Casino Poker Strategy: Caribbean Stud
Caribbean Stud Poker is great fun to play at any UK online casino, but with a typical house edge of 5.22% it isn't the leanest bet you can make especially considering that this assumes ‘perfect play'. That said, don't be put off playing this Poker if you like its style – remember that house edge is merely a measure of how close the odds offered by the casino reflect the actual mathematical risk of the bet. It does not mean you have less chance of winning.
The strictly optimum strategy for perfect play in Caribbean Stud Poker is pretty elaborate and unlikely to be something many players will have the time or inclination to tackle, but the good news is that a simplified version of this strategy is nearly as effective and a much easier prospect to memorise.
The simplest rules of this strategy are:
- Always fold your hand if it could not at least tie with the dealer's minimum qualifying hand (typically A, K).
- Always raise if you hold a single Pair or better.
- the dealer's face-up card is one of the ‘qualifying' cards i.e. an Ace or a King. You should only raise if one of the other three cards in their hand is a Queen or Jack.
- the dealer's face-up card is any card from a 2 to a Queen. You should raise if one of your other three cards matches the dealer's in value.
- the dealer's card value is not matched in your hand. Raise only if your other three cards includes a Queen and one other card that outranks the dealer's in value.
By following these rules, you can be sure you are playing with a near optimal strategy improving your odds of winning.
