" You can make an attempt at avoiding the worst bets in Caribbean Stud. However, some gaming experts say that no matter what strategy you use, you cannot beat Caribbean Stud poker over the long term.

You can make an attempt at avoiding the worst bets in Caribbean Stud. However, some gaming experts say that no matter what strategy you use, you cannot beat Caribbean Stud poker over the long term. If you do decide to play, there are certain guidelines to keep in mind when avoiding the worst bets in Caribbean Stud.

When playing the ante bet, place a bet equal to the table minimum. Put a one dollar chip into the progressive jackpot only if the progressive jackpot amount is more than $263,228. If your hand holds anything lower than no pairs with an Ace and King high, it would be advisable to fold. However, call if your hand is of rank and is one pair or better. If you do have no pairs and only and Ace and a King high, fold unless you have one of the same cards as the dealer's card that is face up; then, you would call instead of fold.

The advantage of the house on the ante bet is exactly 5.22%. The house advantage on the progressive jackpot varies, but can oftentimes be close to 29%, which is considered to be pretty high. When the progressive jackpot gets to be as much as $263,228 or more, often times the table limits are increased. You can only bet $1 on the progressive jackpot if you also participate on the ante bet. When the table limits increase, you are still required to bet twice the amount of the ante in order to fully play. What if you ended up paying out $30 for each hand? You could quickly lose several hundred dollars in an hour trying to win the progressive jackpot. Some do not even consider the progressive jackpot a true bet, since you are obligated to bet a specific amount.

Avoiding the worst bets in Caribbean Stud includes not placing the dollar side bet for the progressive jackpot. It is said to be one of the worst bets in a casino that a player can make. In Caribbean Stud poker's progressive payout, the odds against you winning that bet are as follows: Royal Flush (649,740 to 1); Straight Flush (64,973 to 1); Four of a Kind (4,164 to 1); Full House (693 to 1); and Flush (508 to 1). A Flush or better is the type of hand needed in order to win the bonus money. The odds for the Flush, for example, state that you would make a Flush one out of every 508 hands. Since a Flush pays $50, you would have to play an awful lot of poker hands to win that; at the same time, your money would be melting away.

Feel free to try your hand at Caribbean Stud poker, but remember what was said about the side bets. Happy Caribbean Stud poker playing!

" " If you're like many online casino gamblers, when you play, you prefer to win. The design of most casino games, including Caribbean stud is such that the House wins over the long term. However, there are things you can do to maximize your chances of short-term success.

When to Raise

The obvious question in Caribbean stud is when to raise rather than fold. This is really the only strategy decision you must make once the game starts.

So, what's the answer? Some people are tempted to raise every hand, hoping that even if they have nothing, the dealer will not qualify and they will win anyway.

While this does not seem like a bad strategy, it is far from optimal. In fact, it confers a House edge of over 16 percent, possibly the worst odds in the casino. With that said, you should always raise if you have a pair or better. You should always fold if you cannot beat the qualifying hand (that is to say, you do not have at least ace king high).

How Much to Bet

The other decision you need to make involves the amount you should bet. What you need to keep in mind with Caribbean stud is that you will often be betting three units, unlike blackjack in which you usually bet one unit and sometimes two. Therefore, if you are accustomed to betting $15 a hand, you should probably put $5 in the ante circle, not $15.

Should you play the progressive jackpot?

In most cases, the odds are far from your favor on the progressive side bet. However, many players feel that the risk of hitting a royal flush without the dollar up, thus missing a potential six-figure payout, is not one they want to take on.

Furthermore, since the progressive jackpot is determined according to how long it has been since someone has hit it and how many people are paying in, it is possible for the odds to tilt in the player's favor. This usually happens when the jackpot pool has reached the vicinity of a quarter million dollars.


" " Caribbean Stud Glossary - Learn the terms used in Caribbean Stud games online and in brick-and-mortar casinos.

Ace-King: The absolute lowest hand in Caribbean Stud that ranks, also the smallest hand that a dealer can qualify with.

Ante: Initial bet placed before cards are dealt and hands are played.

