Caribbean Stud Poker is a popular casino game that is offered at most casinos, both live and online. It has a long and storied past, and it is one of the few games in the casino that gives players the chance to win a huge amount for a low outlay if there is a progressive jackpot being offered on the table for players that are dealt a Royal Flush. But to win that huge amount requires a good deal of luck, because the odds are quite high. However, while the game is for the most part down to Lady Luck and her cohorts, you can increase your chances of a winning session at the Caribbean Stud Poker table by playing with the best strategy possible and reducing the house’s edge to something much more manageable.

Unlike games such as roulette, you can play Caribbean Stud Poker with an element of strategy which helps to reduce the house’s odds. While the game still boils down to an element of luck, knowing the best way to maximize your potential for winning puts you in a better position than a lot of other Caribbean Stud Poker players.

The most basic strategy you can use when playing Caribbean Stud Poker revolves around what hands you should play and what hands you should fold instantly. As you could guess, strong, made hands are perfect for playing, while weak hands should be folded. The first piece of strategy is that you should never fold a pair or better. Any other hand is an automatic fold, regardless of what is being shown. There is no real thought behind this method other than the fact that you have a strong hand which the dealer will struggle to beat. So, a pair or better, get a raise in.

The next piece of strategy is that should also never fold A-K-x-x-x. In fact, basic strategy goes as far as to suggest that you should only be playing A-K-J-8-3 or better. Some thought has gone into this process, because having A-K-x-x-x means it is less likely for the dealer’s hand to qualify because you have two of the cards they need to make their hand. Of course, they could still qualify with a pair or better, but there is nothing you can do to avoid that. In fact, even if you are playing pairs and above only, a dealer having a pair or better can still beat you. So, playing A-K-x-x-x and better is seen as being the marginally better play than playing pairs and above only.

Finally, if the Caribbean Stud Poker table has a progressive jackpot, you should be aware of when the best time to play it would be. You should, in theory, only be playing the progressive jackpot when it has a greater payout than the odds of hitting it. The odds in being dealt a Royal Flush to qualify for the progressive jackpot are a staggering 649,740-1. This means that in order for you to get any value from your $1 on the progressive jackpot, the value of the progressive jackpot must be $649,741 or greater. That is not to say that you should never play the progressive jackpot if its value is less than that, because any six-figure win is great from a $1, but from a purely mathematical standpoint, it is not the correct play.

These basic strategy ideas are not going to give you an edge over the casino in the way basic strategy could when playing blackjack, but it is definitely a way to reduce the house edge slightly, giving you a better chance to finish the session in front than you would have if you played hands without any thought of strategy. Caribbean Stud Poker is not a game for bluffing, and it is definitely not a game for risk takers looking to try and outplay the casino. It is more of a game for the mathematically minded, calculating players that like to grind away. If you do play Caribbean Stud Poker aggressively, it is not going to end well for you, and the house will take your money a lot faster than it would if you were playing using some of the basic strategies outlined above.

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