Caribbean Stud Poker is a gripping casino game based on the classic game of poker. The game’s popularity has been partially fueled by its simple rules, fair odds along with its generous payouts. Perhaps the most attractive feature of this game is the fact that players can choose to place a progressive side bet.
If you’re interested in bagging a win take a look at our Caribbean Stud Poker Strategy to find out more about how to use strategy as a tool.
Your Caribbean Stud Poker Goal
Fundamentally, the aim of the game in Caribbean Stud Poker is to beat the house by acquiring a hand which is stronger than that belonging to the dealer. The fact that the player is only playing against the house as there is no bluffing involved. This makes the game a much better choice for a player who would like to unwind than its classic form as well as other variants such as Omaha, Hold’em and even Stud.
If you’re interested in learning about some Caribbean Stud Poker tips, you should keep in mind that you shouldn’t cut any corner. CasinoTop10’s players-turned-experts have dedicated a whole page to Caribbean Stud Poker Rules in order for you to learn how to play the game properly. We recommend that you not only familiarize yourself with the rules but also with how the hands are ranked.
The Strategy: Caribbean Stud Poker
The utilization of a Strategy in Caribbean Stud Poker can aid in reducing the house edge from quite a high house edge of 5.225% to a minimal house edge of 0.001%. However, in order to do this you must use the strategy correctly as well as at the right time. Watch the video below for a great explanation of Caribbean Stud Poker Strategy! Generally, players follow two main types of strategies while playing Caribbean Stud Poker which we will illustrate further below.
Caribbean Stud Poker Basic Strategy
Caribbean Stud Poker’s basic strategy is both simple as well as easy to remember and implement. Primarily, this strategy involves following 2 points:
Avoid Folding Small Pairs
If you consider yourself to be a Caribbean Stud Poker newbie, you’ll probably experience some confusion when you find yourself in possession of pairs of a low denomination. In fact, you’ll find that you’ll get pairs of a low denomination quite often. Ultimately, you’ll find that these low pairs will prove to be quite valuable and you’ll be able to knock the dealer out of the game quite frequently and win what’s in the pot. Hence, you should keep your low pairs and hope for the best.
Avoid Playing Weak Hands
Provided that you acquire a hand which is weak, you should definitely not hesitate to fold. A weak hand consists of a hand which lacks an Ace or a King and which is not considered to be a Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pairs, Pair or High Card.
Caribbean Stud Poker Advanced Strategy
Advanced Caribbean Stud Strategy is far more complex than basic strategy. Nonetheless, if you learn how to implement the basic strategy well, then you’ll easily be able to build upon the knowledge you’ve gained and you’ll be able to turn the odds in your favor. Advanced Strategy involves the following points:
Call on Hands Consisting of Pairs or Better
If you’re dealt a hand which consist of a pair or better, you should definitely call/raise. To break it down further, you should:
- Call if the dealer’s hole card is a 2,3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K and matches one of yours.
- Fold if the dealer’s card is either an ace or king and you have a queen or jack in your hand.
- Supposing that the dealer’s rank does not match any of yours and you’re in possession of a queen in your hand and the dealer’s face-up card is less than your fourth highest card you should also aim to call.
Keep in mind that if you choose to call, you’ll be placing a bet which is equal to double your ante. For instance, if your ante bet was $ 5 and you decide to call rather than fold, your call bet will be $10. So, you would have bet a total of $15.
Fold Hands Which Do Not Consist of at Least One High Card
Due to the fact that you’ll find that the dealer’s hand generally qualifies 50% of the time, you should make sure that your hand is strong enough to beat the dealer’s hand even if you are at least holding a high card (an Ace or a King). In hindsight, you should only play a hand of this type if your high card matches the dealer’s hole card (which is the only card that’s exposed out of the 5 cards that the dealer has dealt to himself). When using both the basic strategy as well as the more advanced Caribbean Stud Poker strategy, the rule of thumb is to fold if lady luck is not on your side and you happen to receive a hand which does not rank well.
Optimal Caribbean Stud Poker Strategy
Although it’s probably simpler to follow CasinoTop10’s basic Caribbean Stud Poker Strategy, you can also try to use Caribbean Stud Poker’s Optimal Strategy. Have a look at the chart below:
Caribbean Stud Poker Progressive Jackpot Strategy
In today’s day and age, many casinos out there are offering progressive jackpots on a vast selection of their casino games. Such games include the popular casino classics slots, blackjack, roulette, video poker and of course Caribbean Stud Poker. If you’re unsure of what a progressive jackpot game is, let us explain it to you! A progressive jackpot Caribbean Stud game is one which is linked to other games of its type and allows you to place side bets. Each side bet made is added to the large progressive jackpot which keeps on increasing when players contribute a $1 progressive side bet to the jackpot. Typically, the amount you’ll be able to win is displayed on the progressive jackpot meter. Generally speaking, you’ll be able to win the massive jackpot, if you manage to acquire a hand with a high rank. These of course include a Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House and Flush. Have a look at the table below for the payouts given.
| Hand | US Payout |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 100% of Jackpot or 10,000 (whichever is greater) |
| Straight Flush | 10% of Jackpot or $1,000 (whichever is greater) |
| Four-of-a-Kind | $100 or $500 (depending on casino) |
| Full House | 10% of Jackpot or $1,000 (whichever is greater) |
| Flush | $50 or $100 (depending on casino) |
Despite the fact that a progressive jackpot may seem attractive to most players, it is unfortunately a sucker’s bet most of the time. So, we highly recommend that you don’t place a lot of value on these types of bets as the average house edge is about 29.46% on progressive side bets made whilst playing Caribbean Stud Poker. Hence, we urge you to make this bet only if you happen to be feeling particularly lucky.