Ante Box: Box in front of a player where they place their ante before a hand is dealt.

Dealer: Casino employee who deals out cards at the table. They also serve as the banker in this case and it is their hand that each player must beat in order to win.

Fold: Occurs when a player decides to give up their hand instead of making a bet and playing further.

Hierarchy of Hands: Ranking of hands starting from highest to lowest. An Ace-King high is the lowest ranking hand and a Royal Flush is the absolute highest.

Payout Table: Chart that shows what odds are paid out on each type of hand if the player wins against the dealer""s qualifying hand.

Progressive Jackpot: Side jackpot that can be won if a player bets on it and hits an eligible hand. This is separate from the action taking place on the table between the dealer and players.

Progressive Jackpot Box: Area to the side of a player where they place their chips to bet on the Progressive jackpot. This is a completely optional bet and is separate from any action taking place between a dealer and player during a hand.

Push: The result of a hand that is tied between dealer and player. Neither wins or loses, and the player gets to keep their ante and bet with no payout.

Read the rules of Caribbean Stud.

" " Most casino games have a very long history. The history of Roulette, for instance is so old that it is thought that ancient Romans played a version of the game by overturning their chariots to spin the wheel.


Caribbean Stud Poker, however, has no such history. In fact, it only dates back to the 1980""s, and the late 80""s at that. It is not known who invented it or why, exactly. The best speculation is that someone was trying to mix Blackjack and Poker, as Caribbean Stud has a betting pattern like Blackjack (and you play against the dealer, like in Blackjack) but you have to make a traditional Poker hand in order to beat the dealer.

There are two trains of thought as to how Caribbean Stud came to be. The first is that it was invented by some savvy cruise ship operators in the Caribbean to introduce onto their floating gambling boats. The idea was to make more profit, since the house advantage in Caribbean Stud is on the high side (5.26%).

The other (and more widely accepted) theory has its origins in a Dutch casino located on the Caribbean island of Aruba. The King International Casino (a part of the Holiday Inn hotel that still stands today) is now known as the Excelsior Casino. This is where Caribbean Stud first came to be, though again we do not know who invented it or why.

Within five years of its introduction in Aruba, Vegas caught on about the new game. However, the fact that the house odds were so high did sour the game to many gamblers. In order to combat this and try to get people to go to the Caribbean Stud tables, many offered a side jackpot to entice big money seekers. Today, after humble beginnings, Caribbean Stud is offered in almost all land-based casinos and at in increasing amount of online casinos.

" " Unlike other Poker games, you are not playing against other players in Caribbean Stud. Instead, you are playing against the dealer. This is just one of the many differences in the game, as you will see in the rules to this increasingly popular Poker variation.

The object of the game is to bet with a hand better than the dealer's in order to win.

Every player must first put their ante (differs from table to table) in the designated square in front of them. If there is a jackpot and the player wishes to bet on that, they place the bet for the jackpot to the side.

After all antes are in, the dealer will deal five cards to each player, including themselves.

One of the dealer's cards is turned over and left exposed for all players to see.

Each player looks at their own cards only, and decides at that point whether to fold or bet. If they decide to bet, they must bet a set amount- exactly double the ante. If they fold, their ante is collected and goes to the house.

After each player has either folded or bet, the dealer turns over their remaining four cards. In order to beat any of the players' hands, they must 'qualify'. This means that their hand consists of at least and Ace and a King, or a higher combination (such as a pair or three of a kind).

If the dealer does not have a hand that contains at least an Ace-King high, then all those who did not fold get paid 1:1 odds on their ante, and keep the bet (called a push).

If the dealer does qualify, then each called hand is compared to the dealer's, and the appropriate action is taken. If the dealer's hand wins, your bet and ante are both collected. If the player's hand wins, they are paid out 1:1 on their ante, plus the odds for their hand. The chart of what is paid out on each hand looks like this:


Hand Payoff Royal Flush 100 to 1 Straight Flush 50 to 1 Four of a Kind 20 to 1 Full House 7 to 1 Flush 5 to 1 Straight 4 to 1 Three of a Kind 3 to 1 Two Pairs 2 to 1 Pair 1 to 1 Ace/King 1 to 1

If you put money on the Progressive jackpot and your hand contains a Flush or higher, you win the amount indicated for that hand. Even if you lose the hand because the dealer had a better one, if you bet on the jackpot, that will payout regardless of the result of the regular game.

