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Caribbean Stud Poker : The basics

How Is caribbean stud poker played?

Caribbean stud poker is played on a table similar to a blackjack table with about seven available seats for players. The game is run by one dealer and it uses a stander 52-card deck.

How will Caribbean Stud Poker progress?

The cards are usually shuffled by an automatic shuffling machine which spews out about five cards at a time. At each player’s position is an area marked “ANTE”, “BET” and a slop between the “ANTE” area and the dealer.

Play will begin after all players make the mandatory Ante bet in the “ANTE” area in front of them. The dealer takes a group of five cards for every player and places it before them. The dealer will also have a deck of 5 cards. He or she will then reveal the first card of their deck and place it on top of the four remaining cards. The dealer then pushes each set of cards closer the the player. Now you can pick up your cards and look them over. Never do it beforehand.

You are now going to evaluate the value of your hand and if you’ll stay against the dealer’s hand. The game does not require a lot of poker skill but you do need to know about the poker hand rankings.

The possible choices during a game of caribbean stud poker:

After you have evaluated your hand, there are two choices available to you.

  1. If you decide not to continue with your hand, you can choose to fold by placing your cards face-down towards the dealer. The dealer will then collect and remove your cards and your Ante.
  2. You can decide to play our your hand but you must also place a bet on the “BET” area of the table. The Bet wager must be doubled that of the Ante wager.

After all the players have made their decisions, the dealer will turn over their four remaining cards and they will make the best possible hand with their five cards. The dealer “qualifies” by receiving a poker hand that ranks ace-king or higher.

This means that the dealer’s had must contain an ace and a king or the hand must be strong enough to beat a poker hand that contains an ace and a king.

Here are some possible outcomes that may occur in caribbean stud poker:

  • If the dealer’s hand qualifies, they compare their cards to each player’s poker hand. If the player’s hand is higher, he or she will wins on the Ante and the Bet they’ve placed. If the player’s hand is lower than the dealer’s, they lose their Ante and their Bet. If the two hands are identical in rank, the hand is a tie and no money will be exchanged.
  • If the dealer’s hand does not qualify, all players who stayed in will win. They only win on their Ante. When this happens, the Bet is considered a push and it will not be paid off.

Winning an Ante bet will always pay out evenly, no matter what hand you have. If a dealer qualifies and a player has a stronger hand, the Bet wager is paid off according to the generally accepted schedule below. Please note that some odds will vary.The generally accepted payout schedule for

Caribbean Stud Poker

HAND

PAYS

One pair or less 1-1
Two pairs 2-1
Three of a kind 3-4
Straight 4-1
Flush 5-1
Full house 7-1
Four of a kind 20-1
Straight flush 50-1
Royal flush 100-1

There will be some form of frustration involved with Caribbean Stud Poker. You can have a great hand but if the dealer does not qualify, you will only get paid on the Ante you’ve placed. Do not get too excited over your hands because you won’t know if you’ll win until after the dealer turns over their cards.

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