Web poker has become world famous recently, with televised competitions and celebrity poker game shows. Its popularity, though, stretches back in reality a bit farther than its TV ratings. Over the years many variants on the original poker game have been created, including some games that are not really poker anymore. Caribbean stud poker is 1 of these games. Despite the name, Caribbean stud poker is more closely related to twenty-one than traditional poker, in that the players bet against the bank instead of the other players. The succeeding hands, are the established poker hands. There is little bluffing or other kinds of concealment. In Caribbean stud poker, you are required to pay up just before the croupier broadcasting "No more bets." At that point, both you and the casino and of course all of the other players attain 5 cards. Once you have looked at your hand and the casino’s initial card, you have to either make a call wager or bow out. The call bet’s value is akin to your beginning ante, which means that the stakes will have increased two fold. Abandoning means that your wager goes directly to the house. After the bet comes the face off. If the bank doesn’t have ace/king or better, your wager is returned, plus an amount on par with the ante. If the bank has a hand with ace/king or greater, you win if your hand beats the casino’s hand. The bank pays out chips even with your ante and set expectations on your call bet. These odds are:
- Equal for a pair or high card
- two to one for 2 pairs
- 3-1 for 3 of a kind
- 4-1 for a straight
- five to one for a flush
- 7-1 for a full house
- twenty to one for a 4 of a kind
- 50-1 for a straight flush
- 100-1 for a royal flush