Caribbean Stud Poker

Caribbean Stud Poker is a 5-card stud variant played one-on-one against the dealer. You ante up; you and the dealer each get 5 cards; the dealer reveals one of hers; you choose to fold (lose the ante) or "call" (place a bet equal to 2x your ante). The dealer must qualify with Ace-King or better — if she doesn't, your call bet pushes and your ante pays 1:1.

If she qualifies and your hand wins, ante pays 1:1 and call pays based on hand strength (1:1 for high card or pair, 2:1 for two pair, 3:1 for three of a kind, all the way up to 100:1 for royal flush).

House edge on the basic bet is 5.22% — high for a card game. The popular $1 progressive jackpot side bet has 50%+ house edge unless the jackpot has rolled high enough; check the meter before betting it.

Strategy notes

Call with anything Ace-King-Jack-8-3 or better. Fold otherwise. The optimal strategy is dense — basically: play any pair or better, play A-K hands when the dealer's upcard is below your high card, fold otherwise. House edge with optimal play is 5.22%.