Caribbean Stud Poker
CARIBBEAN STUD POKER STRATEGY
There isn’t much strategy in Caribbean Stud poker other than to know which hands to fold and which ones to play and don’t bother placing a Jackpot bet it’s more or less a donation the casino as the odds you’ll win it are negligible. Here are two basic strategies you should follow:
1. Play any hand in which you have a pair or higher and bet if your pair is higher than the dealer’s upcard. Most players fold with small pairs (2s to 5s), but if you want to win, you need to call these pairs, too, as you’ll be dealt a pair at least 42% of the time. Every pair you don’t call is a theoretical loss, and every pair you bet is a theoretical gain. It’s a key move in Caribbean Stud to call small pairs it’s been shown that players who don’t call them give the casino a 7% edge (unlike a 5.3% edge when played properly). Even though you might not win with the small pairs, in the long run, you’ll lose less money.
2. Fold if your hand isn’t on the list of Caribbean Stud poker hands.
In addition to those two strategies, if you want to minimize the house advantage, and if you have an Ace and a King in your hand (the lowest hand in Caribbean Stud poker), do the following:
• Call if your other three cards are Jack-8-3 or better.
• Call if any of your other three cards matches the dealer’s upcard. For example, if you have A-K-5-3-2 and the dealer’s upcard is 5, place the call bet. Conversely, if the dealer’s upcard is not a 5, 3 or 2, forego your ante.
• Call if any of your other three cards is a Queen or a Jack and any of your cards match the dealer’s upcard.
• Fold any hand whose value is lower than an Ace-King when compared to the dealer’s upcards. For example, if you have a Queen-Jack, forego your ante.
If you have the Ace King hand, you should also check out Michael Schackleford’s table to see if you should fold or raise based on your other cards and the dealer’s upcard. It’s a terribly long list and you wouldn’t be expected to memorize it, but it wouldn’t hurt to have it open on your computer when you’re playing Caribbean Stud online!
Caribbean Stud Poker Hands Winning Probabilities |
||
Type of Hand |
Probable Times Hands Will |
Chance of Hand Winning |
Royal Flush |
-- |
99% |
Straight Flush |
-- |
99% |
Four of a Kind |
-- |
99% |
Full House |
-- |
99% |
Flush |
- |
98% |
Straight |
-- |
98% |
Three of a Kind |
2 |
98% |
Two Pairs |
5 |
93% |
One Pair of Aces |
3 |
89% |
One Pair of Kings |
3 |
88% |
One Pair of Queens |
4 |
83% |
One Pair of Jacks |
3 |
79% |
One Pair of Tens |
3 |
76% |
One Pair of 9s |
4 |
73% |
One Pair of 8s |
3 |
70% |
One Pair of 7s |
3 |
66% |
One Pair of 6s |
4 |
63% |
One Pair of 5s |
3 |
60% |
One Pair of 4s |
3 |
57% |
One Pair of 3s |
3 |
53% |
One Pair of 2s |
4 |
51% |
No Pairs |
44 |
-- |
Ace-King high |
6 |
-- |
For the best online casino experience, go to Poker Stars today. They have over a hundred different casino games to offer, and you can play alone, against or with other players, or enter tournaments the choices are endless! Unlike so many other online casinos, when you win at Poker Stars, you get paid out in full! And if you want to practice first with play money, they’ll give you a $5000 bankroll that’s the most generous on the internet!
