Also known as Caribbean Poker, Caribbean Stud is a rather new card game. It made its first appearance in the 1980s, allegedly aboard a cruise ship traveling to Aruba, which might explain its unusual name. The game gained in popularity and spread worldwide when it was adopted by land-based casinos and a progressive jackpot was added to the payout schedule.
The game requires one or more decks of 52 playing cards so that from one to seven players may compete directly against a Dealer. Specially designed Caribbean Stud tables are used, with layouts for betting and typically special slots that light up when chips for the progressive jackpot wager are inserted. In multiple-deck versions of Caribbean Stud, the Dealer uses a “shoe” to hold the cards and a discard tray for collecting them after they’ve been played.
The object of Caribbean Stud is to beat the Dealer by obtaining a superior five-card poker hand. Minimum and maximum betting limits are set by the House, and two betting areas appear on the table surface, one for the “Ante” and another for the “Bet.” The progressive jackpot side bet is optional and usually costs one unit, typically a dollar.
To receive a hand, players must Ante at least one unit and no more than the table’s posted maximum. The Dealer will then begin distributing the cards face down, clockwise from the Dealer’s left, to each active player until all of them and the Dealer have five cards apiece. The Dealer then reveals one of his/her cards by turning it over. Players may then look at and evaluate their own cards, but they are not allowed to share information about their hands with other players.
After seeing their hands, players are given the opportunity one by one to raise or fold. Those who fold lose their Ante wager. Those who decide to raise must bet an additional amount worth double their Ante in the “Bet” area of the table. Then, the Dealer turns over the other four cards in his/her hand.
If the Dealer’s hand does not contain at least an Ace and a King, it fails to “qualify.” In this case, each active player receives even money for the Antes and all raises are refunded. If the Dealer’s hand qualifies, three outcomes are possible: 1) when the Dealer wins, the player’s Ante and Raise are lost; 2) when the Dealer loses, the player receives even money for the Ante and whatever odds appear on the posted paytable for the Raise; and 3) the Dealer and player tie with identical hands, resulting in a “push,” no winner, with all bets refunded.
The Caribbean Stud paytable comes into effect only when the Dealer’s hand qualifies and the player’s hand wins. At most tables, simply beating the Dealer will pay 1-to-1 on the Raise, even money. Winning with two pair typically pays 2-to-1 on the Raise, while three of a kind pays 3-to-1 and straights pay 4-to-1. For flushes, the payout is 5-to-1; for a full house 7-to-1; for four of a kind 20-to-1; and for a straight flush 50-to-1. The Royal Flush earns a payout of 100-to-1.
Most casinos establish a fixed maximum payout per hand, often on the order of $5,000. However, the progressive jackpot side bet has no prize pool limit, so a Royal Flush may be worth tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Also, payouts for the progressive bets are based upon the poker value of the player’s hand. They are not subject to Dealer qualification, so any bonus payments offered for a flush or higher are paid regardless of whether the player’s hand wins or loses.
Progressive betting systems can be applied to the Ante wager at Caribbean Stud, enabling large raises when a strong hand is held following a series of losses. Strategically, making a Raise on low pairs or strong Ace-high hands is a bad choice that will frequently result in losers, but such action is often required to protect the Ante. Indeed, the biggest cause of losses at Caribbean Stud is surrendering the Antes. It is impossible to win after folding, of course, and the overall House Edge is about 5%.
Although the chances of winning the progressive jackpot are extremely low, most players see it as an inexpensive wager with the potential for a huge reward. They will make this side bet whenever the total jackpot available exceeds $270,000.