Poker has become world acclaimed recently, with televised competitions and celebrity poker game shows. Its universal appeal, though, stretches back in reality a bit further than its television ratings. Over the years several variants on the original poker game have been developed, including a handful of games that are not in reality poker anymore. Caribbean stud poker is one of the above-mentioned games. Regardless of the name, Caribbean stud poker is most closely related to vingt-et-un than old guard poker, in that the gamblers wager against the casino instead of the other players. The succeeding hands, are the traditional poker hands. There is no bluffing or different types of deceptiveness. In Caribbean stud poker, you are required to ante up just before the croupier saying "No further bets." At that point, both you and the bank and of course every one of the other gamblers are given 5 cards each. Once you have looked at your hand and the dealer’s 1st card, you have to either make a call wager or surrender. The call wager’s value is equal to your beginning ante, indicating that the stakes will have doubled. Giving Up means that your wager goes directly to the dealer. After the wager comes the showdown. If the dealer does not have ace/king or better, your bet is returned, plus a sum equal to the ante. If the house has a hand with ace/king or greater, you win if your hand defeats the bank’s hand. The dealer pony’s up chips even with your wager and set expectations on your call bet. These expectations are:
- Equal for a pair or high card
- 2-1 for two pairs
- three to one for 3 of a kind
- 4-1 for a straight
- 5-1 for a flush
- 7-1 for a full house
- twenty to one for a 4 of a kind
- fifty to one for a straight flush
- one hundred to one for a royal flush