Caribbean Stud Poker

Named after the Caribbean cruises on which it became popular, this is an interesting poker variant. The options are to win back your ante, draw with the dealer or lose.

Although it's played on a 'baize' table, this variant is not as complex as the widely known Texas hold'em poker game. It is, however, a good alternative to the traditional blackjack game, and the game plan you need to keep in your head is relatively simple.

You start by making an ante bet, after which you are dealt five cards, face down You can look at your own cards but not share information with other players. After al players have been dealt to, the dealer then receives five cards, with four face down and one face up.

You then have two options; raise or fold. If you raise, you put twice the amount of your ante bet in the bet box. If you fold, the dealer will collect your cards and ante bet. After all players have made their plays, the dealer exposes his unseen cards.

Best Hand Wins

The dealer has to have an Ace and a King for their hand to qualify. If not, all remaining ante bets pay even money, and all raise bets push. If the dealer does qualify, then each remaining player's hand is individually compared with that of the dealer. In each case, the better poker hand wins. If the dealer has the higher hand then the player loses both the ante and the raise. If the two hands are equal in value, however, then both ante and raise hands push.