Learning to Play Caribbean Stud Poker Online

Caribbean stud poker is a type of poker game that takes place one-on-one between you as the player and with the dealer. Most of the time Caribbean stud poker is directly tied to a progressive jackpot bonus as well. In places like Europe, this game is referred to as a casino five card stud poker game. There are different variations of classic poker within this particular variant but the end goal of the game is the same: you want to beat the dealer by having a better hand than the dealer. And if you play your cards right, no pun intended, and you are able to make the right bets for the progressive jackpot you could come out a pretty successful winner. This is even more likely if you get bonuses for Caribbean Stud Poker.

Origins of Caribbean Stud Poker

There are conflicting reports about the origins of Caribbean stud poker but most of them trace back to cruise ships around the 16^th century. Some people were converted to this game when ships sailed to the Caribbean. Other people claim that the ship was actually headed towards Aruba. One man in particular claims to have invented the game in 1982, the man known as David Sklansky but other people trace it to individuals who gambled in the 1980s in Las Vegas. Regardless of the origins, the game is very popular especially when you have the option of playing online.

How to Play Caribbean Stud Poker Online

This game is a fast and direct game, so newcomers do not have to worry. The point of the game is getting a better hand than the dealer, as is the case with most poker games. Typically there is a progressive jackpot associated with the game whereby you have to put down a separate, extra $1 chip at the start of the game to qualify for it. Once you have decided upon how much you want to bet, you will receive five virtual cards all of which are face down. The dealer receives the same, but one of his or her cards will be face up. After reviewing your cards and seeing the one card from the dealer, you have the chance to fold and quit or raise your bet and increase your chances of winning and winning big.

Once you reach this point in the game, there are a handful of possibilities. First is that the dealer does not “qualify”. This is a term which, in this game, means the dealer does not have an Ace and King. In such situations, you win regardless of what cards you have and you get twice your initial bet. However, you gain nothing on the raised bet amount. Now, if the dealer does qualify, then you might have a better hand. If you do, you get twice your total bet and a payout for the amount by which you raised your bet based on the online casino paytable scale which should be shown online. The stronger your hand, the more you will win. If you and the dealer qualify and you tie, then you start over. If the dealer beats you, you lose all that you had bet.

The payouts will typically correspond to the amount you bet at the start of the game. If you win and the dealer qualifies too, you get an amount that is typically 100 to 1 for a royal flush, 50 to 1 for a straight flush, 20 to 1 for 4 of a kind, 7 to 1 for a full house, 5 to 1 for a flush, 4 to 1 for a straight, 3 to 1 for three of a kind, 2 to 1 for two pair, and everything else is 1 to 1. In order to nab that progressive jackpot mentioned earlier, you have to get a royal flush and have placed your jackpot side bet.

Your Online Caribbean Stud Poker Guide

When playing this game, understand that the house edge is around 5.22%. However, if you are placing high bets and using a good strategy, you can get this down to 2.56%. To optimise your chances of winning, you have to understand that there are many complex possibilities for hand permutations. That said, if you have an Ace, King, Jack, 8, 3, or any type of higher combination you should always raise. If you get a pair or higher, you should also always raise. If, however, you end up with a hand lower than a combination of an Ace-King high you want to fold. If your hand is the high hand though, higher than the dealer, you can choose to raise if the dealer does not have any cards matching yours. In any case, when you play Caribbean Stud Poker at the hottest online casinos, you will find no shortage of other games too. If you get bored and want to mix things up, you can Play Pokies Online.