How to play Caribbean Stud Poker

Caribbean Stud is five-card poker played against the dealer, not against other players. There is no bluffing and no drawing: you see your five cards and one of the dealer's, then decide whether to raise or fold.

The appeal is the Raise bet, which pays more for better hands, right up to 100 to 1 for a royal flush.

How a round works

1. Place your Ante.
2. You get five cards face up. The dealer gets five, with one face up.
3. Decide: Raise, which costs twice your Ante, or Fold, which loses the Ante.
4. The dealer turns over their hand. To qualify, the dealer needs at least Ace-King.
5. If the dealer does not qualify, your Ante pays 1 to 1 and your Raise is returned.
6. If the dealer qualifies and your hand is better, the Ante pays 1 to 1 and the Raise pays by the table below. If the dealer's hand is better, you lose both.

What the Raise pays

Simple strategy

• Raise with any pair or better. Always.
• Raise with Ace-King if your other cards include a Queen or a Jack, or if one of your cards matches the dealer's face-up card.
• Fold everything weaker than Ace-King. It feels bad to give up the Ante, but raising with a hopeless hand costs twice as much.

Why the dealer's up card matters

If the dealer's face-up card matches one of yours, there is one fewer card that can pair the dealer, which makes it slightly less likely they qualify or beat you. That is why it tips borderline Ace-King hands towards a raise.

Practise free

Caribbean Stud on All In is dealt on our server with virtual coins only. Play a few hands and the Ace-King decision becomes second nature.