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You
Can’t Find Treasure Island Without a Map
or Play Caribbean Stud Without a Strategy
by Elliot and Ira Frome
More than 500 years
ago, Columbus ended up in the Caribbean while looking for a route to the Far
East. That certainly set a record for how far one can go astray without a map.
On succeeding return trips, Columbus could then navigate the area with skill.
About 50 years
ago, a brilliant engineer at M.I.T. produced a remarkable model to illustrate
the learning process. It consisted of a labyrinth that could be altered at will
simply by moving plug-in modules that made up the walls. A mechanical mouse
would be released at the entrance and would attempt to find its way to the food
at the end of the labyrinth. The first attempt would be pitiful as the mouse
would butt every wall and find just about every dead-end before getting to the
cheese. On the second attempt, the mouse would be nearly perfect in its travels,
and by the third, the mouse would fly through like a guided missile. This engineer
took it around the country and the mouse amazed everyone, becoming known as
Shannon’s Mouse.
Red Barber used
to say that even a blind pig can find an acorn once in a while when he described
a poor player who miraculously made a difficult catch. Las Vegas casinos happily
can testify to that.
Now, these bits
of history have a bearing on the game of Caribbean Stud. Of course, without
Columbus, the Princess and the Royal Caribbean cruise lines might never have
been started and who would want to play Bay of Pigs Stud?? But that’s not
the connection we want to stress.
Like Columbus and
Shannon’s Mouse and Red Barber’s pig, most of the participants are
playing "Carib" on a wing and a prayer, having no idea of what they
should do to win. And we mean "participants" in a broad sense, because
neither the players, the dealers, the pit bosses or the unseen moguls could
pin down an optimum strategy because they never have had any "map"
to guide them. Until now, nobody ever thought to write a player’s guide
to the optimum strategy or to derive an estimate of the payback one could expect.
The rules for playing
Caribbean Stud are easy to learn. The game is played with a single standard
52-card deck on a table closely resembling blackjack. In front of each player
is a Drop Slot for a single-dollar chip deposit, applicable only for the Progressive
Jackpot awards. There are also two wagering squares labeled ANTE and BET.
Participation in
the Jackpot awards is entirely optional. The dealer will solicit entries, then
register and deposit them before dealing. We’ll come to this phase later
on.
To get into the
game, a player must place a wager in the ANTE box. Each player and the dealer
will be dealt five cards in rotation, all face down, except for the dealer’s
last card, which stays face up. Players may then pick up their cards and must
decide whether their hands are strong enough to compete with the dealer’s.
To compete, a player must put a wager, exactly equal to twice the ANTE, into
the BET square.
Any player who
does not wish to compete (call) the dealer by making the BET, must surrender
the ANTE and turn the cards face down. After the surrenders are made, the dealer
turns over his cards and makes the best possible poker hand with them.
If the dealer has
less than an Ace-King hand, the hand is deemed ‘NOT QUALIFIED’ and
all active players are paid even money on their ANTE, and their BET is returned
to them. Unless they claim a share of the Jackpot, their cards will be collected.
Jackpot awards are made for Natural Royals, which get 100%, Straight Flushes
at 10%, and fixed dollar amounts for Four of a Kind, Full House and Flush. The
awards do not depend on the dealer’s hand being qualified.
With a hand of
Ace-King or higher, the dealer’s hand is deemed to be ‘QUALIFIED’
and all active players must compete with their individual hands against the
dealer’s. The dealer will inspect each hand and make the best hand for
each player. Players who beat the dealer are paid even money on their ANTE and
get the following odds on their BET, depending on the strength of their hand:
One Pair or less
1 - 1
Two Pairs 2 - 1
Three of a Kind
3 - 1
Straight 4 - 1
Flush 5 - 1
Full House 7 -
1
Four of a Kind
20 - 1
Straight Flush
50 - 1
Royal Flush 100
- 1
These payouts are
subject to normal table limits and are in addition to the progressive Jackpot
awards.
If a player’s
hand does not beat the dealer’s, the player forfeits both the ANTE and
BET. In either case, the hand is over, the deck is shuffled and the cycle is
repeated.
The only decision
a player has to make is whether to place a BET or to fold the hand. Ninety-nine
percent of the people we spoke to, on both sides of the table, did not know
the right answer. At least 80% of the players made obvious errors in this one
decision. Very few people were able to estimate the payback they could expect
and those who did admitted it was purely guess-work. Is it any wonder the casinos
hold far more than the intrinsic "VIG" on the game and that many onlookers
are intimidated by it??
That’s why
we analyzed Caribbean Stud and wrote a 14-page booklet "Expert Strategy
for Caribbean Stud" which tells players when to hold ‘em, when to
fold ‘em and what to expect from this fascinating game. The strategy is
easily remembered but we know you won’t want to see it without the accompanying
proof. However, we can tell you that its payback is close to 97.5% when played
properly; this figure is demonstrated in the book.
What is even more
important, the analysis shows the average win/lose figures for each hand that
should be BET vs. the dealer’s upcard. That’s to keep players from
getting psyched out because of unrealistic expectations about what a hand is
really worth. You will see that, just as in blackjack, many BET decisions are
made to limit losses, rather than to make a profit.
As for the Progressive
Jackpot, you would have a better chance of getting lost in the Bermuda Triangle,
but when a dollar game shows a meter at over $160,000 it’s about as good
as a keno ticket. The Illinois riverboats and Michigan casinos put a big chunk
of that dollar on the meter, so it’s not hard to find jackpots well over
$300,000 there.
Once you know what
you are doing, you will enjoy this game, which is now playing at over 200 shipboard
tables and 250 casino tables. You won’t be lost like Columbus, or the mouse
or most of the players around you!
***********************
Lenny Frome spent
35 years in Aerospace Program Management, before ‘retiring’ to Las
Vegas, where he went on to become one of the foremost authors and analysts of
Video Poker. He has authored nearly 1000 articles, which have appeared regularly
in casino journals in every area of the country where Video Poker is played.
For more of Lenny’s articles and Products, visit Compu-Flyers
Video Poker Heaven
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