Caribbean Poker Rules

Caribbean Poker: Originating from the Caribbean islands and then spreading to casinos in the United States and Europe, Caribbean Stud poker is a game very much like five-card stud . Nowadays, Caribbean Stud is played widely both online and in casinos.

Using a standard deck, a game starts with the players making their ante, along with optional $1 progressive side bets. The dealer then ands out the cards, giving five cards face down, to each player. The dealer also gets a five-card hand but four are face down and the fifth is face up.

Once dealing is complete, players can look at their cards but cannot share information with each other. They then have to choose to either stay in the game or fold. If a player folds, they give up their ante. If a player feels his hand will beat the dealer, the player stays and the amount of the original ante must be doubled.

Next, the dealer's remaining four cards are shown. If the dealer does not have at least an ace and a king, the hand is over and each player who called wins the amount of his or her ante. For the dealer, this is called “qualifying,” and the lowest qualifying hand a dealer can have for the game to continue is 2, 3, 4, an ace, and a king. If the dealer does qualify, the hand is played to completion. The players with a hand higher than the dealer win both their ante and call bet. For players whose hands are lower than the dealer's both bets are lost.

Caribbean Poker is also very attractive and exciting because winning hands are paid out based on a bonus schedule, as outlined below:
• a single pair gives a 1 to 1 payout
• two pairs gives a 2 to 1 payout
• three-of-a-kind gives a 3 to 1 payout
• a straight gives a 4 to 1 payout
• a flush gives a 5 to 1 payout
• a full house gives a 7 to 1 payout
• four-of-a-kind gives a 20 to 1 payout
• a straight flush gives a 50 to 1 payout
• a royal flush gives a 100 to 1 payout

Another exciting feature of Caribbean Poker is the option to play for the progressive jackpot. To qualify, players make an additional bet of $1 right from the beginning. In order to receive a progressive jackpot payout, a player must have a flush or better. The amount of the payout is actually determined by the hand. For example, a royal flush is given 100% of the pot and a straight flush is given 10%. The awarding of the progressive jackpot in Caribbean Stud does not depend on whether or not the dealer’s hand qualifies.

Caribbean Poker is fun to play in casinos, but learn how to play other games at home.