Caribbean Stud Payouts
I know I’m getting long in the tooth, but realizing that many of my favorite casino table games are on the decline is still a kick in the… well, the teeth.
I came up playing advantage games like online blackjack and online video poker, and indeed, these skill-based games are still my bread and butter. But in between the intense, brain-draining sessions trying to grind out a living on those tables, I always found time to blow off some steam playing less demanding table games.
No, I didn’t “donk” off my winnings playing games of chance like online roulette or online baccarat, I preferred sticking to lesser known skill-games like online Caribbean Stud Poker and online Spanish 21.
Caribbean Stud is another game that has suffered few changes in overall structure after entering the online environment. In fact, the two biggest changes involve its name—which varies according to software provider–and the payout structure for both the bet and progressive jackpot. Best of all, being Caribbean Stud Poker Payouts able to play free casino with all the Caribbean Stud Poker Payouts opportunities that we mentioned earlier, is the option to play anywhere, anytime, no matter where you are or what time, since being online and have a.
After learning to play cards through five-card stud lessons alongside my grandfather, I’ve always been partial to stud variants.
And because five-card stud is just as dead as Gramps, playing Caribbean Stud Poker offered the next best thing.
As for Spanish 21, I’m a blackjack specialist by trade, so relaxing the standard rules and letting players explore a wide variety of new options was right up my alley.
So it was that I spent many a long night alternating between “work” while playing online blackjack and online video poker, and fun sessions for low stakes at the Caribbean Stud Poker and Spanish 21 tables.
Knowing all this, you can imagine my dismay when I landed in Las Vegas recently and headed to my favorite haunts – Caesars Palace, Bellagio, and MGM Grand – only to discover both games have been completely removed from the floor. I mean it, not a single table for either Caribbean Stud Poker or Spanish 21 can be found at those casinos, or any other in Las Vegas for that matter.
Fortunately for me and my fellow old-timers, a pit boss I’ve known for ages clued me in on a little secret.
He’s not supposed to advise players to visit competing casinos, so I’ll keep his name and workplace a secret, but this pal told me to check out the Venetian and Palazzo casinos on the north end of The Strip.
And boy am I glad I did…
Tucked away in a corner of the table game pit was a sight for sore eyes – Caribbean Stud Poker AND Spanish 21 tables running around the clock.
You should’ve seen me that night, like a kid on Christmas morning rushing across the room to open my new gifts. I hadn’t played the games in quite some time, so I was a little rusty at first, but I picked things up just like riding a bike.
And wouldn’t you know it? This old gambling man wound up winning a decent sum when it was all said and done.
I know I can’t be the only online Caribbean Stud and/or Spanish 21 fan still pining for the good old days, so I wrote this post for anybody who prefers obscure table games over the latest hot ticket. Below you’ll find a guide to playing both Caribbean Stud Poker and Spanish 21 at the Venetian and Palazzo casinos, which just so happen to be my new favorite haunts while visiting Las Vegas.
Playing Caribbean Stud Poker at the Venetian and Palazzo
If you’ve never played online Caribbean Stud Poker before, just take a gander at this dual-rate pay table to see why my generation took a liking to it:
Caribbean Stud Pay Table
| HAND | ANTE | RAISE* |
| Royal Flush | 1 to 1 | 100 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 1 to 1 | 50 to 1 |
| Four of a Kind | 1 to 1 | 20 to 1 |
| Full House | 1 to 1 | 7 to 1 |
| Flush | 1 to 1 | 5 to 1 |
| Straight | 1 to 1 | 3 to 1 |
| Three of a Kind | 1 to 1 | 2 to 1 |
| Two Pair | 1 to 1 | 1 to 1 |
| One Pair | 1 to 1 | 1 to 1 |
| High Card | 1 to 1 | 1 to 1 |
*Only paid when dealer has a qualifying hand of A-K high or better
You can give the game a whirl by trying the Caribbean Stud Poker training tool that is available online for free. Before long, you’ll be playing like a real pro!
