Caribbean Poker Rules

Caribbean Poker is played against the house, and the rules are quite simple to learn.

Each player places their ante on the table. The dealer will announce 'No more bets' just before play begins. Then each player is dealt five cards, face down. The dealer will also receive five cards, but one of his cards will be placed face up.

Each player may look at their cards, but they may not discuss what they are holding with any of the other players at the table. 

Once the player has examined the dealers face up card, and their own hand, they have a choice to either fold the hand, or place a bet of twice their original ante.

Once all the players have made their decisions, the dealer will reveal his hole cards. The dealer can only play with an Ace/King or higher. If he does hold at least and Ace/King, he will compare his cards to the cards of the players, and the best hand wins.

If the dealer does not have an Ace-King or better, then the player's bet will be returned, plus an amount equal to the ante. If he does have Ace-King or better, but a player's hand wins, then that player will get even money on their ante, plus fixed odds on their call bet, with the odds ranging from evens for a pair or high card, to 100-1 for a royal flush.

20-1 for a Four of a Kind

If the dealer has Ace-King or better, and the player's hand loses, then they will lose their ante and their call bet.

Under normal circumstances, the house has a better than 5% edge against your ante. This can be reduced if players share details of their hands – if you know the contents of all the other hands on the table, you can actually gain a 2% edge over the house. This is considered cheating, however.

If you are playing a version of Caribbean Stud Poker that offers a progressive jackpot, then you should remember to place your token into the progressive meter, and check that the indicator light is on at the same time as you place your ante.