Ultimate Book of Card Games: The Comprehensive Guide to More Than 350 Games (77 page)

All players now use the dealer’s upcard, along with their three-card hand, to make a Five-Card Stud hand. The process then repeats—let your second bet ride or take it back (if you let your first bet ride, take back only your
second bet, leaving the first on the table). Tuck your cards under your remaining bet(s) to signify you’re ready for the third and final round. And don’t touch your cards from this point forward.

The dealer turns up her second (and final) card, which becomes the fifth card in each player’s hand. You win holding a pair of 10’s or better, and are paid for each of your bets left on the table (for all bets you let ride). Payouts vary among casinos. The typical amounts are:

10s or better pays 1 to 1

Two pair pays 2 to 1

Three-of-a-kind pays 3 to 1

Straight pays 5 to 1

Flush pays 8 to 1

Full house pays 11 to 1

Four-of-a-kind pays 50 to 1

Straight flush pays 200 to 1

Royal flush pays 1,000 to 1

VARIATION 4: CARIBBEAN STUD

This is another popular casino variation. All players compete against the house (the dealer) and try to make the best five-card poker hand.

RULE CHANGE
Before cards are dealt, place an ante on the table (dollar amounts vary among casinos), and decide whether to enter the (optional) progressive jackpot by placing a chip (typically $1) into the marked slot on the table.

Each player receives five cards: all face down to the players, four down and one up to the dealer. If you choose to fold, you lose your ante. If you choose to play, place double the amount of your ante in the betting box (marked on the table). This is your
call
bet.

The dealer turns up his four hole cards. He qualifies (stays in) holding A-K or higher; otherwise all players receive 1 to 1 payouts on their antes and
all call bets are a push (neither won nor lost). If the dealer qualifies, each player goes head to head against him and loses both the ante and call bets to the dealer’s higher hand. If the player wins, she earns a 1-to-1 payout on her ante, plus a bonus payout for her call bet, depending on her hand:

Pair or less pays 1 to 1

Two pair pays 2 to 1

Three-of-a-kind pays 3 to 1

Straight pays 4 to 1

Flush pays 5 to 1

Full house pays 7 to 1

Four-of-a-kind pays 20 to 1

Straight flush pays 50 to 1

Royal flush pays 100 to 1

If you made the progressive jackpot bet at the start of the game, you are also paid the following (even if you don’t beat the dealer—the progressive jackpot is a separate standalone bet):

Flush wins $50

Full house wins $100

Four-of-a-kind wins $500

Straight flush wins 10 percent of total progressive jackpot

Royal flush wins 100 percent of total progressive jackpot

Statistically speaking, the progressive jackpot is a losing proposition. Even so, the progressive jackpot is
the
reason to play Caribbean Stud for many players. The wisdom of the crowd also suggests you should
not
fold holding a low pair or even ace-high. On their own, these hands rarely pay off; however, it’s more costly in the long term to fold constantly and lose your ante, rather than waiting for a high-payout hand such as three-of-a-kind or a straight.

1. DIFFICULTY
   :
   medium
   
2. TIME LENGTH
   :
   long
   
3. DECKS
   : 1
   

Before the current Texas Hold’em craze took hold in the mid-1990s, Seven-Card Stud was the undisputed king of poker. The scope for psychological play and strategic betting is immense. The downside, of course, is that Seven-Card Stud can feel s-l-o-w to new players unfamiliar with the game’s subtleties.

All players are dealt seven cards (two down, four up, one down). At the
showdown,
the highest five-card poker hand wins.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS
Up to 7

INITIAL DEAL
Deal each player two cards face down and one card face up.

FIRST BET
The player with the lowest face-up card opens the bet.

SECOND DEAL
Deal each player one card, face up.

SECOND BET
The player with the highest pair or, if none, the highest face-up card opens the bet. If there’s a tie for high card, the card dealt first opens.

REST OF GAME
One card is dealt face up to all players, followed by a betting round that is opened by the player with the highest visible poker hand. This is repeated until all players have four face-up cards (six cards total).

The seventh (and final) card is dealt face down, followed by a final betting round. At the showdown, the best five-card poker hand wins (each player’s two unused cards have no effect on the game’s final outcome).

STRATEGY TIPS
Two strong pairs (or a three-of-a-kind) often win this game. But don’t wait for your hand to improve. Fold ‘em if you don’t have the
makings of a winner after four cards. Experienced players often bet aggressively early on, to stop opponents from improving a weak pair to three-of-a-kind, or two weak pairs to a full house.

VARIATION 1: 10-4 GOOD BUDDY

Bust out your CB and trucker’s hat; this game honors (if that’s the right word) America’s eighteen-wheelers with no fewer than eight wild cards: 10s and 4s. Follow all other rules for basic Seven-Card Stud.

VARIATION 2: ANACONDA

This is a popular variation at home games. Not much skill is needed here, just an appetite for betting (there are nine rounds of betting in Anaconda!).

Deal seven cards to each player, face down, followed by a betting round. Each player then passes three cards, face down, to his left. Round of betting. Now players pass two cards to their left. Round of betting. Now one card is passed to the left. Round of betting.

Next, all players select their best five cards and place them face down on the table. On the dealer’s signal, all players turn up their top card. Round of betting, led by the player with the highest card showing. This process is repeated until all cards are face up, with a round of betting each time led by the player with the best hand showing. The best poker hand wins.

You may play Anaconda high-low. In some poker circles, the pass is handled differently: three cards to the left, two cards to the right, one card to the left.

VARIATION 3: ANACONDA ROLL ‘EM

Play the standard game until the final showdown. At this point, all active players stack their cards on the table, face down. The player to the left of the dealer turns up a card. The next clockwise player must beat the previous hand (keep turning up cards until he does) or fold. There’s a round of betting each time the previous hand is beaten. The last player standing wins the pot.

VARIATION 4: HOWDY DOODY

This high-low Anaconda variation adds wild cards into the mix. All 3s are wild if the hand they’re in is played high. All kings are wild if the hand they’re in is played low.