Three-Card Caribbean Stud Poker Strategy
In Three-Card, each player is dealt three cards from a standard 52-card deck. No additional cards are drawn after the initial three cards have been dealt to every player. The dealer also receives three cards (face down). If you are dealt anything lower than a Queen-6-4, fold. This basic strategy will help lower the house’s edge to less than two per cent. Mathematician Stanley Ko is credited with developing this simple, effective approach to Three-Card
Caribbean Stud Payout Odds
Odds play a very important role in determining the possibility of winning any sort of casino game. Caribbean Stud is a game which strongly resembles the game of 5 card stud which is typically played by using a deck of 52 cards. Whilst playing the game, you can get any one of the 2,598,960 possible five card combinations. Take a look at the Caribbean Stud poker tables below to find out about the number of ways to make a hand, the probability of acquiring each type of hand, the true odds as well as the house odds.
| Hand | Wyas To Make Hand | Probable Hands Played Before Specific Hand Shows | True Odds | House Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 4 | 649,740 | 649,740:1 | 100:1 |
| Straight Flush | 36 | 72,193 | 72,192:1 | 50:1 |
| Four-of-a-Kind | 624 | 4,165 | 4,164:1 | 20:1 |
| Full House | 3,744 | 694 | 693:1 | 7:1 |
| Flush | 5,108 | 508 | 507:1 | 5:1 |
| Straight | 10,200 | 255 | 254:1 | 4:1 |
| Three-of-a-Kind | 54,912 | 47 | 46:1 | 3:1 |
| Two Pair | 123,552 | 21 | 20:1 | 2:1 |
| One Pair | 1,098,240 | 2.4 | 1.4:1 | 1:1 |
| No Pair (Ace-King high) | 163,980 | 16 | N/A | N/A |
| No Pairs (other than Ace-King high) | 1,138,560 | 2.3 | N/A | N/A |
Maximizing the Odds
Fundamentally, there are two decisions you have to take when playing the semi-circular poker variant. The first one is whether you should place a progressive site bet. The answer of course requires hardly any thought and is a simply a hard-coated ‘No’. This is due to the fact that the odds of winning the progressive jackpot are extremely slim as demonstrated by the tables above. So, save part of your bankroll for a rainy day instead of placing a progressive side bets which will most probably get you nowhere. The second choice you have to make is whether you should call or fold your Caribbean stud poker hand. This of course is the most crucial decision you have to make whilst playing any sort of casino game. Earlier, you read that the dealer’s hand will not qualify 44 times out of a 100. So, essentially, it would make sense to place a bet most of the time. Whilst at a land-based casino you should aim to sit in third base in order to see if the other players have called or folded, at an online casino you’re only playing against the dealer, so try to use the strategy tips above in our basic Caribbean Stud Strategy and our advanced strategy section.
| Hand Type | Probablity Hands Will Show Per 100 | Chance of Hand Winning Against Deale |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | N/A | 99% |
| Straight Flush | N/A | 99% |
| Four-of-a-Kind | N/A | 99% |
| Full House | N/A | 99% |
| Flush | N/A | 98% |
| Straight | N/A | 98% |
| Three-of-a-Kind | 2 | 98% |
| Two Pairs | 5 | 93% |
| A Pair of Aces | 3 | 89% |
| A Pair of Kings | 3 | 88% |
| A Pair of Queens | 4 | 88% |
| A Pair of Jacks | 3 | 79% |
| A Pair of Tens | 3 | 76% |
| A Pair of 9s | 4 | 73% |
| A Pair of 8s | 3 | 70% |
| A Pair of 7s | 3 | 66% |
| A Pair of 6s | 4 | 63% |
| A Pair of 5s | 3 | 60% |
| A Pair of 4s | 3 | 57% |
| A Pair of 3s | 3 | 53% |
| A Pair of 2s | 4 | 51% |
| No Pairs | 44 | N/A |
| Ace-King High | 6 | N/A |
Generally, the house edge in Caribbean Stud Poker is about 5%. Yet, if the dealer receives non-qualifying games throughout the game you will be able to have 17% of an advantage over the house.
Maximizing the Odds
Fundamentally, there are two decisions you have to take when playing the semi-circular poker variant. The first one is whether you should place a progressive site bet. The answer of course requires hardly any thought and is a simply a hard-coated ‘No’. This is due to the fact that the odds of winning the progressive jackpot are extremely slim as demonstrated by the tables above. So, save part of your bankroll for a rainy day instead of placing a progressive side bets which will most probably get you nowhere. The second choice you have to make is whether you should call or fold your Caribbean stud poker hand. This of course is the most crucial decision you have to make whilst playing any sort of casino game. Earlier, you read that the dealer’s hand will not qualify 44 times out of a 100. So, essentially, it would make sense to place a bet most of the time. Whilst at a land-based casino you should aim to sit in third base in order to see if the other players have called or folded, at an online casino you’re only playing against the dealer, so try to use the strategy tips above in our basic Caribbean Stud Strategy and our advanced strategy section.
Our Final Word on Caribbean Stud Casino Poker
Both fun and energetic, Caribbean Stud Poker is a table game which comprises of most of the usual poker features. The slick design of this online casino game means that you’ll be able to see your cards clearly. Moreover, the digital graphics and sounds also let off the impression that you’re actually sitting around a real live semi-circular Caribbean stud poker table. What more could you possibly want? Jump on the Caribbean Stud Poker Bandwagon and get ready to cash in on an online casino bonus and win some hard cash at some of the best Caribbean Stud Poker casinos web!
