If you already know the rules of five-card stud poker, Caribbean stud poker is going to be one game that you won’t want to sleep on. This exotically named game is slightly more relaxing and less challenging than traditional poker. You play every hand against the house – much in the same way blackjack is played – meaning you don’t have to worry about your tells or trying to figure out another player’s strategy.

Caribbean stud poker is a rather simple game that you can happily spend a few hours playing while drinking rum with traditional steel drum music playing in the background. Without any more delays, let’s delve into the basics, as the rules or Caribbean stud poker do change slightly from traditional poker.

You Only Play the Dealer

In Caribbean stud poker, you actually play against the dealer, making it the perfect version of poker to play online. You don’t need to worry about poker bots swooping in and taking all of your chips in a few hands, just keep an eye on that pesky dealer.

Experience the Most Relaxing Game of Poker

The game begins with you being dealt five cards from the shoe. When your cards have all been placed on the table face up for everyone to see, the dealer is dealt a single card – face up – and four face down cards.

You aren’t going to get any more cards, so if you think you have a good hand, you can choose to raise your bet by placing a chip in the box marked “Raise”. If you think your hand is weak or you might lose, you can fold – these are your only two options. Next, the dealer turns over their cards and whoever has the best hand wins – it’s that simple.

The Dealer Needs to Qualify in Order to Be in Contention

The round can be over before the dealer even gets a chance to look at their cards. In order for the dealer to qualify – meaning their cards can be used – the dealer must hold an ace and a king – or higher. This means that the lowest possible hand a dealer can have in order to play a round is ace, king, 4, 3, 2. This once more bumps up your chances of winning, as you don’t have the same restrictions. If the dealer doesn’t qualify, your raise bets will return more money.

Look to Raise Often

The chances of being dealt amazing hands in Caribbean poker is very low, so if you have one pair or two pair it’s probably a winning hand. It’s not uncommon to win with a simple high card, so don’t be afraid to raise frequently.

Different Wins Payout Different Rates

Not all wins are the same, the hand you have will determine the payout you get. The following are the payouts on a US raise table:

• royal flush pays 100:1
• straight flush pays 50:1
• four of a kind pays 20:1
• full house pays 7:1
• flush pays 5:1
• straight pays 4:1
• three of a kind pays 3:1
• two pair pays 2:1
• one pair pays 1:1

You will know exactly what you are able to win from the moment your cards hit the table, making the raise or fold an easier choice than normal.

Excited to start playing? Caribbean stud poker is by far one of the most exciting versions of poker around. Simple and easy to grasp, you don’t need to worry about having a bad poker face to win big. Head on over to BitStarz Casino today and start playing Caribbean stud poker. Don’t forget, when you play any table games at BitStarz, you will automatically be entered into our Table Wars promotion, where you can win a weekly slice of €1,000 just for playing hands!