How to Play

A casino poker table game: each player plays alone against the dealer with a five-card hand, deciding to Raise or Fold after seeing one dealer upcard. Dealer must qualify with A-K-high or better.

Caribbean Stud Poker is a casino poker table game, brought to the King International Casino in Aruba in the early 1980s and popularised through Las Vegas in the early 1990s with the addition of a progressive jackpot side bet. Each player plays alone against the dealer, not against other players. After placing an Ante wager (and optionally a $1 progressive side bet), every seated player and the dealer receive five face-down cards. The dealer then turns one of their cards face-up, and each player looks at their own hand (not at others') and decides to either Raise (placing an additional Play bet of exactly twice the Ante) or Fold (forfeiting the Ante). The dealer then reveals the remaining four cards. To count, the dealer's five-card hand must qualify with a minimum of Ace-King high or any pair or better. If the dealer does not qualify, all Ante bets pay even money and all Raise bets push. If the dealer qualifies, the player's hand is compared to the dealer's and winning hands pay the Ante 1:1 while the Raise pays according to a published paytable that scales from 1:1 for a pair to 100:1 for a royal flush. The progressive side bet pays on any flush or better in your five cards, regardless of the dealer's hand or qualification.

Players

One to seven players competing individually against the dealer. Other players' cards never affect your outcome. A typical Caribbean Stud hand takes about 60 to 90 seconds. Players must agree to 'play or fold' simultaneously on the dealer's verbal 'ready' call so the dealer does not see any face-down cards before revealing their own.

Card Deck

A standard 52-card deck. No joker. Poker hand ranking is the usual order, but only at the time of showdown against the dealer. The ace is high for straights and flushes; the A-2-3-4-5 'wheel' straight plays as the lowest straight. Unlike poker between players, there is no drawing or replacing cards: each player and the dealer receive exactly five cards and keep them for the showdown.

Objective

Beat the dealer's qualifying five-card poker hand. You earn 1:1 on the Ante and a scheduled payout on the Raise. You can also win the progressive jackpot with a flush, full house, four of a kind, straight flush, or royal flush regardless of the dealer's hand.

Setup and Deal

1. Each player places an Ante wager in the marked Ante box on the layout. The Ante amount must be within the table minimum and maximum.
2. Players may also place a $1 Progressive side bet in the separate slot; doing so qualifies them to win the progressive jackpot on a flush or better.
3. The dealer announces 'no more bets' and deals 5 cards face-down to each player and 5 to themselves, in a clockwise rotation of one card at a time.
4. The dealer then turns one of their own cards face-up so players can see it (the dealer's 'upcard').
5. Each player secretly examines their own five cards. Players may not show their cards to other players or discuss holdings. Handling of cards is limited to a brief look; most casinos require cards to be returned face-down to the layout before the decision.

Player Decision

1. Each player must choose to Raise or Fold.
2. Raise: Place an additional Play bet of exactly twice the Ante on the marked Raise box. You stay in the hand for the showdown.
3. Fold: Slide your cards face-down to the dealer. You forfeit your Ante. The progressive side bet is still resolved on your hand regardless of fold.
4. Decisions are binding once made. No drawing of extra cards, no discarding.

Dealer Reveal and Qualification

1. After all players have raised or folded, the dealer turns over their remaining four cards and arranges the five-card hand.
2. Dealer qualifies if the hand contains Ace-King high (at least A-K-plus-any-three) or any pair or better.
3. Dealer does not qualify: All remaining players' Ante bets pay 1:1 (even money) and all Raise bets push (returned with no profit). The hand ends immediately for non-progressive purposes.
4. Dealer qualifies: Each remaining player's hand is compared to the dealer's. The higher-ranked hand wins each of that player's two bets independently. - Player wins: Ante pays 1:1; Raise pays according to the paytable below. - Player loses: Ante and Raise both lost. - Tie: Both Ante and Raise push (both returned).

