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Caribbean Stud Poker is
another type of one of the most popular
online casino games. Poker is a very popular casino game,
so it developed many variations over the time, but the two main ones
remained stud and draw poker. In case of draw poker only the player
sees the cards from his hands, while in case of stud poker there are
some so called ‘community cards’ which are dealt on the table, and
the players have to form the best possible poker hand using both the
cards from their hands and the community cards. By now you know one
important thing about Caribbean Stud Poker: there are no community
cards, you can only use your cards. Let us now see the rest!
The rules of Caribbean Stud Poker are quite easy, but there is an
important difference compared to other poker types: you are not
playing against the other
poker players; you are playing only
against the dealer. So, if you have better cards than the dealer, it
means that you have won. Let us now see the rules of Caribbean Stud
Poker. At the beginning of the game each player must make an ante
bet and there is an optional progressive side bet, which usually
costs $ 1. After every player had made his bet, the dealer gives
five cards to everyone, including himself. He will then turn face
off one of his cards. All the other cards are dealt face down, only
this one card will be turned face up. Now the players have time to
decide what they want to do: they can either fold or raise the pot.
In some exceptional cases, and depending on the rules of the online
casino, a player might call too. We will discuss these situations a
little bit later in the article. When a player wants to raise the
pot, he must raise his ante bet twice. So it is easy to calculate
the numbers in this kind of poker: if your ante bet was $ 1, then
you will raise with $ 2. After everyone had decided, the dealer will
turn his remaining four cards face up. He has to have at least an
ace and a king, or a higher card to qualify. In case the dealer does
not qualify, the player will win even money on his ante bet, and the
raise will push. Of course, if the dealer qualifies and beats the
players, then the player loses the money he had wagered. In case the
dealer qualifies, but the player has better cards then the ante bet
pays even money and the raise will pay according to the casino’s pay
tables. In case you chose to wager on the progressive side bet, you
should know that that bet is based on the poker hand values, and
every casino has a separate pay table for this type of bet.
These were the main rules of Caribbean Stud Poker. It does not
matter if you play online, or if you play in a real casino, these
basic rules are the same. However, in online casinos there are some
differences. Let us now talk about these. You could see that in this
kind of poker you have only your initial cards, but this is
important only if you have placed a progressive side bet, because
there only the poker hand matters, while in the game you can beat
the dealer even if you do not have a good poker hand. I said that
there are differences between the online and real variant of the
game. In some online casinos you may switch one or more cards; of
course, you will have to pay a fee for this. In many cases in
casinos where you can find this option, the game is played under
another name: Oasis poker. This option does not exist in real
casinos. Also, it is forbidden for the players to talk about their
cards, but if you play in an online casino, nobody can check, so you
can talk with the other player on the phone. If you chat with other
players in the game window, your chat might be stopped. As you can
see, the online variant of the game enhances your chances of
winning, because changing a card or talking to another player helps
you to figure out what cards the dealer has.
Let us now talk about a strategy for online
Caribbean stud Poker. The optimal
strategy is really hard to decide upon, but the basic strategy is
quite simple, so you can learn it easily. You should always raise
the pot if you have a pair or something better, and you should
always fold if you do not have an ace or a king. This is the basic
strategy, but here are a few more helpful tips. You can draw
conclusions upon the dealer’s cards: if the dealer’s face up card is
from two through queen and if it matches one of your cards, you
should raise the pot. You should also raise the pot if the dealer’s
face up card is an ace or king, and you have a queen or a jack in
your hand. It might seem very simple, but this is the basic
strategy. You should remember the first two rules and you will be
all right: raise the pot if you have a pair or higher and fold if
you have less than an ace or a king.
Let us talk about pay tables now. Since you are playing online you
will find different pay tables. These usually do not differ from
casino to casino, but they differ from one software manufacturer to
other. So, you should choose an online casino where the pay tables
are in your favor. You can also combine the different pay tables of
different software manufacturers. You will easily find all the
necessary information on the internet, either on the casino’s
website or on the software manufacturer’s homepage.
By now you know the basics of Caribbean Stud Poker. Here are the
essential things you should keep in mind: you only have to beat the
dealer, not the other players! Exception is if you have placed a
progressive side bet, because there only poker hands count. Remember
that you do not have the chance to change your cards only in a few
online casinos! And remember the basic strategy: fold if you do not
have at least a king or an ace, but raise the pot if you have at
least a pair. Good luck!
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