Over at the Venetian, you’ll find two tables spreading this classic casino offering. Both tables utilize a $15 minimum bet for the Ante, so be prepared to fire $45 total should you make the 2x-sized Raise bet to reach the showdown. High rollers can always up the ante too, all the way up to $500 per Ante bet.
And speaking of high rollers, the Palazzo has a single Caribbean Stud Poker table on hand with the same $15 minimum and a juiced up $2,000 max-bet limit.
Playing Spanish 21 at the Venetian and Palazzo
After I cleaned up at the Caribbean Stud Poker tables, I moved on to Spanish 21, still one of my favorite blackjack offshoots of all-time.
Things get froggy in a hurry thanks to several player-friendly rules. In case you’re unfamiliar with the liberal rules and gameplay, check out the laundry list of additions to standard blackjack used to create Spanish 21:
Spanish 21 Rules That Favor the Player
- “Charlie” hands – meaning any five, six, or seven cards without a bust – count as sure winners. Even if the dealer makes blackjack, you’ll still win with a Charlie.
- If the dealer makes a multi-card 21 (or a non-blackjack 21), any 21 you make still counts as a winner
- After doubling down once, you can then “redouble” by making a third bet and taking another card.
- After splitting any pair, you can then double down on the new hands created by the split.
- After splitting two Aces, you can then “re-split” should another A-A combo appear.
- Any five-card 21 is good for a 3 to 2 payout. Six-card 21s count for a 2 to 1 winner, and seven-card 21s produce a 3 to 1 payout.
- Landing a 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 on your first three cards, in different suits, is good for a 3 to 2 payout.
- Landing any suited 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 counts for a 2 to 1 winner
- Landing a 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 specifically in spades ups the payout to 3 to 1
- Landing a suited 7-7-7 with a 7 for the dealer up card triggers a $1,000 jackpot on any bet of $25 or less
- Landing a suited 7-7-7 with a 7 for the dealer up card triggers a $5,000 jackpot on any bets over $25
That’s a lot to digest for standard blackjack fans, so head over to try online Spanish 21 out for yourself, free of charge.
The Venetian spreads Spanish 21 using an 8-deck shoe on three different tables.
The Palazzo has a single Spanish 21 table with an 8-deck shoe.
And under the house rules for both games, which match those listed above, you’ll face a reasonable house edge of just 0.76 percent.
Conclusion
Boy am I glad I always tip generously and make conversation with the pit bosses. If I didn’t, I probably would’ve found myself leaving Las Vegas under the mistaken belief that both Caribbean Stud Poker and Spanish 21 were dead forever. These obscure table games may be in a state of decline – who among us isn’t, am I right? – but as long as the Venetian and Palazzo are still standing, gamblers with a taste for the old-school like me can still enjoy their favorite games in style.
Caribbean Stud Poker is a casino table game that closely resembles Five-Card Stud Poker. This game was developed in the 1980’s and was intended to try to entice poker players to play more table games at casinos. David Sklansky has claimed that he is the creator of Caribbean Stud.
A major rule change from Five Card Stud Poker is that Caribbean Stud Poker is played only against the dealer, and not against any of the other players at the table. Due to this aspect of the game, there is no bluffing or other means of deception involved. Considering these features of Caribbean Stud Poker, this game could be a great way for unfamiliar poker players to learn the essence of the game of poker while not being afraid of being less skilled than their surrounding players.
In addition to helping players new to the world of poker, this game also can provide seasoned players with lucrative payouts, should they use some strategies that could elevate their game.
How Caribbean Stud is Played
This game is played on a table specifically made for it, and there are specific areas where certain bets are to be made. In front of each player will be an area for their antes and their bets. Additionally, there will be either an area or a slot which is used for progressive payout jackpot bets, should players feel inclined to make one. At the beginning of each round, players will make their ante to be able to play the game. All antes must be made before the dealer declares “no more bets”; should a player miss this announcement, they will have to wait until the next round in order to play.
