As the most popular card game on the globe, hundreds of thousands of people worldwide make bets in online poker rooms each day. It's widely debated whether poker is a game of skill or luck, but in reality it's a combination of both of these things. This is what makes it such a unique casino game that keeps people coming back for more.

One of the most intriguing poker varieties is Caribbean Stud Poker. The rules of this game are very simple, but the game itself is incredibly engaging, fun, and addictive. Here, we're going to discuss how to play Caribbean Stud, so read on to get started with this awesome, interactive casino game!

Caribbean Stud Poker History

Poker has been one of the most popular casino games for a long time. In 1982, a professional poker player named David Sklansky developed a variant of the traditional game and called it 'casino poker.'

This game was very similar to traditional poker, but it was a house-banked game in which people played against the dealer. This was so that more poker fans would be able to play at a casino's tables at once.

The rules to the game were pretty similar to regular poker, but there were a few differences. For example, there were no progressive jackpots. Also, the dealer flipped two cards over rather than just one because the game was played solely against the house.

In any case, Sklansky wasn't able to patent his newly-created game because of patent laws, but a few years later another poker player approached him and had the casino game patented. The rules were changed around slightly, but that's where the game came from!

How to Play

While the history of Caribbean Stud Poker is interesting, you likely are even more curious about how you can play it yourself. Read on to learn the rules of this awesome card game so that you can begin placing bets and having fun!

The Basics

In Caribbean stud poker, each player will place an initial bet called the 'ante.' The dealer at your table will then deal five cards face-down to each player. Your goal is to use these cards to create the best 5-card poker hand that you possibly can.

The dealer will also deal a 5-card hand to themselves. However, unlike the player's hands, the dealer will flip the last card that they deal themselves over to display the face. Once that card is visible, you can decide if you want to up the ante and place an additional bet. This should, of course, be based on how good you think your cards are.

If you don't want to place this additional bet and up your ante, you can fold. There's no shame in that!

Once every player at your table has made their move to place the additional bet or to fold, the dealer will look at their full hand. In order to 'open' their hand and show it to other players, they need to have at least an ace-king or higher.

If the dealer opens their hand and your additional bet is higher than the dealer's hand, you'll get your payout! The least that you'll receive is 1:1 payout for your ante bet, but if your hand is really good, you'll get a payout for your additional bet as well.

Pretty simple, right?

Plus, when you play online, you're looking at the same rules! Whether you choose to go with a live dealer or a virtual poker room against a CPU, you're looking at a simple and consistent game.

Rules for Betting

There are some betting limits in Caribbean Stud poker.

In most live casinos, the smallest bet that you're allowed to place as the ante is $5. You need to bet this or higher, which makes it ideal for mid-to-high stakes gamblers. Playing online is also fun, but it has much lower limits. Some online poker rooms even have a cap on betting at $2.50, so you might need to go elsewhere for a high-stakes game.

Most Caribbean Stud games also have progressive betting, which is an optional wager that you can make to become part of the progressive jackpot. This bet pretty much means that if you have any sort of flush, a full house, or a 4-of-a-kind, you'll win the bet no matter whether you beat the dealer's hand or not.

The payout will be based on a sliding scale. This means that someone with a Royal Straight Flush is going to get 100% of the progressive jackpot while someone with a simple Flush is only going to get 10-20%. The amount of money this equates to will, of course, be dependant on how much people put into the jackpot since the last time it was paid out. 

Additional Tips

Before you can get started playing Caribbean Stud poker, there are a few more things that you may want to know:

• Since you're playing against the house rather than other players, there's no need for bluffing. It's simply not part of the game, so don't waste time mastering your poker face!
• Unlike in other varieties of poker, no draw is made in Caribbean Stud. This isn't something that you need to worry about.
• If you want to learn how to play without any betting, get some friends together for a friendly game of 5-Card Stud. The games are pretty much identical.

Get Started

While the rules to Caribbean stud may initially sound complex, the game itself is actually quite simple and fun.

Now that you know how to play Caribbean Stud Poker, it's time to start gambling online. Check out the 'games' tab on our home page to learn more about poker and all the other awesome casino games that are out there. We offer a ton of options, so you're sure to find something that's right for you!