`Caribbean Stud Poker:`


This game was first tried on an experimental basis aboard cruise ships and was so

successful that it can now be found in most casinos. Each player antes, then is dealt

five cards from a regular 52-card deck. The dealer also gets five cards and turns one

over. After seeing this card, you must decide whether you want to stay in the game,

or fold. If you fold, you lose your ante. If you decide to stay, you must double your

ante by making a separate wager called a "call bet."



The dealer then reveals his/her remaining four cards. If the dealer does not "qualify"

by having at least an ace and king, the hand is over and each player who called wins

the amount of his/her ante. If the dealer does qualify , the hand is played to

completion. You win both your ante and your call bet if your hand is higher than the

dealer's. If the dealer's hand is higher, you lose both bets. There is a bonus payout

schedule for winning hands, which makes Caribbean Stud more exciting:







- one pair pays 1 to 1

- two pair pays 2 to 1

- three-of-a-kind pays 3 to 1

- straight pays 4 to 1

- flush pays 5 to 1

- full house pays 7 to 1
 
- four-of-a-kind pays 20 to 1
  
- straight flush pays 50 to 1

- royal flush pays 100 to 1





The dealer must qualify and you must win the hand in order to receive a bonus payout.



The real attraction of Caribbean Stud is the chance to win big by hitting the

progressive jackpot. This bet is purely optional on your part. To be eligible for winning

all or part of this jackpot, you must wager an additional $1. There is a drop slot for

this bet directly in front of your position on the table. The progressive jackpot payoffs

are as follows:







- flush pays $50

- full house pays $75

- four-of-a-kind pays $100

- straight flush pays 10% of the progressive jackpot
 
- royal flush pays 100% of the progressive jackpot.





Jackpots are paid regardless of whether the dealer's hand qualifies. Payoffs on the

straight flush and royal flush are aggregate (if two or more players win on the same

hand, the jackpot is divided proportionately).



Most gaming experts agree that betting the extra $1 for this wager is not a wise idea,

even if the progressive jackpot gets up to $200,000. The odds of drawing a royal flush

on your first five cards are 649,739 to 1. If you play eight hours a day, it would take

you seven years, five months, and two days to play that many hands.  But some

people win lotteries.  You never know, you could be the next lucky one.



The biggest drawback to Caribbean Stud is that the dealer must qualify by having at

least an ace and a king. You might have a great hand, but if the dealer doesn't qualify,

all you'll win is your original ante. The house edge at Caribbean Stud is about 5.3%

when played with optimum strategy.



Don't let the dealer's up card scare you out of the game. Many novice players will fold

when the dealer exposes a good card, but the dealer may flip over four bad cards, and

you've thrown in a winning hand. Also keep in mind that you cannot bluff in Caribbean

Stud. If the dealer does qualify, it means he has a good hand. And he will qualify often

enough that you shouldn't risk the call unless you have a good hand yourself.



The optimum strategy for Caribbean Stud might be the easiest to remember of any

game that requires hand evaluation. You should simply call the dealer if your five-card

hand is ace-king-jack-8-3 or better, and fold otherwise. That's all there is to it.