Making the Call: Betting Strategy for Caribbean Stud Poker

By J. Phillip Vogel

"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.