Caribbean Poker Guide
Caribbean Poker, also known as Caribbean Stud Poker, is a game traditionally found in casinos and is very similar to the basic game of five card stud poker. However, the main difference between Caribbean Poker and traditional poker games is that you play against the house instead of other people.
Caribbean Stud Poker
This is a game played on a semi-circular table with three to five players facing the dealer using a standard 52 card deck held in a card shoe. The aim of the game is to beat the dealer with the five cards you are dealt.
Playing Caribbean Poker is similar to standard poker in that each player places on the table their ante, or a forced bet that is agreed upon before the game. Once they are down, the dealer announces “no more bets” and each player gets five cards.
Five cards are then dealt face down to each player by the dealer. The dealer also takes five cards the dealer is the first to look at his cards, four of which are face down and one is placed face up for all to see. You then look at the five cards that you have been dealt and must decide whether to play them or fold. Players that fold lose their Ante bet and Progressive bet had they played one. There is therefore something of an incentive to play rather than sit on the sidelines waiting for the best cards. If you chose to play then you must place two times your Ante in the Bet box. This is known as your call.
Once all the players have decided whether they will play or fold, the dealer reveals his cards. The dealer can only play with an ace/king or higher, and goes around the table comparing his cards to the other players – right to left. If the dealer does not qualify then regardless of what you held you receive double your Ante bet but your call bet will be returned to you with no further gain. If the dealer qualifies (has AK or higher) then your cards will be turned over by the dealer to see if you have a higher five card stud poker hand than the house. If you do then you receive a multiple of your call bet in accordance with the call bet payout table.
Caribbean Poker Strategy
Like any casino game the house has an edge, but luck on any given day plays a large part in deciding the winner. As to strategy it is important to recognize the marginal plays where odds are actually in your favor. Most players are uncomfortable playing low pairs such as twos, threes and fours and are even less likely still to play AK because they often seem to lose. This is in fact a true statement - you will lose more often with these hands than with others but many people fail to realize is that folding is also a player loss. It is the case that with these types of hand the correct play is to bet them because that will turn out to be the best play over the long term.
The decision as to whether to play the Progressive Jackpot for $1 a hand should be made based on the value of the progressive. If the advertised jackpot is over $30,000 then in our opinion it becomes a good play. The problem with statistical analysis, however, is that if it is to be your lucky day then you can win very large sums by playing the progressive.
