How to play caribbean stud poker

Caribbean Stud Poker is played on a table not unlike a blackjack table; there are ordinarily spots for seven players. Play presumes a familiarity with standard poker hands; one of the distinguishing characteristics of Caribbean Stud Poker is that all players compete against the dealer, another is a progressive jackpot.

Your goal when playing Caribbean Stud is to beat the dealer's five-card poker hand. The game is played with one standard 52-card deck. Shuffling is most often done by an automatic shuffle machine. On the table in front of each player are marked two spots for betting, one 'Ante,' the other 'Bet.' Atop the Ante bet is a slot for players to drop coins and become eligible for the progressive jackpot.

The game begins with all players making an Ante bet; if they wish, they may also put a coin into the progressive jackpot slot. The dealer then deals five cards face down for each player and four cards face down, one face up for himself. Each player now picks up his or her five cards and decides further play based on the dealer's one visible card and his or her own hand.

Option #1: The player believes he won't beat the dealer's hand and so folds by placing the cards face down on the table. In this case, the player loses his ante and the dealer clears the cards from the table without showing them to anybody.
Option #2: The player believes he has a chance at beating the dealer's hand and so continues play. To continue, he must make a call bet double his ante. For example, if his ante was $10, his call bet must be $20. Once all players have decided whether to fold or call, the dealer turns all his cards face up on the table.

In order for the players to win both of their bets, the dealer must have a hand which "qualifies," meaning his hand must be an ace, king or better. Should the dealer's hand not qualify, players who did not fold win even money on their ante bets. The call bet is returned as a push. The dealer collects all cards without showing them to anybody.

Should the dealer's hand qualify by containing at least an ace, king, he "calls" all player's hands. The players must expose their cards on the layout and then the dealer compares his hand with those of the players to see which hand has the highest poker rank. If the dealer's hand is better than the player's hand, the dealer takes that player's ante and call bets. If a player's hand is superior to the dealer's hand, the player wins even money on the ante while the call bet pays according to the following odds.

Call Bet Payoffs/Caribbean Stud Poker

Royal Flush	100 to 1
Straight Flush	50 to 1
Four of a Kind	20 to 1
Full House	7 to 1
Flush	5 to 1
Straight	4 to 1
Three of a Kind	3 to 1
Two Pairs	2 to 1
One Pair	1 to 1
Ace-King	1 to 1

The Progressive Jackpot Bet: The progressive jackpot is an optional bet. The dealer's hand has no impact on whether you win the progressive jackpot. So long as you have made that optional dollar bet, if you have been dealt an eligible hand you will win according to the following schedule.

Progressive Jackpot Payoff/Caribbean Stud Poker

Royal Flush	100% of the jackpot
Straight Flush	10% of the jackpot
Four of a Kind	$500
Full House	$100
Flush	$ 50

The progressive jackpot payout schedule may be modified from one casino to the next, especially as regards the payoff for Four of a Kinds, Full Houses and Flushes. As players feed coins into the jackpot, the jackpot grows and grows. Out of every dollar bet on the progressive jackpot, casinos put from 25 to 75 cents into the jackpot pool.