At this point, the dealer will deal every player five cards, faced down. The dealer will then reveal their first card to the players. The players will then be able to look at their own cards. It is extremely important that players only look at their own cards and that they do not discuss their hand with anyone else playing at the table.
Based upon what cards each player has, they will then be able to decide whether they want to fold or to bet. Folding results in a loss of the player’s ante and that player must wait until next round to play again. Should a player wager a bet, the bet must be equal to twice the value of the ante. Thus, a $5 ante would require a $10 bet.
After all decisions regarding folding or betting have been made, the dealer will reveal all of their cards.
The dealer can qualify to play past this point only if his hand contains an Ace and a King or forms a pair or anything better than a pair. If the dealer’s hand does not qualify, all antes are paid even money and all bets are pushed. Following the $5 ante example used earlier, this scenario would result in the player receiving their $5 ante plus another $5, as well as reclaiming their $10 bet, thus walking away from that round with $20, and a net of $5.
Should the dealer’s hand qualify, the dealer will begin comparing cards against the players individually, starting with the player farthest right of the dealer. If a player’s card beats the dealer’s, the player will receive even money on their ante and their bet is paid out according to the pay table. Alternatively, a player will lose both their ante and their wagered bet if they lose to the dealer. In the event of a tie, the ante and bet are pushed.
Caribbean Stud Rules
There are some strict rules that must be followed while playing Caribbean Stud Poker. As mentioned above, players are not allowed to discuss their hands to any other players at the table. Violating this rule will result in a dead hand and forfeiture of all bets. Another rule is that players may only have one hand per round. Yet another rule is that players must have all five of their cards in plain sight of the dealer. Additionally, players are not allowed to lift their cards a second time, so players should think carefully of what they are going to do when viewing their cards the first time.
Caribbean Stud Strategies
Using an optimal strategy will result in a house edge of 5.2% of the player’s ante bet. Attempting to use a perfect strategy is probably impossible, but there are some generalizations that players can act upon that can tip the edge in their favor. For example, a general rule of thumb is that a player should never fold if they have a pair or anything higher and that a player should always fold when their hand has anything less than an Ace and a King.
Players can further develop their edge if they maintain an Ace and a King and employ some tactics. For example, if the dealer’s upturned card is an Ace or a King, the player should raise if they have a Queen or Jack (in addition to the Ace and King), as this signifies that the player has blockers on the dealer’s pairs and that the player more than likely has the best Ace-King hand.
Another tactic regarding the Ace-King strategy is to raise if the dealer’s upturned card is between 2 and Queen and the player has a match in their hand. Should a player effectively use the Ace-King strategy, they could see the house edge go down by as much as 2.3%, which can have a substantial effect on their outcomes.
Caribbean Stud Payouts
When a player beats the dealer, the player is given even money on their ante, and the following regarding their bets:
– Royal Flush: 100 to 1
– Straight Flush: 50 to 1
– Four of a Kind: 20 to 1
– Full House: 7 to 1
– Flush: 5 to 1
– Straight: 4 to 1
– Three of a Kind: 3 to 1
– Two Pair: 2 to 1
– One pair or less: 1 to 1
Caribbean Stud Payout
Caribbean Stud Progressive Payout
A Progressive Payout Jackpot is a jackpot that increases a small amount each game, should players elect to take part in it. In Caribbean Stud Poker, players must bet $1 on the jackpot before the dealer announces “no more bets” in order to potentially win the jackpot.
Caribbean Stud Poker Payouts
The full jackpot is only awarded to a player who has a Royal Flush. Should the player have a Straight Flush, they will be awarded 10% of the jackpot. Other jackpot winnings are $500 for a Four of a Kind, $100 for a Full House, and $50 for a Flush. These are the payouts for jackpot winners, regardless of the outcome of their bets.