Caribbean Stud is offered on a blackjack-like table and, as in blackjack, all players play against the house. The objective of the game is to beat the dealer's hand by making the best possible poker hand with five cards.
There are two betting squares in front of each player -- one labeled ante and the other labeled bet. There is also a side bet - the jackpot - that is made by dropping a one dollar chip in the jackpot slot which makes you eligible to hit the progressive jackpot that increases with each hand played. The side jackpot bet is strictly optional
The game begins with the players putting a bet in the ante square and, if they wish, they can put in the jackpot bet. Now the dealer deals five cards to each player. Unlike blackjack, you are not allowed to show your cards to the other players. The dealer also deals himself five cards, the last one being dealt face up. The players check their cards. They now have two choices to make. One: they can play out their hands. Two: they can surrender their hands and lose their antes. If they decide to play out their hands, they must place a bet that is double their ante in the bet square. Once the players have made their respective decisions, the dealer turns over his remaining four cards and makes the best poker hand possible out of them.
The one caveat is that the dealer must have at least an Ace-King hand for the game to be fully decided. If he fails to have such a hand, he pays off the antes and pushes on the bets. If the dealer achieves a hand of Ace-King (or better), than all the players' hands are judged against it. If the player cannot beat the dealer's hand, the player loses both his ante and his bet. If the player beats the dealer, the ante is paid off at even money, while the bet is paid off at house odds.
In addition, if the player originally opted for the jackpot side bet, certain select hands will win a bonus award, up to and including the jackpot itself.
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