If you enjoy playing poker, then Caribbean stud poker can be a fun table game to play with a lure of winning a large jackpot. Caribbean stud poker is played on a table that’s similar to a blackjack table. As in blackjack, it’s you against the dealer. This game became popular in the Caribbean and on cruise ships. Both have been notorious for not offering the players the best odds in casino games. This is partly due to the lack of competition. After all, what are you going to do, leave the cruise ship and gamble elsewhere? In general, Caribbean stud poker is not a good game to play because of the large house advantage, 5.3 percent. Bearing that in mind, it can still be a fun game to play that offers the chance to win a lot of money quickly.

Caribbean Stud Poker Rules

The game is played with a standard fifty-two-card deck. As many as six can play. In front of each player is an ante square, a betting circle, and a $1 slot for the chance at the progressive jackpot. The object of the game is to beat the dealer’s hand. In the ante square, each player puts a wager of at least the table minimum and no more than the table maximum. The dealer then deals each player five cards face down and five to himself, with the last card for players and dealer turned face up.

You now have to decide to play your hand or fold. If you decide to fold, you lose your ante wager. If you think you can beat the dealer’s hand, then play. If you decide to play, you must place double your ante in the betting circle. The amount you can bet must be exactly double your ante wager. After all the players have decided to play or fold, the dealer then reveals his hand to everyone. The dealer then turns over each player’s cards one person at a time. If you have a higher hand than the dealer, you win.

What do you win? If the dealer has a hand of ace-king or higher, he’s considered to be “qualified,” which means he pays both your wagers (ante and bet). If the dealer does not qualify, then you get paid only for your ante wager. Here’s a surprise: even if your hand can’t beat what the dealer is holding, you still get your ante back if his hand fails to qualify. If the dealer qualifies and you beat his hand, you get paid on your bet wager according to the payout schedule:

Keep in mind that the payouts can only be up to the table’s SE maximum payout. Before you sit down to play, ask your dealer what the maximum payout is for the table.

A big lure of Caribbean stud poker is the large progressive jackpot. However, this is a not a good bet, because the odds are highly in the casino’s favor. Still, if you wish to play the progressive jackpot, place a dollar chip in the slot in front of your player position, usually in front of the betting circle. Just before the dealer gives each player their cards, the dollar chips will drop in the box below the table automatically and turn on the red light next to each player who is playing the progressive jackpot.

To win the entire progressive jackpot, you must play a dollar for the jackpot and you must get a royal flush. Good luck! A royal flush is dealt only once in 649,740 hands, on average. There are four other hands that get you a portion of the progressive jackpot: a straight flush, a four of a kind, a full house, and a flush. Now take a look at the payout schedule for the progressive jackpot hands: