How to Play Casino Stud Poker
How to Play Casino Stud Poker
Caribbean Stud Poker Objective
In this variety of poker, often found on board cruise ships and in the Caribbean, each player is against the dealer rather than the other players. A player places the ante, receives a hand, and then decides whether to bet or not. If player bets and the dealer’s hand qualifies (contains an Ace/King combo or better), the player’s hand will be compared to the dealer’s. If a player wins, his/her payoff is determined by the quality of the hand played. As you’ll see, when you play casino stud poker, you need to keep an eye on your hand and play accordingly.
Casino Stud Poker Rules
After the player has placed the ante, he/she will be dealt 5 cards. The dealer receives 4 cards face down and one face up.
A player may bet or surrender. If the player bets, his/her hand will equal twice his/her ante. If the player surrenders, the ante is lost to the dealer and the hand ends.
The dealer reveals his cards and one of two things happens: he will either qualify or fail to do so. If a dealer doesn’t have an Ace/King combo, he fails to qualify. (A dealer must have at least a pair if he doesn’t have both an Ace and a King).
When the dealer doesn’t qualify, the player’s hand receives a 1 to 1 payoff on his/her ante and the bet will be returned. If the dealer qualifies, your hands will be compared.
If the dealer’s hand beats the player’s, both the bet and the ante will be lost. Now if the dealer’s hand and the player’s hand are equal, no money will be exchanged. When the player’s hand beats the dealer’s, the player wins equal money on the ante, plus a payoff on the bet based on the quality of the hand. (see below).
Look At Both Hands
If both the player and the dealer have the same hand (both have one pair for example), then the winner is the one with higher ranking cards. If the dealer has one pair, for example, jack, jack, 10, 6, and 5 and the player has a one-pair hand of jack, jack, 10, 8 and 4, then the player wins.
The player’s original ante and bet in addition to any winnings will be displayed as separate piles of chips.
Hand rankings in Caribbean stud poker are the standard poker rankings, listed from lowest to highest below:
Caribbean Stud Poker Hand Rankings
|
Hand
|
Description
|
|
Nothing
|
A hand with five non-matching cards
|
|
One Pair
|
One pair of identically ranked cards
|
|
Two Pairs
|
Two groups of two cards showing the same number (or picture)
|
|
Three of a Kind
|
Three cards from different suits displaying the same number or picture
|
|
Straight
|
Five cards in consecutive order, any combination of suits
|
|
Flush
|
Five cards of same suit
|
|
Full House
|
Three of a kind and a pair
|
|
Four of a Kind
|
Four cards from different suits of the same rank
|
|
Straight Flush
|
Five cards in consecutive order from same suit
|
|
Royal Flush
|
Ace, King, Queen, Jack and ten from same suit
|
Casino Stud Poker Payoffs
|
Winning Wager
|
Odds Payout
|
|
Nothing
|
1 – 1
|
|
One Pair
|
1 – 1
|
|
Two Pairs
|
2 – 1
|
|
Three of a Kind
|
3 – 1
|
|
Straight
|
4 – 1
|
|
Flush
|
5 – 1
|
|
Full House
|
7 – 1
|
|
Four of a Kind
|
20 – 1
|
|
Straight Flush
|
50 – 1
|
|
Royal Flush
|
200 – 1 (plus jackpot)
|
These are some of the best sites to play poker. Be sure to check out our general Poker Guide. It deals with all aspects of the game, including history and game play. Then work your way through our Poker Rules. And finally, to help you understand all the terms and jargon, we have a Poker Glossary.
