Introduction
Caribbean Stud Poker (also known as Cyberstud Poker) is a variation of traditional poker with large payouts for high ranking hands. The game is available with all of the common online softwares. The high house edge and high variance makes it a poor choice for bonus play when blackjack is available.
Rules and Play
After placing a bet, the player and dealer are dealt a 5-card poker hand. Only 1 of the dealer's 5 cards is visible. The player then must choose to either fold and lose the hand or raise. The raise bet must be 2x the ante bet size, so the total bet following a raise is 3x the initial bet size. If the player raises, then there are several possible payouts.
-If the dealer has an Ace and King or better (for example A,K,5,6,7), the dealer "qualifies." If the dealer does not qualify (regardless of whether the player wins or loses the hand), then winnings on the ante bet are paid and the raise bet is returned.
-If the player loses the hand and the dealer qualifies, then the player loses the full bet.
-If the player wins the hand and the dealer qualifies, then the player wins the ante bet, and the raise bet pays according to a listed paytable.
Strategy
The simple strategy of raising with a Ace/King/Jack/8/3 or better results in a house edge ~0.1% from optimal. Wizard of Odds offers the strategy below to further improve results to ~0.001% from optimal.
Always raise with a pair or higher, fold with less than ace/king, and raise on ace/king if any of the following three rules apply:
1. Raise if the dealer's card is a 2 through queen and matches one of yours.
2. Raise if the dealer's card is an ace or king and you have a queen or jack in your hand.
3. Raise if the dealer's rank does not match any of yours and you have a queen in your hand and the dealer's card is less than your fourth highest card.
