In an effort to expand the casino experience, many casinos began offering variations of their classic games. Poker is a game that is usually played against other players, but casinos wanted to come up with variations that could be played against the House. One such variation is Caribbean Stud. Caribbean Stud, which can be found at both live and online gaming casinos, is a variation of poker that is quite simple to learn and play. As in Blackjack, players start out by betting however many chips they wish, within the limits stated at that table. They can also place $1 down for a shot at the Progressive Jackpot. The Progressive Jackpot, which grows as players bet at it until it hits, will pay you if you are dealt a Royal Flush. If you are dealt a regular straight flush, you get ten percent of the Jackpot. You will also get a small piece of the Jackpot for being dealt a flush, full house or four of a kind, for amounts ranging from $50-$500 depending on the strength of your hand and what your particular casinos payout structure is. Once the bets are placed, you are dealt five cards. The dealer is also dealt five cards, but one of his cards is exposed for the entire table to see. Look at your cards and determine what your best five card poker hand is. If you dont like your hand, fold and forfeit your initial bet. If you do, you must put up an amount equal to double your initial wager to continue. Once the decisions are made to bet or fold, the dealer exposes his entire hand. Once the dealer exposes his hand, he must qualify. A qualifying hand is one that is at least Ace-King high. Of course, all better hands, such as a pair on up, qualify. An example of a hand that would not qualify would be 2, 3, 5, 7, 9 of different suits. 2, 2, 5, 7, 9 would qualify, since you have a pair. A hand of 9, 7, Q, 4, A would not qualify, since this would be an Ace-Queen high not Ace-King. If the dealer does not qualify, the hand is over. Players win their initial bet, and tie their second bet. If the dealer qualifies and has a stronger hand than the player, the dealer wins all bets. If the player has a stronger hand, he gets paid even money on his initial bet and gets paid odds on his second bet. The odds are even money for a pair down to Ace-King, 2 to 1 for two pair, 3-1 for three of a kind, 4-1 for a straight, 5-1 for a flush, 7-1 for a full house, 20-1 for four of a kind, 50-1 for a straight flush, and 100-1 for a Royal Flush. These are typical odds for a Caribbean Stud table; different casinos may vary slightly in how they pay out. If you are playing Caribbean Stud online, you have the luxury of playing on a number of different sites. Shop around and get the best payout odds you can find. This will enhance your enjoyment of the game. |
