Poker has become world acclaimed recently, with televised events and celebrity poker game shows. The games popularity, though, arcs back quite a bit further than its television ratings. Over the years several variations on the first poker game have been created, including a few games that are not in fact poker anymore. Caribbean stud poker is one of these games. Regardless of the name, Caribbean stud poker is more closely resembling blackjack than traditional poker, in that the gamblers bet against the house rather than each other. The winning hands, are the traditional poker hands. There is no bluffing or different types of deceptiveness. In Caribbean stud poker, you are expected to ante up before the dealer declares "No further wagers." At that instance, both you and the house and of course all of the different players are given five cards each. After you have looked at your hand and the dealer’s initial card, you have to either make a call bet or give up. The call wager’s amount is equal to your beginning ante, which means that the stakes will have doubled. Surrendering means that your wager goes instantly to the casino. After the bet is the face off. If the casino does not have ace/king or greater, your wager is given back, with an amount on par with the ante. If the casino does have ace/king or better, you win if your hand defeats the bank’s hand. The house pays out money even with your bet and controlled expectations on your call bet. These expectations are:
- Even for a pair or high card
- two to one for 2 pairs
- three to one for 3 of a kind
- four to one for a straight
- five to one for a flush
- 7-1 for a full house
- 20-1 for a four of a kind
- fifty to one for a straight flush
- one hundred to one for a royal flush