Caribbean Stud the house already has an edge of over five percent, playing the jackpot bet at the wrong time will only increase their odds.

Playing hands with an Ace and a King

These hands are tricky to play in that it is also what the dealer needs to qualify in a given hand. In general when you hold and Ace and a King, the following strategy will give you the best chance of success:

Raise if the dealers card is an ace or a king but you have at least a ten, jack or queen in your hand
Raise if the dealers card is a two through a queen
Raise if the dealers card is lower than your fourth ranked card and you hold a queen

Once again, optimal strategy in Caribbean Stud takes some time to learn and master. It is much like Blackjack in that there are certain rules to follow and decisions to make in each situation. Start with the above rules and you’ll be off to a good start. Click here to see our advanced Caribbean Stud optimal strategy tables.