Caribbean stud poker is one of the more intriguing casino table games that are offered by casinos, and definitely ranks as one of the more popular games available today as well.  The general idea behind how Caribbean Stud Poker works is that it is similar to five card stud poker, but that you are playing against online casinos instead of playing at a poker table against other players.  The biggest way that Caribbean stud poker varies from regular poker is that there is no option to bluff out the dealer, which you would have in a regular poker game!  Almost all poker players will say that Caribbean stud is not a poker game, but is instead a casino table game, and in more ways than one they are completely correct.  The rules of the game do vary a bit by casino, but we are going to take a look at some of the general rules and details behind how the game is played.  The biggest differences that you’ll find will come from the payouts and different limits of the game.

To start the action, each player puts their antes out on the table, and if an ante is NOT placed before the dealer announces “no more bets” then you may not play in that round.  From that point, each player is dealt out five cards face down, but is NOT to look at them just yet.  The dealer then gives themself five cards and will turn over one single card and push the cards toward the player, which signals that you can look at your five cards.  One rule that is often debated, but is standard throughout, is that players may not discuss what they are holding with other players at the table at any point.

From here, your options are incredibly straight forward as you can either fold your hand, or bet your hand.  If you decide to fold, then it means that you lose your ante and your give your hand up.  On the other side, if you bet, then the bet has to be twice the amount of the size of your original ante.  Once every player at the table has made their decision about what they want to do, then the dealer flips over their cards for the table to see, and for everyone to “ooh” and “ahh” about how close they were, or how they barely beat the dealer!  Now, the dealer will ONLY qualify with an Ace/King or higher in their hand, and there will then be a comparison against the players at the table to see who won with their bets.

While the rules do vary a bit by casino, there are quite a few rules that all players must abide by regardless of where they are playing at, and they are as follows:

• Players can’t play more than one hand (like blackjack)
• Players have the option to play the progressive option on the table, but must have their $1 bets in before the light is turned on at the table to verify that your bet is out.
• As previously mentioned, players cannot talk about their hands with any other player or the dealer either.  If this does happen, then their hand is automatically folded.
• If a player somehow gets more or less than five cards, then the hand will result in a push for just that one player.
• Whatever the casino supervisor decides stands no matter what
• If the dealer ends up only getting four cards instead of five, they will get an additional card out of the deck, but any other misdeals to the dealers hand will result in a re-do of the hand completely with a reshuffle as well.
• Players have to keep their cards in view the entire time, and must place them face down after viewing them.  Once your cards are placed down, you cannot pick them back up again.
• If a card is shown before the dealer calls for no more bets, it means that all hands are voided.

As far as the payouts for your hands go, if you as the player beat the dealer straight up, then you will be paid 1 to 1 on your ante, and the payouts for your actual bet will be based on the following table:

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

It’s important to note that there is a MAX payout of $5,000 on any bet though.

Another incredibly important part of Caribbean stud is that if the dealer does not qualify (so does not have at least an Ace/King high) then all bets are voided out and players get even money on ante bets only.  This is probably the toughest part of Caribbean stud, because even if you have a Royal Flush, you will only get paid 1 to 1 on your ante bet.  If the dealer beats the player then both the bet and ante are taken.

The additional betting options on this game include the option to bet on progressive bets (as mentioned above), and the option to bet on poker hands as well.  These bets are $1.00 bets, and there is a specific spot on the table for you to place this bet before the action begins.  If you end up hitting a flush or higher, you’ll get these payouts regardless of what happens with the regular bets:

Royal Flush	100% of Progressive Meter
Straight Flush	10% of Progressive Meter
Four-of-a-Kind	$500
Full House	$100
Flush	$50

The progress meter will depend on where it is at in the casino that you are playing at, and will depend quite a bit on when the last time that progressive jackpot was hit.  In the off chance that more than a single player hits the progressive jackpot for a royal flush then they will split the total winnings equally.