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Caribbean Stud Poker is a house-banked five-card game: you play against the dealer, not the other players. After receiving your cards and seeing one dealer card, you either fold and lose your ante or call with a wager twice the ante. The dealer usually needs ace-king or better to qualify. Because payout tables differ between operators, check the rules posted for the game you are playing before relying on a strategy or return figure.
How a hand of Caribbean Stud Poker works
Each player places an ante, then receives five cards. The dealer also receives five cards, with one exposed. After looking at your hand and the dealer’s upcard, you choose whether to fold or continue.
- Place the ante. This is the initial wager required to receive a hand.
- Review your five cards and the dealer’s exposed card.
- Fold or call. Folding forfeits the ante. Calling requires a second wager equal to exactly twice the ante.
- The dealer reveals the remaining cards. Under the cited PokerStars live-game rules, the dealer qualifies with ace-king or better.
- Settle the wagers. The result depends on whether the dealer qualifies and which hand wins.
Players do not compete with one another, and other players’ decisions do not determine whether your hand wins against the dealer.
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The following settlement describes the rules published for PokerStars’ live Caribbean Stud Poker. A different operator’s posted rules take precedence.
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| Outcome | Ante | Call wager |
|---|---|---|
| You fold | Lost | No call wager is made |
| Dealer does not qualify | Wins even money | Pushes |
| Dealer qualifies and beats your hand | Lost | Lost |
| Your hand beats a qualifying dealer | Wins even money | Pays according to the posted hand-ranking table |
| Your hand ties a qualifying dealer | Pushes | Pushes |
“Even money” means a winning wager returns winnings equal to the amount wagered, in addition to the returned stake. A push returns the wager without a win or loss.
Caribbean Stud Poker payouts depend on the table
There is no single payout schedule that applies to every Caribbean Stud game. These two published schedules illustrate why you should identify the operator and table before comparing payouts. The ratios below are call-bet winnings, not a promise of overall return.
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| Player hand | PokerStars live-game call-bet table | Pagat schedule |
|---|---|---|
| High card or one pair | 1:1 | Even money |
| Two pair | 2:1 | 2:1 |
| Three of a kind | 3:1 | 3:1 |
| Straight | 5:1 | 4:1 |
| Flush | 7:1 | 5:1 |
| Full house | 10:1 | 7:1 |
| Four of a kind | 25:1 | 20:1 |
| Straight flush | 50:1 | 50:1 |
| Royal flush | 100:1 | 100:1 |
For the PokerStars live game, the operator lists a theoretical RTP of 98.19%; its separate 5+1 Bonus has a listed theoretical RTP of 91.44%. These are operator-specific theoretical figures, not observed results or universal values. Pagat reports a 2.56% house edge under the rules it analyzes. These figures use different sources and assumptions, so they should not be treated as directly interchangeable.
Check the game’s own paytable and rules for the dealer’s qualification threshold, what happens to each wager when the dealer does not qualify, tie handling, and the call-bet payouts. Those details affect the value of a strategy and any published return or house-edge figure.
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Strategy: match advice to the rules
The fold-or-call choice is the main strategic decision. A call costs twice the ante, so the decision should account for your five-card hand, the dealer’s upcard, the dealer’s qualification rule, and the call-bet paytable. A rule of thumb detached from those assumptions can lead to the wrong decision.
What published strategy analyses say
- Pagat describes optimal play as complex and difficult to apply without a calculator. For its modeled rules, it reports a 2.56% optimal-play house edge and says its simplified “AKJ83-or-stronger” approach comes within 0.1 percentage point of optimal. Both figures apply to Pagat’s analysis, not every table.
- Wizard of Odds reports that its optimal strategy raises 52.23% of the time, with an average total wager of 2.045 units. Its guidance includes always raising a pair or better, folding below ace-king, and applying additional conditions to ace-king hands. Consult its full strategy analysis for those conditions and its assumptions; the summary is not a universal rule.
Neither a strategy nor a theoretical edge guarantees profit in an individual session. Before applying advice, verify that the source’s modeled qualification rule and paytable match the game in front of you.
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Optional bonus and progressive bets
Some versions offer a bonus or progressive wager in addition to the ante and call. These bets use separate rules and payouts; do not fold their returns into the main-game paytable.
PokerStars 5+1 Bonus
PokerStars describes its 5+1 Bonus as based on the player’s five cards plus the dealer’s exposed card, and says the result is not affected by the fold-or-call decision. Its published bonus table pays 7:1 for three of a kind, 10:1 for a straight, 15:1 for a flush, 20:1 for a full house, 100:1 for four of a kind, 200:1 for a straight flush, and 1,000:1 for a royal flush.
Progressive jackpot terms
Jackpot eligibility and payout mechanics vary by operator. LeoVegas describes a progressive jackpot shared among players who placed a jackpot bet in the winning round; BetMGM says its paytable displays the current jackpot and potential share. Read the operator’s specific paytable and terms to see what qualifies and how any prize is divided.
Quick Recap
What to check before you play
- The dealer qualification rule, including whether it is ace-king or another threshold.
- Whether a nonqualifying dealer causes the ante to win and the call to push, or a different result.
- The call-bet payouts for each hand ranking and how ties are settled.
- Whether bonus or jackpot wagers are optional, how they are evaluated, and whether jackpot prizes are shared.
- For any stated RTP or house edge, the exact paytable and rules it assumes, and whether side bets are included.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
