Playing Caribbean Stud Poker
The ultimate goal of the stud poker is to beat the dealer’s hand (similar to Blackjack), unlike other poker games in which a player plays against the other players. In fact, most people often mistakes this game to be a blackjack game due to the fact that stud tables have 5 playing positions and a place for initial bets. This initial bet is called the ‘ante‘. You have to make an ante before receiving your cards.
The dealer will then deal 5 faced-up cards to each player all at once. He will also be dealt with 5 cards, but only one is faced up. After receiving your cards, as a stud poker player, you have to make a decision. If you think that your hand is good enough to beat the dealer’s, then you have to ‘call‘ and double your Ante (or raise) to maximize your winnings. However, if you think that you have a bad card, do not make an additional wager. You have to fold your cards and then you lose your initial Ante.
Before making a ‘deal‘ (the comparison of the dealer’s hand against the players’ to determine the winners) in the Caribbean stud poker, the dealer will first check whether his hand is qualified. In order to qualify, his hand must be Ace-King high or better. If he does not qualify, then the players’ ante will be paid 1 is to 1, and any raise made will be returned as a ‘push‘. However, you will still lose your ante if you fold, regardless of whether the dealer’s hand is qualified or not.