Poker has become world celebrated recently, with televised events and celebrity poker game shows. The games popularity, though, stretches back quite a bit further than its TV ratings. Over the years numerous variants on the earliest poker game have been developed, including a handful of games that are not really poker anymore. Caribbean stud poker is one of these games. Regardless of the name, Caribbean stud poker is most closely affiliated with chemin de fer than old guard poker, in that the gamblers bet against the casino instead of each other. The winning hands, are the established poker hands. There is no bluffing or different types of concealment. In Caribbean stud poker, you are required to ante up before the dealer declares "No further bets." At that instance, both you and the house and of course all of the different gamblers are given five cards. Once you have observed your hand and the casino’s first card, you must in turn make a call wager or give up. The call wager’s value is akin to your beginning ante, indicating that the risks will have doubled. Surrendering means that your ante goes immediately to the dealer. After the bet is the face off. If the house does not have ace/king or greater, your wager is returned, with an amount on par with the ante. If the casino does have ace/king or better, you win if your hand defeats the dealer’s hand. The bank pony’s up money equal to your wager and fixed odds on your call wager. These expectations are:
- Equal for a pair or high card
- two to one for two pairs
- three to one for 3 of a kind
- four to one for a straight
- 5-1 for a flush
- seven to one for a full house
- twenty to one for a four of a kind
- fifty to one for a straight flush
- one hundred to one for a royal flush