No matter how good your hand is, if the dealer does not qualify, you only get paid 1:1 on your ante and no more. This can be frustrating if you hit a great hand, but it is a part of playing Caribbean Stud Poker.

" " Though Caribbean Stud is termed as a Poker game, the strategy is quite a bit different than a game of 7-card Stud or Hold 'Em Poker, as you will see from this strategy guide.

The hierarchy of hands in Caribbean Stud is the same as any Poker, with one exception- an Ace-King high is the lowest hand possible. Therefore, you must base your strategy on how strong your hand is according to this hierarchy. Here are some tips:

If your hand does not have at least an Ace-King high that the dealer must qualify with, you should fold immediately. Betting further is foolish, since you would lose both your ante and your bet if the dealer does qualify.

If your hand contains the bare minimum A-K high, the choice to call could depend on the dealer's up card that they have exposed. If the up card is either an Ace or King, there is a better chance that they would qualify than if they had a 2 showing. If you only have A-K high and the dealer qualifies with the same hand, your bet is a push, meaning you don't win or lose but simply keep your ante and bet. If they qualify and are higher than you, you lose everything. For this reason, most Caribbean Stud players will not call with an A-K high, especially if the dealer is showing either of those high cards.

If your hand contains at least a pair, you should always play. Pairs, no matter how low, will win more often than not (about 58% of the time). Higher pairs are always a plus, but most any pair should be played with and not folded.

Most Caribbean Stud games have a Progressive Jackpot that can be bet on in addition to the actual hand being played out. If you want to win that jackpot, you absolutely must put this side bet in. However, be warned that the jackpot only pays off with very high hands that are hard to hit. If you don't hit one of those huge hands, your side bet is collected, regardless of whether you won the hand by beating the dealer or not. Since the house odds are astronomically high for this side bet, it is not advisable to place it, as you will lose more money quicker this way. Of course, if your intention is to win it big, then you would likely place the bet. Just beware that it is extremely hard to hit on.

" "

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" "

Caribbean Stud Poker, commonly referred to as just Carribean Stud or Stud Poker, is one of the lesser known casino games. It is a poker game with one important difference compared with regular poker: you play against a dealer and not other players. Here you will find some useful tips on how to become a better player that will increase your chances of winning. If you don't know the rules already and want to learn the basics you can find the Carribean Stud rules here.

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Caribbean Stud Money Management | Know Your Loss Rate | Know When to Quit | Don't Raise Your Bet when You Lose |


Caribbean Stud Money Management

Money managent is important in Carribean Stud Poker and the more you know about to handle your bankroll the easier it will be to stretch your bankroll playing the game.

If you are a Caribbean Stud poker player, remember these simple rules for keeping yourself in action.

Know Your Loss Rate

When played correctly, the house edge for Caribbean stud is around five percent. This means you can expect to lose about $5 for every $100 worth of Caribbean stud that you play. Calculate how much money you put into action per hour and figure out if your bankroll can withstand losing five percent of that for each hour that you play. If you don't think it can, move down to lower limits or wait until you can increase your bankroll to play.

Know When To Quit

There's nothing wrong with continuing to play long enough to give the odds a chance to even out a little bit, but once you've gone through the amount you've allotted for yourself to play, chalk it up to a losing session and move on. Sure, things may turn around, but they might get worse, and there's always a chance that more luck will be with you on a different day.

Don't Raise Your Bets When You Lose

Some people think a strategy of raising or doubling their bets when they lose to get even more quickly is a good way to get back in the plus column. The fact is that employing such a strategy leaves you open to having your bankroll completely wiped out by an untimely losing streak. When you are losing, continue to play your best game or quit if you don't think you can.