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Rules for playing Caribbean stud poker

Caribbean stud poker was first conceived in 1988 in the Caribbean island Aruba. Because of it's popularity, Caribbean stud poker spread swiftly throughout casinos all around the globe. The Caribbean stud poker is also very popular for it's progressive pot option, which is not available in all types of poker games.

The basic rules of Caribbean Stud poker

All the players in this poker game receive an equal amount of cards, and so too the dealer - 5 cards out of a single deck. Unlike most poker games, the Caribbean stud player does not play against the other players around the poker table, but against the house. Every hand a player gets is compared to the dealer's, and the strongest hands between them wins this poker hand. There could be multiple winners at a single round, unlike other poker games. In Caribbean stud poker there's also the option of betting on a progressive jackpot. Read the progressinve jackpot section further below for more details.

The Caribbean stud poker table

The Caribbean stud poker table is specially made to accommodate 7 players at a time. Players have special spots in front of them for placing their ante (marked "ANTE"), and betting on the progressive jackpot (marked "BET").

Beginning Caribbean Stud Poker

At the beginning the players put the ante bet in the proper place on the poker table. At this point, the players and the dealer receive 5 cards each. The player's cards are dealt facing-downwards, and they must not allow anyone to see them but themselves. After the dealer finishes dealing the players cards he deals himself 5 cards as well, 4 facing down and one facing upwards. Then, the players must decide if they want to stay in this poker game or fold.

The opening

If a player estimates that his chances to beat the house are slim - he folds out. He puts his cards next to his ante bet, thus signaling he doesn't wish to play in the current round. If a poker player feels he can beat the dealer's hands, he must put another wager on the poker table, this time on the "BET" mark, and put his cards under the bet. The second bet must be twice the amount of the ante. At that point the dealer will try to open the game by showing his cards. He must have an Ace-King combination or else he can't open the game. In case the dealer didn't open the game the players are given their wagers back, plus an amount equal to the ante. If the dealer did have an Ace-King combination, he opens the game and the players' hands are compared to his. If a player holds a weaker hand than the dealer he loses and pays up both his ante and his bet. If the player has a hand similar to that of the dealer, he is paid back his wagers. If the player won against the dealer, he gets his wagers plus an equal to the ante wager. On the bet wager the player receives money according to the winnings table (specified below), that's based on the strength of his hands.

Poker Winnings table:

If a player wins a round against the dealer, he receives money according to this table:

The Progressive Jackpot

The progressive jackpot is what separates Caribbean stud poker from other poker games, and basically means that a player can place a bet over whether he will have certain hands of poker or not. To participate in the progressive poker jackpot a player must put an extra bet at the start of every round. The jackpot is progressive, which means that it keeps growing until someone will eventually take it (by winning with a royal flush). Until that moment, the jackpot pays smaller amount to players that win with flushes or higher. When the jackpot is won, it is reset to a fixed minimum amount and grows again from there until it will be won again. The payoff rates to players with strong enough hands is as follows:

• Flush - 200
• Full house - 400
• Four-of-a-kind - 2000
• Straight flush - one tenth of the jackpot
• Royal straight flush - the whole jackpot (and minimum of 40,000)

The jackpot pays even if the dealer wasn't able to open the game that round. The order of payoffs out of the jack pot is from the lowest to the highest, when more than one players win. If a poker player has one of the jackpot-winning hands, and did not place the appropriate bet for participating in the jackpot, naturally, he won't win any money.