Caribbean stud is slowly gaining fame in online casinos for its simpler gameplay. Check out how to play the game here if you’re interested.

Caribbean stud poker is a variation that is quite easy to learn which is why it is slowly gaining popularity in online casinos these days. It uses similar poker rules but the gameplay is much simpler and only requires knowledge of and strategy around the different hand rankings to fulfill your objective. Are you interested in learning how Caribbean stud poker works? Here are the basics on the game:

Objective

The objective of Caribbean stud poker is to beat the dealer by having a better five-card hand ranking than them.

Hand rankings

Hand rankings in poker are what Caribbean stud poker players mainly focus on in order to win. Whether you’re playing the live dealer casino version or just the online one, these rankings stay the same. The ten hand rankings used in traditional poker variations are also applied in this game. Arranged from best to worst, these are:

Royal straight flush (A, K, Q, J, 10, all in the same suit)

Straight flush (five cards that can be arranged in consecutive descending order, all in the same suit)

Four-of-a-kind (four cards of the same value plus one other card)

Full house (a three-of-a-kind plus a pair)

Flush (five cards belonging to the same suit)

Straight (five cards that can be arranged in consecutive descending order, regardless of the suits)

Three-of-a-kind (three cards of the same value plus two unique cards)

Two pair (two pairs of cards of the same value plus one unique card)

One pair (two cards of the same value plus three unique cards)

High card (a set of five unique cards not belonging to any of the higher hand rankings)

The hand

Live dealer casinos or even the brick-and-mortar ones will begin distributing five private, face-down cards to players who put forward an ante to get the game started. Once all players have all five cards each, the dealer will take five cards to himself/herself as well and reveal one of the cards so players will have an idea on whether they can beat him/her if they choose to play.

The final round

Players will have the option of either folding or playing their hand. If they fold, it means they surrender their hand and forfeit their ante. If they play, they will have to place a bet that is usually twice the amount of the ante before their hand is evaluated. Once all bets are settled, the dealer and the players show their hands to see who has the best hand ranking.

Caribbean stud poker has a specific rule for dealers: they have to make sure their hand is playable (or qualified) by checking if they form one pair (or an even higher hand ranking) or if they have an Ace and a King before evaluating the winner. If the dealer is not qualified to play, all antes are paid back to the players as well as all their other bets. Winning by default also guarantees a return of the ante. If you manage to beat the dealer through higher hand rankings, you will also receive the following payouts:

A two pair gives you double your play bet.

A three-of-a-kind gives you triple your play bet.

A straight gives you quadruple your play bet.

A flush gives you five times your play bet.

A full house gives you seven times your play bet.

A four-of-a-kind gives you 20 times your play bet.

A straight flush gives you 50 times your play bet.

A royal straight flush gives you 100 times your play bet.

You can try your luck in Caribbean stud poker in a live dealer casino online but the game is also available in digital format if you want to practice first. Luckily for first-time players, this poker variant is beginner-friendly and so it can be used as a stepping stone for more complex formats.