Raise Paytable (Standard)

• Pair or less (including AK-high): 1:1 on the Raise.
• Two Pair: 2:1.
• Three of a Kind: 3:1.
• Straight: 4:1.
• Flush: 5:1.
• Full House: 7:1.
• Four of a Kind: 20:1.
• Straight Flush: 50:1.
• Royal Flush (A-K-Q-J-10 same suit): 100:1.
• Note: the Raise paytable applies only when the dealer qualifies. If the dealer does not qualify, the Raise pushes regardless of the player's hand.

Progressive Jackpot Side Bet

• A typical paytable for the $1 progressive bet (consult the table placard for exact amounts): - Flush: fixed $50-75. - Full House: fixed $75-100. - Four of a Kind: fixed $100-500. - Straight Flush: 10% of the progressive meter. - Royal Flush: 100% of the progressive meter (the full jackpot).
• The progressive bet pays whether or not the dealer qualifies and whether or not the player folded. Folded players must still expose their hand at the end to claim progressive payouts.

Winning

Caribbean Stud is played hand by hand for wagers, not to a point target. Over the long run, the house edge against optimal play is approximately 5.22% on the Ante or about 2.56% per unit wagered when accounting for the Raise. The progressive side bet has a much higher house edge (typically 30-50%) except when the jackpot has grown very large, where the expected value can become positive for a patient player.

Optimal Play Strategy (Q-6-4)

• The optimal play-vs-fold rule is simple: Raise with any pair or better (always profitable).
• Raise with A-K-high or better if the kicker is at least a Queen plus a 6 plus a 4 (commonly called the Q-6-4 rule); otherwise fold.
• Raise when the dealer's upcard is 2 through Queen and your hand contains a card of the same rank as the dealer's upcard (this blocks a key dealer pair).
• Raise when the dealer's upcard is Ace or King and your hand contains a Queen or Jack that completes a Q or J-high draw.
• Fold everything else, including A-K-Q-5-2, A-K-J-5-4, and so on.
• This strategy gives approximately a 2.56% house edge; deviating (e.g. 'raise with every A-K') adds about 1% extra to the edge.

Common Variations

• 5-Card Caribbean Stud: The original. The rules described above.
• Caribbean Draw Poker: Players can exchange up to two cards before the showdown, with an additional draw bet. Rare but still found online.
• Caribbean Hold'em: A hybrid where the player and dealer each receive two hole cards and share a three-card board that is later expanded; scoring differs.
• Progressive Bonus variants: Some casinos add bonus payouts for three of a kind, a straight, or flushes even when the dealer does not qualify.
• Bonus Paytable: A modified paytable that trades lower small-hand payouts for higher royal flush payouts, common on cruise ships.

Tips and Strategy

• Memorise Q-6-4: The optimal fold-or-raise line. Any hand below a pair that fails Q-6-4 should be folded; any hand A-K-high or better that matches the rule should be raised.
• Do not take the progressive unless the jackpot is large: The progressive carries a 30-50% house edge most of the time. Only consider playing it when the meter is multiples of the break-even threshold (typically $240,000+ on a $1 bet).
• Do not share information: Any communication between players is forbidden by house rule and can result in hand nullification.
• Watch the dealer's upcard: The upcard shapes your fold-or-raise decision for weak hands. Note whether your hand blocks pair-formation for the dealer.
• Avoid side bets beyond the progressive: Many modern tables add a Super Bonus or 5-Card Bonus side bet. Most carry a house edge over 7% and should be avoided.

Glossary

• Ante: The initial wager placed before cards are dealt.
• Raise / Play bet: The additional wager (exactly twice the Ante) placed to stay in the hand for the showdown.
• Fold: Surrender the Ante and exit the hand. The Raise is never placed.
• Qualify / Non-qualifying dealer: The dealer's hand must contain at least A-K-high or a pair. If not, the Raise pushes.
• Upcard: The one dealer card exposed for all players to see before the fold/raise decision.
• Progressive: A linked jackpot that grows with every $1 side-bet wager until someone hits a qualifying hand.
• Q-6-4: The optimal-play rule for A-K-high hands: raise if your fourth card is Q or higher, OR your fourth card is lower but your fifth card is 6 or higher AND matches the dealer's upcard.