Caribbean Stud Poker

Caribbean Stud Poker is a live dealer game from Evolution and a fixture of casino floors since the 1980s. You play five cards against the dealer's five, with no drawing and no bluffing – the hand you are dealt is the hand you play.

How It Works

The round begins with an Ante. You then see all five of your cards and one of the dealer's, and decide whether to fold – surrendering the Ante – or to Call with a bet worth twice the Ante.

The dealer qualifies with Ace-King or better. If they fail to qualify, the Ante pays even money and the Call is returned. If they qualify and you win, the Ante pays even money and the Call pays according to your hand – rising steeply from a pair up to a royal flush.

The qualification rule is the source of the game's most familiar frustration: holding a strong hand and watching the dealer miss, so that only the small Ante pays and the large Call comes back untouched.

The Progressive Jackpot

Alongside the main game sits an optional progressive jackpot side bet – a fixed stake, placed before the deal, that pays on your own five cards regardless of the dealer's hand.

The payout ladder typically starts around a flush and climbs to the full jackpot for a royal flush, with a share of the pool for a straight flush. Because it is settled on your cards alone, it pays even in rounds where the dealer fails to qualify and the main hands are a wash.

As with every progressive, the jackpot bet carries a much higher house edge than the game it sits on. It is a lottery ticket attached to a poker hand, and worth treating as one.

Who It Is For

Caribbean Stud suits players who like a five-card poker hand and a single clear decision, and anyone drawn to the possibility of a jackpot from a small side stake.

Players who dislike the qualification rule will find it a recurring annoyance. It is fundamental to the game rather than a quirk of this version.

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