"Do you know what the best
thing about this game is?" Jim said as he pulled his chair up next to me
at the Caribbean Stud table. "You can play for a long time before running
out of money. I don't know why casinos keep these games around!"
That's a typical and sadly all-too-common sentiment felt by most players of the
game Caribbean Stud poker. They think that just because it takes them longer to
go broke, it must be an easy game.
"I thought the object of gambling
was winning," I responded. "Not seeing how long it takes to lose."
"Well sure," he said. " But I always lose anyway, so I might
as well play a game that I like. Besides, this one's really easy.
"
Sound familiar?
If you ask most players if
they're good at Caribbean Stud, they typically answer with a nod and an emphatic,
"Of course! They're easy!" Well, I've got some news for you. Any game
is easy to play. Playing, however, is very different from winning. To win, you
have to play correctly, using the proper strategy and money management techniques
that professionals have been preaching for decades. Those principles are no different
if you play a difficult game like blackjack, or the more "straightforward"
games like Caribbean Stud. But unlike blackjack, Caribbean Stud's apparent simplicity
makes players an easy target for the casino.
Let's take a quick little test and see how well you know the basic strategy
for Caribbean Stud poker.
Which of
the following hands would you never make the call bet on?
Player
has A-K-10-4-2 (unsuited) with the dealer exposing an ace.
Player has Q-J-7-2-2
with the dealer exposing a 10.
Player has K-10-8-8-5 with the dealer exposing
an 8.
If
you answered number one, congratulations -you're wrong, and you're one of the
majority of players who thinks that just because a game looks easy, it must be.
The truth is, each of these hands is of sufficient strength to warrant play. And
while you may have known that you must play any pair, you lack the strategic knowledge
necessary to fully compete at this game, and in the not-so-long run that fact
will ruin your bankroll.
Compared to other games, Caribbean Stud is tough
for the simple fact that casinos have a relatively high edge: 5.26% on the ante
bets, which reduces to about 2.5% when the call bets are taken into account. Of
course these figures go right out the window unless the correct strategy is followed.
Before we get into the strategy for the games, let's take a look at
some of the most common and costly mistakes made by the average Caribbean Stud
player .Caribbean Stud Common
Mistakes
