A poker-based table game found in casinos around the world is Caribbean Stud Poker. Basically, the game pits each player against the dealer in heads-up hands of five-card stud. Unlike stud though, all the players get all five cards at once and they are all face-down or closed -- meaning you only see the cards you have, and none of the other players. The dealer will show just one card face-up but keep the rest a secret until the end. Like in stud, whoever has the best five-card poker hand at the end, wins. As in Blackjack, you only have to beat the dealer's hand to win, not the other players. Here are the basic rules.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 15 minutes
Here's How:
- To start playing, each player puts up an ante wager, and have the option of putting up a progressive jackpot bet as well (usually a dollar).
- Each player and the dealer are dealt five cards, face-down. The dealer will show one card face-up.
- If you want to play your hand, you put down a bet that's exactly twice the amount of your ante. In other words, if your ante bet was $5 and you want to play, you have to put down exactly $10. If you decide not to play and fold, you lose your ante bet.
- When betting is done, the dealer checks his hand. He will only play against you if his hand contains Ace-King or better. Otherwise, he folds and you get even money on your ante, but just get your second bet back.
- If the dealer's hand qualifies to play, he then reveals his hand.
- Player by player, players reveal their hands and the dealer will determine if your hand beats his.
The dealers are trained to pick out each player's best hand, but you should also be able to tell what your best hand is. Make sure you know what beats what in poker. The game goes strictly by those poker hand rankings. - If the player has the higher hand, he/she wins. The house pays 1-1 on all bets, and the ante as well.
If the player loses, the house takes all the bets & the ante, too. - Progressive Jackpot Wagers:
If players have made Progressive Jackpot Wagers, the dealer checks to see if the player's hand wins a bonus. This bet is independent of the five-card poker hand, and may be a winner even if the player's hand is a loser.
Progressive Jackpot Wagers usually pay out for a flush or better.
Tips:
- Don't play this game as you would a regular game of five-card stud. You can‘t win this by bluffing -- only the best hand wins.
- If you have two pair or better, always stay in. I would say you should usually stay in for a pair or better as well.
