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Caribbean Poker is now available at Global Poker! Not sure what Caribbean Poker is? Read on and find out all about it.

 

WHAT IS CARIBBEAN POKER?

Caribbean Poker has its origins in five-card stud poker. That’s why you might hear it called ‘casino stud poker’. The rules were derived from five-card stud poker, but the key difference between Caribbean and standard poker is that in Caribbean you play against the house rather than against other players. That means there’s no need to bluff, or worry about the other players. That’s why it’s perfect for online games.

 

There is a lot of disagreement about how the game began, but most people agree where the game began—in Aruba, which is in the Caribbean. (The name makes sense now, at least.)

 

Some people claim they invented the game, such as author and poker expert David Sklansky. His account has it that he invented the game in 1982, calling it “Casino Poker.” He says he brought the game to Aruba and the name was changed. Dennis King also claims to have invented Caribbean Poker when he owned a hotel in Aruba. Do we really care? Hmm, not really. It’s here, and who did what when is something for the historians. We just really like the game and we’re pleased someone created it!

 

WHAT ARE THE RULES?

caribbean-poker-gameplay-v3

The rules can vary from casino to casino and from location to location, but these are the Global Poker Caribbean Poker Rules [PDF].

 

  1. Each player and the dealer receives five cards, face down.
  2. The dealer will turn over one of the cards they have, after which the players may look at their cards.
  3. Players have the option to either play or fold. Any player choosing to play places their raise, an additional stake, equal to twice the amount of the ante. Any player who chooses to fold forfeits their ante.
  4. After all the players have made their decisions, the dealer reveals their four face down cards. The dealer only plays if their hand either contains both an ace and a king or forms a pair or any higher-ranked poker hand.
  5. The dealer then compares their five-card hand to those of the other players, individually, and both the ante and the raises of all players whose hands beat the dealer's qualified hand win. 
  6. If they do not beat the dealer's hand, they lose both the ante and the raise. If a player ties with the dealer, both ante and raise bets push. 

 

REWARDS

If a player's cards beat the dealer's cards, the player will receive an even payout (1-1) on the ante, and the following on their play.

Player's Cards Payout
Royal Flush 200-1
Straight Flush 50-1
Four of a Kind 20-1
Full House 7-1
Flush 5-1
Straight 4-1
Three of a Kind 3-1
Two Pair 2-1
One Pair or Less 1-1

BEST STRATEGY FOR CARIBBEAN POKER

There are two general pieces of strategy advice that cover most hands.

 

  1. Raise with a pair or higher.
  2. Fold with less than the dealer's qualifying hand (Ace King)

 

Raise with a pair or higher, fold with less than Ace King, and raise on ace/king if any of the following three rules apply.

 

  1. Raise if the dealer's card is a 2 – Queen and matches one of yours.
  2. Raise if the dealer's card is an Ace or King and you have a Queen or Jack in your hand.
  3. Raise if the dealer's rank does not match any of yours and you have a Queen in your hand and the dealer's card is less than your fourth highest card.



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