Caribbean Stud Poker: How to Play

Caribbean Stud Poker is gradually gaining in popularity as compared to its stud twin: Texas Holdem mainly because it is an easier game to learn and you can play it face to face and still enjoy.

Originating in the Caribbean and based loosely on five card stud poker rules, this game offers a fan alternative to traditional table games with an opportunity to place a side bet and hit a big jackpot too. Some of these jackpots are progressive and you can win millions of dollars if you break those machines or tables..

What is Caribbean Stud?
It is not a traditional poker game in the sense that you play against the other players and the best player wins the pot. Caribbean stud belongs to the family of games including Pai Gow poker, Let it Ride and Three Card poker for example, where your opponent is the dealer and your goal is to form a better poker hand than the dealers hand. However, basic knowledge of traditional poker hand ranking is required.

The Rules of Playing Caribbean Stud:
1) The game begins with the players placing an ante bet at the same amount as the table minimum on the ante circle on the table.
2) At the same time, you should decide whether to place an additional side bet for the progressive jackpot.
3) Then, the dealer deals each player five face down cards plus four face down cards and one up to himself.
4) After looking at your cards, you should decide whether to fold or to call. If you decide to call, you should place an additional bet double the amount of your former ante bet.
5) After all the players have made their decisions, the dealer shows his hand. In order to qualify in a Caribbean stud poker game, the dealer must have an ace and a king or better. If he does not qualify, you will be paid back your ante bet but the call bet is a push.
6) If the dealers hand qualifies, he compares hands against each of the players individually. If his hand is better than yours is, you lose both your ante and your call bets.
7) If your hand is better than the dealers hand, you would be paid even money for your ante while for your call you would be paid according to a paytable. The paytable can vary from one casino to another. Generally, US casinos pay out 50:1 on a straight flush; 20:1 on four of a kind; 7:1 on full house; 5:1 on a flush; 4:1 on a straight; 3:1 on three of a kind; 2:1 on two pairs and even money on one pair or less.
In case your hand and the dealers hand are even, both ante and raise will push.

One of the reasons that Caribbean stud poker is so popular is the option of placing a one dollar side bet and winning a large progressive jackpot prize. In order to qualify for the bonus payout you should have a flush or better. For a flush, you would be paid a 50 dollars bonus and in order to win the jackpot that usually resets from 10,000 dollars, you must have a royal flush. However, your chances to hit a royal flush are estimated as about 650,000 to 1, therefore I would recommend skipping it.

Hot Tips to Bluffing at Poker and Texas Holdem

Learn the most important tricks to bluffing. Learn when to bluff, when not to bluff and even when to bluff that you are bluffing. Bluffing in Poker and particularly in Texas Holdem is a very useful tool, but if it is not used properly it can be a very dangerous tool to try and use. If used right bluffing can give you the appearance of having a good hand when you have nothing and scare the other players into folding their hands, but if it is not done right then all that happens is that you lose some money. 1) Check to see that the group of players playing for the pot is small. The biggest reason why you should do this is that it is easier to fool a small group than a large one. Another viable problem is that if the players are many, some might simply be dumb and not fully understand the true extent of your bluff. Whatever the case you have to take into consideration that a large group is tougher to bluff. Do not argue. It is simply so. 2) Do not bluff if your hand is weaker than a pair and to be on the safe side, better to have at least two pairs even if these are weak. Note that a player or two will remain in the game even if they have no hand whatsoever. They hope to learn how others play so that they will be able to beat them in later rounds. Such players can be caused to fold if you bluff well. Other than that, always take into consideration that some player will always remaining thinking you are bluffing. So, at least have a good enough hand to beat them. 2) Do not bluff with nothing. Bluffing should be used to make a weak hand look better but not to try to make nothing look like something. Bluffing should only be done if you hold at least one pair. Some players will not back down from your bluff especially in the beginning of the game. They are trying to feel you out and see how you react in different situations. To fool them you are going to have to become a good actor. d) If you win a round of betting and the other Texas holdem players see that you did it with a big hand, then for the next few rounds you are at a big advantage. The memory of your high-value Texas Holdem sequence will linger in your opponents' minds and this will help you tremendously if you bluff. Each other player will think twice before challenging your hand. e) Since you are playing Texas Holdem, pay attention to the cards that the dealers places face-up on the poker table. If you find that the cards down make up a weak pair, then start bluffing. Others will think you have the card to make up a triple, and will back off in fright. 6) Pay attention to how the other players at your table but and what their hands are at the end. Poker players who only bet when they have strong hands are the easiest to beat. All you have to do is wait till they are not betting and you know they have a weak hand so if you push them they will fold for fear of losing any more money on a bad hand. Closure: Bluffing is not very different than lying on a test or to friends. If you are a good liar, you will be able to bluff with a lot more confidence than others. But you need to reduce the amount you lie because whereas in life people tend to believe you, in Texas Hold'em, players tend not to believe you.