Caribbean Stud Poker
About Caribbean Stud Poker
Caribbean Stud Poker is just one of the results of the popularity of the game Poker. It has similarities with the Five-Card Stud Poker. Casinos created a house-banked game, where it is played against the house rather than other players, in order to lure poker fans to play more table games and hence it's called 'Caribbean Stud Poker'. But unlike other standard poker games, Caribbean Stud cannot be beaten in the long run and there is no bluffing or any kinds of deception you can use in order to win.
History of Caribbean Stud Poker
Caribbean Stud Poker's beginning is a little bit newer unlike other casino games. But there are a handful of claims of how it really started. Another claim said it was formulated in a cruise ship going to Aruba and that the proprietor of the casino called "Excelsior Casino" was believed to be the one who bought the game. It captured the attention of poker fanatics who flocked all the way to Aruba just to play the game.
David Sklansky claimed in a famous poker forum that he formulated the game. According to Sklansky, he invented the game around 1982 and he called it "Casino Poker". The game has a little bit different in terms of rules and progressive jackpots. He was approached by a poker player that brought the game to Aruba and had it patented. The said poker player and with the help of the casino owner, changed the form of Casino Poker and turned it into what we know now as Caribbean Stud Poker.
In 1987, a gambler named James Suttle learned a game from another poker player while playing at Binion's Horseshoe in Downtown Las Vegas. There are was a claim that the poker player offered to teach him the game if he would lend him the amount of $5,000.00. Although, James Suttle denied this claim. James has a friend that owns a casino and also a game developer named Danny Jones, who lend the the said amount because he knew that he could sell the game for a sizable amount of fortune. Danny owned the King's International Casino (currently known now as Grand Holiday Casino) which is located in Aruba.
Important things to know about Caribbean Stud Poker
- One Player, One Hand only. Players are only allowed one hand and cannot hold or wager on multiple hands at the table.
- Make sure that you inserted $1 into the coin slot and the light is ON. Because Caribbean Stud have a Progressive Jackpot feature, players are responsible for inserting the coin and ensure that the indicator light is ON.
- No sharing of hands or other information. Players are not allowed to communicate or exchange information regarding their hands to the dealer or other players.
- Wrong number of cards equals dead hands or push. Incorrect amount of cards to the player forms a dead hand or push.
- A casino or table supervisor's decision is final.
- The dealer should be able to see all your five cards. Just see them in the table but not actually see the value of the card. After you see the cards, you will not be able to see it again once you place them face down in the table.
- Hole card after No More Bets, hand will be void. If the hole card is exposed after the dealer announcing "No more bets," the entire hand will be void.
Rules in Caribbean Stud Poker
- Player makes an ante wager plus an optional $1 progressive side bet
- Each player and the dealer get five cards each. All cards are dealt face down, except one dealer card is exposed. The player may examine his own cards but sharing of information is not allowed.
- Player should decide if he will fold or raise.
- If player folds he forfeits his cards, ante bet, and side bet (if made)
- If player raises then he must make a raise wager exactly equal to twice the ante
- The dealer will turn over his other four cards
- The dealer must have an ace and a king or higher to qualify. In other words, the lowest qualifying hand would be ace,king,4,3,2 and the highest non-qualifying hand would be ace,queen,jack,10,9. If the dealer does not qualify the player will win even money on his ante wager and the raise will push.
- If the dealer qualifies and beats the player, both ante and raise will lose.
- If the dealer qualifies and loses to the player, then the ante will pay even money and the raise according to the posted pay table. The U.S. pay table is shown below.
- If the player and dealer tie, both ante and raise will push.
- The progressive side bet will be entirely based on the poker value of the player's hand. Various pay tables are available.
How To Play Caribbean Stud
Every player should place their ante on the marked spot in the table. An ante is described as a forced bet where players place an equal amount of money or chips into the pot before the deal begins. Players are also eligible to participate in the progressive jackpot.
by dropping a chip in the slot on the table which activates the progressive jackpot light for that seat and that particular hand of play. Each player and the dealer will then receive five cards, face down. The dealer will turn over one of his cards, then push the cards toward the players, after which the players may look at their cards. They may only look at their own cards, and may not discuss what they have with any other players at the table.
Each players have the option to play or fold. If they choose to play, they place their bets (which is twice the amount of their respective ante) in the bet box. If they choose to fold, they forfeit their ante. After all the players have made their decisions, the dealer reveals his hole cards. The dealer only plays with an ace/king or higher; they then compare their cards to the other players' cards (individually, right to left), and the players' hands that beat the dealer's qualifying hand wins.
Caribbean Stud Poker Payout Table
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 100:1 |
| Straight Flush | 50:1 |
| Four of a kind | 20:1 |
| Full House | 7:1 |
| Flush | 5:1 |
| Straight | 4:1 |
| Three of a kind | 3:1 |
| Two pair | 2:1 |
| other | 1:1 |