Caribbean Stud Poker
Five cards each, one dealer card showing, one decision: how to play Caribbean Stud, the payouts and when to raise.
Caribbean Stud Poker is five-card stud played against the dealer. You and the dealer get five cards each, one of the dealer’s cards is shown, and you make one decision: fold or raise. Beat a qualifying dealer and your raise is paid by a pay table that runs up to 100 to 1 for a royal flush. It is one of the oldest casino poker games, and online it is available both as a computer game and as a live-dealer table. This guide covers how to play Caribbean Stud, the payouts, when to raise and the house edge.
Caribbean Stud at a Glance
| Deck | One standard 52-card deck |
| You play against | The dealer |
| Bets | Ante, then fold or raise exactly 2x the ante; optional progressive side bet |
| Dealer qualifies with | Ace-king or better |
| Top payout | Royal flush, 100 to 1 on the raise (US table) |
| House edge | 5.22% of the ante with the best strategy |
How to Play Caribbean Stud Poker
- Bet the ante. Some tables also offer a progressive jackpot side bet at the same time.
- The deal. You and the dealer get five cards each, face down, and one of the dealer’s cards is turned face up.
- Fold or raise. Fold and you lose the ante. To stay in, place a raise of exactly twice the ante.
- The dealer reveals. The dealer turns over the other four cards and needs ace-king or better to qualify.
- Dealer does not qualify: your ante pays even money and your raise is returned, whatever you hold.
- Dealer qualifies: the better poker hand wins. If you win, the ante pays even money and the raise is paid by the pay table. If the dealer wins, you lose both. A tie pushes both.
The dealer qualifies with exactly 56.32% of all five-card hands, so a little over four times in ten your raise is simply returned with a 1 to 1 win on the ante, however good your hand is.
Caribbean Stud Payouts
The standard US pay table for the raise, with the chance of being dealt each hand:
| Your hand | Raise pays | Chance of being dealt |
|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 100 to 1 | 1 in 649,740 |
| Straight flush | 50 to 1 | 1 in 72,193 |
| Four of a kind | 20 to 1 | 1 in 4,165 |
| Full house | 7 to 1 | 0.14% |
| Flush | 5 to 1 | 0.20% |
| Straight | 4 to 1 | 0.39% |
| Three of a kind | 3 to 1 | 2.11% |
| Two pair | 2 to 1 | 4.75% |
| One pair or ace-king | 1 to 1 | 48.69% |
Outside the US, and especially online, other pay tables are in use; the strategy below stays the same. Check the pay table in the game’s help screen or on the layout before you play.
Worked Examples
Each hand starts with an ante of 10, so a raise is 20:
| What happens | Ante | Raise | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| You raise, the dealer does not qualify | +10 | Push | +10 |
| You raise with two pair, the dealer qualifies and you win | +10 | +40 | +50 |
| You raise with a flush, the dealer qualifies and you win | +10 | +100 | +110 |
| You raise, the dealer qualifies and beats you | −10 | −20 | −30 |
| You fold | −10 | — | −10 |
Caribbean Stud Strategy
Most hands decide themselves:
- Raise with any pair or better.
- Fold anything lower than ace-king. Such a hand can never beat a qualifying dealer.
- Ace-king is the only hand that needs thought, and the dealer’s up card decides it.
With ace-king, raise if any of these is true, otherwise fold (the simple strategy published by the Wizard of Odds):
- The dealer’s up card is a 2 to a queen and matches one of your cards.
- The dealer’s up card is an ace or a king and you hold a queen or a jack.
- The dealer’s up card matches none of your cards, you hold a queen, and the up card is lower than your fourth-highest card.
What Each Strategy Costs
| Strategy | House edge |
|---|---|
| Perfect strategy | 5.224% |
| The simple strategy above | 5.225% |
| Raise with a pair or better only | 5.47% |
| Raise with any ace-king or better | 5.68% |
| Raise every hand | 16.61% |
The simple strategy costs just 0.001% more than perfect play, and both ways of skipping the ace-king rules cost about a quarter of a percent. Never folding is very expensive: it triples the house edge. These figures are from the Wizard of Odds.
Caribbean Stud Odds and House Edge
With the US pay table and the strategy above, the house edge is 5.22% of the ante. You raise on about 52% of hands, so the average total bet is about 2.05 times the ante, and the expected loss is about 2.56% of all the money you put on the table. That compares with about 2.01% for the Ante and Play in Three Card Poker, 2.85% for Let It Ride and 1.37% for Mississippi Stud on the same basis.
The Progressive Jackpot
Many Caribbean Stud tables have an optional progressive side bet, usually 1 unit, paid on your own five-card hand, with the jackpot for a royal flush. Its value depends on the size of the jackpot, and at most jackpot levels it has a high house edge, averaging around 26% on the Wizard of Odds’ figures. Treat it as an extra, not as part of the strategy. Online, the live-dealer version from Evolution offers a 5+1 Bonus side bet instead, which pays on your five cards combined with the dealer’s up card.
History of Caribbean Stud
Its origins are not well recorded. Poker player David Sklansky said he invented a version called “Casino Poker” in 1982, in which the dealer showed two cards. A few years later another poker player took the game to the King International Casino in Aruba and patented it, and with slightly changed rules it became the Caribbean Stud played today.
Caribbean Stud vs Other Casino Poker Games
| Game | Played against | Your decisions | Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caribbean Stud | The dealer (qualifies with A-K) | Fold or raise 2x, once | 5 of yours |
| Three Card Poker | The dealer (qualifies with Q high) | Play or fold, once | 3 of yours |
| Ultimate Texas Hold’em | The dealer | Raise 4x, 3x, 2x or 1x, or check | 2 of yours + 5 community |
| Let It Ride | The pay table | Take back up to two of three bets | 3 of yours + 2 community |
| Mississippi Stud | The pay table | Raise 1x to 3x, three times | 2 of yours + 3 community |
Playing Caribbean Stud Online
Online you will find Caribbean Stud as a computer table game and as a live-dealer game. Availability varies by casino and by country, so search the table-games and live-poker sections of the lobby. iWild Casino and 1Red both list Evolution among their live-casino studios. These casinos run large table-game lobbies:
| Casino | Welcome offer | Our rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| iWild Casino | Up to 550% + 400 free spins | 4.8 | Open iWild Casino |
| Kaasino | 225% up to £5,000 + 500 bonus spins | 4.3 | Open Kaasino |
| 1Red Casino | 225% up to €11,500 + 225 free spins over 3 deposits | 4.0 | Open 1Red Casino |
More casino poker: poker hand rankings, video poker and poker rules.
Set a budget before you play for real money and stick to it. Free, confidential support is available at BeGambleAware.org. 18+ only.
Also worth a look: in Four Card Poker the dealer always plays and ties go to the player.
Also worth a look: High Card Flush, where the dealer qualifies with a 9-high 3-card flush.
Caribbean Stud Poker: frequently asked questions
How do you play Caribbean Stud Poker?
What does the dealer need to qualify in Caribbean Stud?
What does Caribbean Stud pay?
When should you raise in Caribbean Stud?
What is the house edge in Caribbean Stud?
How often does the dealer qualify in Caribbean Stud?
Is the Caribbean Stud progressive jackpot worth it?
What happens if the dealer does not qualify?
Fadi Hayek
Author & Casino Expert
After going through several successful experiences with several industry pioneers, Fadi Hayek has managed to excel in the world of content for online gaming by providing unique content for several projects that allowed him to obtain the necessary experience to launch his career. Last but not least, Fadi also holds several certificates, including but not limited to content marketing and iGaming.
