Caribbean Stud Poker is a five-card stud game you play against the dealer, not against other players. You don’t need to bluff or read opponents: you make one decision per hand, fold or raise, and the maths behind that decision is well understood. This page covers the rules, the standard payouts, the real house edge and a simple strategy you can use straight away. You can also try Realtime Gaming’s (RTG) version free in the demo on this page.
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Provider (demo) | Realtime Gaming (RTG) |
| Game type | Poker-based table game, player vs dealer |
| Raise bet | Exactly 2× your ante |
| Dealer qualifies with | Ace-King or better |
| House edge (optimal play, standard paytable) | About 5.22% of the ante, or about 2.56% of all money bet |
| Optional side bet | $1 progressive jackpot (high house edge) |
How to play Caribbean Stud Poker
- Place your ante. This is your starting bet for the hand.
- Cards are dealt. You get five cards face down. The dealer gets five cards, one of them face up.
- Fold or raise. Look at your hand and the dealer’s up card. Fold and you lose the ante. Raise and you put in a second bet of exactly twice the ante.
- The dealer reveals. The dealer needs at least Ace-King (an ace and a king in the hand) or any pair or better to qualify.
- Bets are settled as shown in the table below.
| Result | Ante | Raise |
|---|---|---|
| Dealer does not qualify | Wins 1:1 | Returned (push) |
| Dealer qualifies, you win | Wins 1:1 | Paid from the paytable |
| Dealer qualifies, dealer wins | Lost | Lost |
| Dealer qualifies, tie | Push | Push |
The non-qualifying dealer is the part that surprises new players. Even with a strong hand, if the dealer can’t qualify you only win your ante and the raise comes back to you unpaid. It happens often enough that it’s the main reason the game has a house edge.
Caribbean Stud payouts
When the dealer qualifies and your hand wins, the raise bet pays according to your hand. This is the most common paytable:
| Your hand | Raise pays |
|---|---|
| One pair or high card | 1:1 |
| 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 | 100:1 |
Paytables do vary. Some land-based casinos pay more for a royal flush (250:1 at some tables), and casinos in the US often cap the total payout per hand. Online versions can also differ, so check the paytable in the game’s help screen before you play. Not sure how the hands rank? See our poker hand rankings.
House edge: what the numbers really mean
With the standard paytable and perfect strategy, the house edge is about 5.22% of your ante. Because you raise on roughly half of all hands, your average total stake per hand is about twice the ante, so measured against all the money you put on the table the edge works out to about 2.56%. You’ll see both numbers quoted online; they describe the same game, just divided differently.
It’s also far lower than the edge on the progressive side bet covered below. RTG casinos that publish figures for this game list 5.22% for the standard table.
Simple Caribbean Stud strategy
Strategy here is about one thing: when to raise. These rules get you very close to the best possible play:
- Always raise with a pair or better.
- Always fold with less than Ace-King. If your hand doesn’t contain at least an ace and a king, fold.
- With Ace-King and no pair, raise if any of these is true (this is the simplified rule popularised by the Wizard of Odds):
• the dealer’s up card is 2 to queen and matches one of your cards;
• the dealer shows an ace or king and you hold a queen or jack;
• your next-highest card after the ace and king is higher than the dealer’s up card. - Otherwise, fold the Ace-King hand.
Most players lose money in this game by raising too often with weak hands “to see what happens”. Folding feels passive, but folding the right hands is where the strategy saves you money.
The progressive jackpot side bet
RTG’s Caribbean Stud Poker includes an optional $1 progressive side bet. It pays out on a flush or better, whether or not the dealer qualifies:
| Your hand | RTG progressive pays |
|---|---|
| Royal flush | 100% of the jackpot |
| Straight flush | 10% of the jackpot |
| Four of a kind | $500 |
| Full house | $100 |
| Flush | $75 |
The jackpot is tempting, but the side bet usually carries a much higher house edge than the main game. Analysts put it in the region of 25% or more on average, and it only becomes a fair bet when the jackpot has grown very large. If you play it, treat it as a lottery ticket rather than part of your strategy.
Where did Caribbean Stud come from?
The game’s origins are disputed. Poker author David Sklansky has said he created a version called “Casino Poker” in 1982, while most accounts say the game took off in casinos in Aruba in the late 1980s, before spreading to casinos elsewhere.
Similar games to try
If you like Caribbean Stud’s slower, decision-based pace, try Pai Gow Poker, or dice-based Sic Bo. You’ll find more free demos on our online casino games page.
Playing for real money
Our top-rated casino, 1win, has a large table-games section, but the exact games on offer vary by country. If you sign up, you can use the promo code Ultragambler. Online gambling isn’t legal everywhere, so please check the laws where you live first, set a budget you can afford to lose, and remember that no strategy beats the house edge in the long run.
Caribbean Stud Poker FAQ
Is Caribbean Stud Poker a game of skill?
Partly. The cards are random, but your fold or raise decision affects your results. Good strategy lowers the house edge; it can’t remove it.
What does the dealer need to qualify?
Ace-King or better. If the dealer doesn’t qualify, your ante wins even money and your raise is returned.
What is the best hand in Caribbean Stud?
A royal flush. On the standard paytable it pays 100:1 on the raise bet, and in RTG’s version it also wins the full progressive jackpot if you placed the side bet.
Should I play the progressive side bet?
Usually not if you’re trying to make your money last. Its house edge is typically far higher than the main game’s.
Check your local laws before you play
Online gambling laws differ from country to country, and in some places it is restricted or not permitted at all. Before you sign up to any casino listed on UltraGambler, check that online gambling is legal where you live and that the casino accepts players from your country. You must be 18 or older (or the legal gambling age in your country, if higher) to play. Only gamble with money you can afford to lose, and use the deposit limits and self-exclusion tools your casino provides if gambling stops being fun.
