Caribbean stud poker is not the popular game it once was but devotees of this house-banked poker hybrid can still find it at some casinos.
In the early days of state-sanctioned casino gambling it was a hot commodity. Casinos kept waiting lists for guests who wanted to play. The progressive jackpots for a royal flush climbed into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
There are a couple of things to keep in mind for those who still play, but the real key is to use good money management and just hope to get lucky.
Here are the two widely accepted strategies:
First, bet on any pair or higher, and second, if you’re holding Ace-King, make a bet only if one of your remaining cards matches the dealer’s up card.
No matter how much you analyze the game, the basic premise is that each player at the table is dealt five cards out of a single 52-card deck. Those are the cards you must play. The only other clue you have is the dealer’s up card. If you could peek at the hands of the other players you’d have another edge, to be sure, but such practice is strictly prohibited.
You just have to hope to be lucky enough to be dealt a good hand. But even if you are, there is still no guarantee that you can capitalize on it.
You must remember that even though Caribbean stud poker is a variation of 5-card stud poker, you are playing your hand against the dealer’s hand and not against the other players at the table.
Say you’re dealt a pair of deuces, the low end of so-called playable hands. In addition to the $5 that you’ve already put up as your ante to be dealt a hand, you now are obliged, according to the rules of play, to make a bet that is double your ante, which means you now have $15 riding on a couple of twos!
The only way you can win your ante and bet is for the dealer to flip over an Ace-King. A pair of threes or better beats you. If the dealer has nothing (a non-qualifying hand), you win even money on your ante and you take back your bet. I consider that a paltry return for having $15 at risk on the table.
It can be tiresome being dealt a series of hands that contain nothing. You sit there folding time after time and losing your ante money. Sure, you can bet with your feelings or on a hunch, hoping that the dealer comes up with nothing as well, and you’ll at least win even money on your ante. But Ace-King or better in the dealer’s hand will wipe out your $15. It hurts to lose that much money when you’re holding “garbage”.
Let’s consider the frustration of getting a good hand, say a high pair or three-of-a- kind. It’s difficult enough to be dealt a hand like that, but in Caribbean stud, you have to sweat out hoping the dealer will qualify with Ace-King or better if you hope to win a nice little pot.
Your three of a kind will pay 3-1 on your bet if the dealer qualifies. If not, you’ll win even money on your ante and nothing on your bet. It is maddening waiting for a good hand, and when you finally get one, the dealer turns over zilch. When you had deuces, he flipped over a pair of threes to beat you!
The frustrations of the game are many, but it is still fun to play for those who enjoy poker but aren’t inclined to venture into a poker room.
