Poker has become world famous as of late, with televised competitions and celebrity poker game events. The games universal appeal, though, arcs back in fact a bit further than its TV scores. Over the years several variations on the original poker game have been developed, including some games that are not really poker anymore. Caribbean stud poker is one of the above-mentioned games. Regardless of the name, Caribbean stud poker is more closely related to blackjack than traditional poker, in that the players bet against the casino rather than the other players. The succeeding hands, are the established poker hands. There is little concealment or different types of deception. In Caribbean stud poker, you are expected to pay up prior to the dealer broadcasting "No further bets." At that instance, both you and the bank and of course all of the other gamblers are given five cards. After you have seen your hand and the casino’s first card, you have to either make a call bet or surrender. The call wager’s amount is akin to your original ante, which means that the stakes will have increased two fold. Abandoning means that your wager goes instantaneously to the house. After the bet is the showdown. If the bank does not have ace/king or greater, your bet is returned, plus an amount equal to the ante. If the bank has a hand with ace/king or better, you win if your hand is greater than the dealer’s hand. The bank pays out chips even with your original bet and set odds on your call wager. These odds are:
- Equal for a pair or high card
- 2-1 for 2 pairs
- 3-1 for three of a kind
- four to one for a straight
- 5-1 for a flush
- seven to one for a full house
- 20-1 for a 4 of a kind
- fifty to one for a straight flush
- one hundred to one for a royal flush