Strategies and Articles

CARIBBEAN STUD POKER

History

Caribbean Stud has its name because the game originated in Aruba, either at one of the resort hotels or on Caribbean cruise ships that travelled to the area. Although there is no concrete evidence of this, there is strong likelihood that the game first spread at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Table in Aruba, now known as the Excelsior.

Caribbean Stud quickly became popular in hotels and cruise ships around Aruba, due to easy to understand rules and promises of big payouts for the luckier players. In addition, many players thought of it as a more laid back game than traditional poker, making it appropriate for the relaxed tropical atmosphere.

Caribbean Stud truly reached prominence with the addition of the progressive jackpot side bet. With this feature, players could risk an extra dollar to get a shot at the progressive jackpot pool.

If a player betting the progressive makes a royal flush, he wins the progressive jackpot, which can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars. Even making a lesser hand like a flush or a full house pays some part of the jackpot. This addition, which allowed players the chance to win hundreds of thousands for only a dollar, helped make Caribbean Stud into the phenomenon it is today.

Rules

Caribbean Stud is played on a table that's similar to blackjack. The table can accommodate up to seven players. Like blackjack, players battle the dealer directly in Caribbean Stud. There is no competition among the players sitting at the table. In front of each player there are two places at the table that are marked for wagers; a bet circle and an ante box. Above both of these betting spots, each player has a slot for side bets.

Players must ante up before the game begins. The ante is set by the table limits. When players put in their ante, they also have the option of placing an additional side bet on the progressive jackpot. Caribbean Stud was the first table game to include a progressive bonus jackpot as a side bet.

If blackjack mated with five-card stud, Caribbean Stud would be the offspring. Hands are valued using traditional poker rankings, but the game plays much more like blackjack than poker. The dealer distributes sets of five cards to each player. The dealer is also dealt five cards, and one of these cards is dealt face up. Players at the table have the opportunity to fold (and lose their original ante) or call the second bet (which is twice size of the original ante). The dealer's four remaining cards are then revealed.

The dealer must have a qualifying hand (ace-king or higher) for play to continue. If the dealer fails to qualify, the original ante of each remaining player will be paid even money. The seconds bet is a push. If a player's hand beats the dealer's hand, that player will receive a predetermined payoff based on this pay table.

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