• Caribbean Stud Poker Rules Strategy
• Caribbean Poker Strategy

Caribbean Stud Poker is the most popular of the poker-based card games at no deposit bonus casino online. Every software provider includes the game in its portfolio. This article briefly explains the gameplay and then the optimum strategy for wagering on Caribbean Stud Poker.

The game begins with the player placing the ante bet. Then five cards are dealt face up to the player. Five cards are also dealt with by the dealer, but only one of these is face up. The player has the option of folding. If he does so then he forfeits the ante wager and the game is over. Alternatively, the player can raise. A bet equal to the ante bet has to be placed by the player in that event. The dealer’s remaining four cards are turned over, the hands compared and payouts made. The hand comparison is made according to the normal poker hand rankings. If the dealer does not have an ace-king or higher hand, he does not qualify. In that event, the ante bet is paid even money and the raise bet pushes. If the dealer qualifies and holds the higher ranked hand then both bets lose. If the dealer qualifies and holds the lower-ranked hand then the ante bet is paid even money and the raise bet is paid according to a payout table, which is based on poker hand rankings. If the dealer qualifies and the hands are of equal ranking then both bets push.

Caribbean Stud Poker Rules Strategy

The decision of folding or raising should neither be made randomly nor intuitively. It has to be made in accordance with the optimum online Caribbean Stud Poker strategy if the player wants to maximize his return in the long run. The average return to the player with optimum strategy is about 97.5%. Expert players would want to understand the mathematics on which the optimum strategy is based but novice players should simply memorize it for starters. The player should raise if he holds a pair, two pairs, three of a kind, four of a kind, straight, flush, full house, straight flush, and royal flush. The player should fold when he holds ace-queen or less because this is even lower than the dealer’s qualifying hand.

Optimal strategy for Caribbean Stud Poker is complex and difficult to apply without using a calculator tool to deduce the correct decision. When applied, fully optimal strategy results in a House Edge of 2.56%. A simplified strategy would see the player Call with any hand of AKJ83 or stronger. Learning to play Caribbean Stud Poker is quite easy with only a few strategy guidelines to keep in mind. The optimal strategy is for the player to call any pair or better and fold anything less than Ace/King. This simple Caribbean Stud Poker strategy reduces the house edge and significantly increases the player’s chance of winning.

The slightly complicated decision is when the player holds ace-king or higher. Here the player’s third-highest card and the dealer’s face-up card come into play. If the third-highest card is a jack or a queen then the player should always raise. If the third-highest card is less than a jack then the player should raise only when the dealer’s face-up card matches with any of the player’s cards. The reasoning behind this strategy is that the chance of the dealer drawing a pair is reduced because one of the three cards that can result in the pair is with the player.

Online Caribbean Stud Poker has an optional side bet of $1. Players need not place this bet, but if they do then the denomination is always $1. This bet pays out according to another payout table that starts with the flush. Usually, there is a progressive jackpot attached to the top two payouts. 10% of the jackpot amount is paid for a straight flush and 100% of the jackpot is paid out for a royal flush. Players are advised to avoid this bet.

Caribbean Draw Poker is yet another of the popular Caribbean poker games, in all of which the goal is to make a better five-card poker hand than the dealer to win. However, unlike Caribbean Stud or Caribbean Hold’em, Caribbean Draw Poker allows the player to draw cards in an attempt to improve their hand.

This makes strategy rather complex, but also makes it much more likely for the player to make a big hand. It is licensed by Shufflemaster (see a full list of casino games and their licensees here).

How Each Hand is Played

Each hand begins with the player making an ante bet, as well as an optional progressive side bet. The player is dealt five cards, which he may examine. The dealer is also dealt a five-card hand, however only one card is exposed.

At this point the player has a decision to make. The player may fold their hand, thus forfeiting their hand and their ante bet. Or the player may choose to call, which also comes with the option of discarding up to two cards. The call bet is twice the size of the initial ante bet. Any discarded cards will be replaced by the dealer, leaving the player with a new five-card hand.

After the player has made his decisions and received any new cards, the dealer reveals his hand.

If the dealer has a straight or better, then the dealer will stand. If the dealer has less than a straight, they will also take the option to discard up to two cards. If the dealer has three of a kind, a pair, or no pair, the dealer will draw two new cards. If the dealer has two pair, a four card straight draw, or a four card flush draw, he will take one card.

The dealer now checks to see if he qualifies. The dealer needs a minimum of a pair of eights to qualify. If the dealer does not qualify any player still in the hand wins even money on the ante bet, and pushes their call bet.

If the dealer does qualify then the dealer’s hand is compared to the player’s hand. If the dealer has the best hand, the player loses the ante and call bets. If the player has the best hand, the player wins even money on the ante bet, and wins the call bet. Pay-outs are determined by a pay chart like the one below. In the case of a tie, both bets push.

Pay Chart

Pay-Outs

As in other Caribbean games, the Caribbean Draw Poker progressive jackpot is typically paid only on the player’s initial five-card hand. If the player discards and draws new cards, they cannot win the progressive jackpot (in some rare cases, lesser pay-outs are given for drawn hands).

The pay-outs are typically as follows:

Caribbean Poker Strategy

Strategy for Playing

The golden rule of Caribbean Draw Poker is – never fold! Even with the worst possible hand it is worth drawing and trying to improve your hand. The reason is simple – the dealer will only qualify about 52 per cent of the time, meaning that 48 per cent of the time you’ll win regardless of the cards you hold.

Despite the simplicity of the fold/call decision, drawing strategy can still be rather complex. You should never break up a flush (including straight flushes and royal flushes), four of a kind or full house. Only break up a straight if you hold K-Q-J-T of the same suit, since this hand gives you the opportunity to improve to a flush, a straight flush, or a royal flush. With three of a kind, discard the other two cards. With two pair, discard the odd card.

With pairs, the standard play is to hold the pair and the highest other card, discarding the two low singletons. However, there are many exceptions.

Generally, you’ll break up the pair when it allows you to draw to a four-card royal or straight flush. With tens or lower, you can also break them up to chase a four-card flush draw. Pairs lower than eights should be broken up to many three card draws as well, as these small pairs must improve to beat any qualifying dealer hand.

With no pair, you’ll want to hold onto (in order of preference) a four-card royal/straight draw, a four card open-ended straight draw, a three card royal or straight flush draw, a three card flush draw, or a four card inside straight draw. If you have none of these options, simply hold your three highest cards.