Game rules for Caribbean Poker/Casino Stud

Overview

Based on a card game that originated in the Caribbean and is played on holiday cruise ships, Caribbean Poker/Casino Stud is an exciting pastime that has simple rules and strategies. Despite its high house edge (around 5%), the game still manages to attract a large following of players, especially at online casinos. Caribbean Poker/Casino Stud is played with a standard deck of 52 cards that is shuffled after each round.

Objective of Caribbean Poker/Casino Stud

The objective of this game is to beat the dealer’s hand with higher cards, based on traditional poker rankings. The game is played against the house and the other players around the table are of no importance to the outcome of the game.

How to Play Caribbean Poker/Casino Stud

Players place an ante in the special box on the card table.

An optional progressive jackpot calls for the player to make a $1.00 bet and puts him in line to win big if he is lucky.

Five cards are dealt face down to all the players around the table.

The dealer deals himself four cards face down and one card face up.

Players make a decision about whether to play or fold, based on the cards that were dealt to him.

Folding the cards results in the player losing his ante bet.

If the player chooses to play, he needs to place a bet that is double the amount of his ante (initial bet) into the ‘bet’ box on the card table. This is known as the call bet in Caribbean Poker/Casino Stud.

The dealer reveals his four cards to check whether he qualifies to play with the players around the table. He qualifies if he was dealt an Ace with a King (or higher).

If the dealer does not qualify, he pays all players around the table even money on the ante.

A dealer’s hand that qualifies is compared with the players’ hands around the table. A player with a lower hand than the dealer’s loses his ante bet as well as his call bet. A player with a higher hand than the dealer’s wins even money on the ante plus a bonus amount on the call bet. The bonus is determined according to specific amounts on a Call Bet Bonus schedule.

A player who was dealt a Flush or higher (and was clever enough to take out the $1.00 jackpot bet!) wins payment for the hand that is determined according to a specific Jackpot Payout schedule. 

Conclusion

Unlike standard poker games, players do not need to learn endless strategies, nor do they have to perfect their bluffing skills in order to enjoy a game of Caribbean Poker/Casino Stud. This game thus combines the simplicity of a straightforward card game with the excitement of poker.