Poker has become globally famous as of late, with televised tournaments and celebrity poker game events. Its universal appeal, though, stretches back quite a bit further than its television ratings. Over the years numerous variants on the earliest poker game have been developed, including a handful of games that are not quite poker anymore. Caribbean stud poker is one of the above-mentioned games. Regardless of the name, Caribbean stud poker is most closely resembling blackjack than traditional poker, in that the players bet against the casino rather than the other players. The winning hands, are the established poker hands. There is no concealment or other kinds of boondoggle. In Caribbean stud poker, you are expected to ante up before the croupier announcing "No further wagers." At that instance, both you and the bank and of course all of the other gamblers attain 5 cards each. Once you have seen your hand and the casino’s initial card, you must in turn make a call bet or surrender. The call bet’s amount is akin to your original wager, meaning that the stakes will have doubled. Abandoning means that your bet goes directly to the bank. After the bet comes the showdown. If the house does not have ace/king or greater, your bet is returned, including a figure on par with the initial wager. If the house does have ace/king or better, you succeed if your hand defeats the casino’s hand. The bank pays cash equal to your wager and set expectations on your call wager. These expectations are:
- Even for a pair or high card
- 2-1 for two pairs
- three to one for three of a kind
- four to one for a straight
- 5-1 for a flush
- 7-1 for a full house
- 20-1 for a four of a kind
- 50-1 for a straight flush
- one hundred to one for a royal flush