Caribbean Stud poker is fun, but it's more fun if you have a
strategy for winning. Plopping money down, crossing your fingers and
praying might have an appeal for some people, but maybe those people
have a money-printer in the basement? For the rest of us, I've put
together a strategy guide for the game, to minimize the house edge,
and improve our chances of beating Caribbean Stud with strategic
play.
Progressive Strategy
If your goal is to minimize your losses and the house edge, then
don't play the progressive bet unless the jackpot is huge, at least
six figures. The odds of hitting any of the hands that qualify for a
progressive payout is tiny, and much of the house edge on Caribbean
Stud comes from that particular bet.
Folding When You Have Nothing
Your strategy for playing a hand with nothing in it is simple.
Fold.
50% of the time, the dealer will qualify, in which case, if she
qualifies, you'll lose your bet.
The other 50% of the time, the dealer won't qualify. If that's
the case, you win nothing on the bet, you just get it returned to
you.
So there is 0 positive outcome involved in playing a nothing
hand. Do you see why?
Strategy for Playing a Pair
The dealer has about a 50% chance of not being able to beat any
pair. You should probably play any pair that's better higher than
the dealer's exposed card, but consider folding any pair that's
lower in rank than the dealer's exposed card.
Bluffing Strategy
Don't bluff. Do you see why?
Bluffing is a poker strategy with the intention of making your
opponent fold. The dealer never folds, so bluffing at Caribbean Stud
automatically has a negative expectation.
Money Management and Ranging Your Bets
Some people advise raising your bets if you haven't seen a good
hand for a while. This assumes that the deck has a memory, and that
you're somehow "due" a good hand. That's not the way cards work in
the real world.
The deck only has a "memory" if certain cards have already been
played and discarded. But in the case where you're expecting a new
shuffle and deal every hand, it's just as random as can be, and you
don't become "due" for a good hand, even though it's nice to think
you are.
In other words, the odds of getting a high-paying hand are the
same every hand. So range your bets if you think it's fun, but don't
do it because you think it affects the house edge, because it
doesn't.
Be sure to visit the rest of our guide to Caribbean Stud Poker:
