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Caribbean Stud

Caribbean Stud was invented by a genius named Dennis King who operated a casino in, appropriately enough, the Caribbean, specifically at the Holiday Inn located on Aruba. This has been the fastest-spreading of the 'new' table games and it provides good income for almost any casino which offers it.

Uh, oh. If it's a good deal for the casino, it can't be a good deal for the players, right? Right. That's the point of my little story here; to at least let you know the odds you're bucking when you play this game and, if you insist upon playing it anyway, tell you the strategy which lowers the casino's edge somewhat.

The Rules

Playing the game is quite simple. The player places an 'ante' bet, usually a $5 or $10 minimum and s dealt 5 cards from a single deck. The dealer also takes five cards and turns one of them face up. If the player wishes, s/he may 'call' the dealer by making an an additional bet which is exactly double his or her ante bet. If the player chooses not to call, the ante bet is lost to the dealer. The dealer then turns all his cards over and if the hand is a minimum of A, K (regular poker rules apply here), the dealer 'qualifies'. That means that all remaining player hands will compete with the dealer's hand and, if the player's hand is better, the player receives even money on the ante bet and is paid extra on the call bet, depending upon the hand the player has. For example, a straight pays 4 to 1 on the call bet. If the dealer's hand is better, both the ante and the call bet are lost.

The Progressive Jackpot

There is a 'side bet' of $1 which the player may make which qualifies him or her to participate in the progressive jackpot. Often at some outrageous level, the entire pot can be won by the player receiving a Royal Flush. Lesser hands such as a Straight Flush win a percentage of the pot. Since the odds of getting a Royal in five cards are 1 in 650,000, you should forget this bet. It'll suck up your dollar chips like a vacuum cleaner and, unless it's VERY big, it adds almost nothing to your total return at the game. Yes, it beats the lottery, but not by a whole lot.

The Strategy

The real question in Caribbean Stud is whether or not to call the dealer by making an additional bet. The strategy here is simple: If your hand is at least A,K,J,8,3, go ahead and call. Understand what I mean by this? If, for example, you have a pair of 2s, you should make the additional bet, because those lowly deuces are better than an A,K,J,8,3. If you play with that simple strategy and don't 'take a shot' now and then and don't bet the progressive, the house will have a 2.7% edge over you.

As always, I wish you luck.