Live Caribbean Stud Poker: Online Casinos, Rules, and Strategies

Caribbean stud poker is a casino table game where you battle the dealer, not other players. We'll go into how to play Caribbean stud poker in more detail later, but the goal is to be dealt a five card poker hand better than the dealer's - do that, and you'll find yourself winning a prize.

The RTP of live Caribbean stud poker - the amount of money the average player wins back - can vary wildly, from around 92% up to 98%. The RTP is affected mainly by the composition of the paytable, so compare a few games before you start playing to ensure you get the best possible deal.

Caribbean stud poker is one of the easiest games in a live casino, needing just one decision throughout the entire game. Here's how to play a hand of live Caribbean stud poker - we'll get into the potential side bets further down the page.

1. Make an ante bet. The minimum and maximum values of this mandatory bet depend on the version of live Caribbean stud poker you're playing.
2. You're then dealt five cards, all face down. The dealer also receives five cards, four face down and one visible.
3. Decide to fold or raise. If you fold, you lose your ante wager and the round ends. If you raise, you place another bet, exactly double the size of the ante bet.
4. The dealer reveals their other four cards.
5. The dealer must have at least a hand featuring ace king to qualify.
6. If the dealer doesn't qualify, you win double your initial ante bet, and the raise is a push.
7. If the dealer qualifies and you have a better hand, you win double your ante bet. The prize for your raise bet is calculated using the paytable - the better the hand, the bigger the prize.
8. If the dealer qualifies and you have a worse hand, you lose your ante bet and raise.
9. If you tie with the dealer, both the ante bet and raise push.

As you can see, playing live Caribbean stud poker is a breeze. If you have any questions about the gameplay, don't hesitate to reach out to the dealer.

If you're going to play Caribbean stud poker, knowing the hand rankings is essential. Luckily, if you're a person who has played poker before, they'll be pretty familiar.

If you're not a seasoned player, check out our cheat sheet and keep it close by while you learn the ropes.

What happens with payouts depends largely on whether the dealer's hand qualifies. The lowest qualifying hand is anything containing an ace and a king.

If the dealer fails to qualify, your ante bet will be paid out at even money, meaning it will be doubled. This is regardless of whether your hand beats the dealer's or not. Your raise bet will be a push, meaning you receive your bet back.

If the dealer qualifies and you win, you will double your ante bet. Your raise will also be a winner, with the amount you win based on the strength of your hand. If the dealer qualifies and you lose, both your ante and raise bets will be lost.

Paytables vary, but below, you can see the paytable from the highly popular Evolution Caribbean stud poker game, found at many popular live casinos.

Side bets are a popular addition to Caribbean stud poker. They're essentially a separate game with no bearing on the outcome of the main game. They can offer substantial prizes and add even more fun to a hand, but they nearly always have RTPs lower than the main game. So, more experienced players will often avoid them.

A progressive jackpot side game is commonly found at Caribbean stud poker. In it, you try to win a prize that continually rises as more and more people play. To win the prize, make the progressive jackpot side bet and then land a royal flush. If any player wins the progressive prize, it's shared between everyone on their table who has placed the progressive side bet.

Other prizes can also be won via the progressive jackpot side bet, and the individual solely wins these other prizes - they're not shared. Here's the paytable for the Evolution Caribbean stud poker progressive jackpot game, which has a tiny RTP of 81.84%.

The 5+1 bonus side bet is also popular online. It challenges you to make the best five-card poker hand using your five cards and the dealer's face-up card. Any hand better than three-of-a-kind wins. Again, it is offered in the Evolution Caribbean stud poker game, with an RTP of 91.44%. Here's the paytable:

While Caribbean stud poker is a simple game, the optimal strategy is notoriously tricky to master, thanks to the vast number of combinations of cards you and the dealer could show.

Your strategy is based on two factors: your cards and the dealer's face-up card. While there are several nuances understood only by the most experienced players, the two basic rules to follow are:

• Always raise when you have a pair or higher.
• Always fold when you have a hand lower than the dealer's qualifying hand.

While the tips above won't maximize the game's RTP, they are a solid starting point for new players.

Once you're comfortable with the basic strategy we just mentioned, here are a few other strategies to help you improve your game.

• You should raise if you get A-K in your hand and the dealer shows Q or lower, plus you have a card matching their upcard.
• If the dealer shows A or K, only raise if you have A-K plus a Q or J.
• You should raise if you have a Q and the dealer's card is lower than your fourth-highest card.

It's important to remember that the above tips don't guarantee you'll win Caribbean stud poker hands, but just increase your chances of doing so.

You'll find live Caribbean stud poker offered at online casinos across the US. So, how do you choose the casino that's best for you?

You've got to play at an online casino offering high player safety and security. Luckily, doing this is simple: play at any online casino licensed and regulated in your state. This means it'll have fair games and security in place to protect your personal and banking details properly.

But what if you live outside a state with legal online casinos? Then, you should play at a sweepstakes casino instead. These aren't licensed, but there are several with stellar reputations that you can trust completely.

Several providers offer live Caribbean stud poker, including Evolution, the biggest name in live dealer games. While these providers offer similar products, they differ in some ways, including the layout and the quality of the dealers.

The version of live Caribbean stud poker you prefer will depend on your personal preference. Test a few of them before deciding on your preferred option.

When searching for a new online casino, we always suggest looking for the best casino welcome bonuses. But live games don't usually contribute towards the wagering requirements, so finding the best welcome bonus isn't a priority.

Instead, you should look for online casinos with specific bonuses for live dealer players. These are often deposit bonuses and can be worth thousands. Also, look for casinos with rewarding loyalty schemes that give something back when you play live dealer games.

Mobile accessibility is crucial for modern gamers. The best Caribbean stud poker sites offer mobile-friendly platforms through dedicated mobile casino apps or responsive web designs that function seamlessly on various devices.

If you're a mobile player, we suggest testing various apps and/or mobile websites before settling on your preferred live casino.

Before signing up with an online casino, ensure it accepts your preferred casino payment methods. Most casinos accept credit/debit card deposits, plus deposits using various e-wallets.

Also, check on the withdrawal times a casino offers, as you'll want to get your hands on your winnings as quickly as possible. There's no excuse for a casino taking longer than 48 hours to approve your withdrawal request.

Live Caribbean stud poker is a straightforward game to learn and is popular with live casino players worldwide, including in the US. It's easy to see why, as anyone can play, plus the prizes available can be gigantic, especially if you opt-in to the progressive jackpot side game.

You'll find plenty of online casinos with live Caribbean stud poker in their lineups, so why not explore them today and find the best Caribbean poker site for you?