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Get Captivated by Caribbean Hold’em

At Everygame Casino, you can play two classic Caribbean table games: Caribbean Hold’em and Caribbean Stud Poker.  The history behind why these poker variations are called Caribbean is shrouded in mystery.  The most likely reason is simply that the subtle nuances of the games were first developed in Caribbean island based casinos.  The people who frequented these casinos were usually wealthier than most gamers simply because it cost more to get there.

Fortunately for poker lovers everywhere, you can play them anytime at Everygame online casino.  In this article, we’ll explore Caribbean Hold’em.  After you read this, you’ll probably want to go directly to the game here at Everygame Casino.

Caribbean Hold’em

A lot of poker lovers play this variation of hold’em because it has all of the grand excitement of standard hold’em without the bluffing.  You play against the dealer.  You are the player who makes all the decisions so you don’t need to be concerned with any moves the dealer might make.  He doesn’t make any moves at all!

The Game Begins

You receive your hole cards face up.  It’s perfectly okay since the dealer always waits for your decisions.  The dealer’s hole cards are hidden.  In standard hold’em, this is the tine for the bluffing to start.  A player who is usually quite tight with his money might make a large bet here with a weak hand.

In Caribbean Hold’em, there is no pre-flop betting round.  The dealer lays out the flop immediately.

Your Decision

Now you have to decide if you want to continue or fold.  This is where Caribbean Hold’em gets really exciting because even with a poor hand yourself, you might win since the dealer might have a weaker hand.  Also, the dealer can’t win unless she has at least a pair of fours to qualify.  So, you can win with a Pair of fives!  If you fold, you lose your ante bet.  If you play on, you make another bet equal to the ante bet and you can win both of your bets! 

If you stay in the hand, the dealer lays out the turn and river cards at the same time.

Determining the Result

The outcome is quite simple to figure out.

If the dealer does not have at least a pair of fours, she doesn’t qualify.  You automatically win the ante bet and the continuation bet is a push.

If the dealer does succeed in qualifying, there are three possible outcomes:

• You might have the stronger hand.  In that case, you win both bets.
• The dealer might have the stronger hand.  In that case, the dealer wins both bets.
• The hand might be a tie.  This means that both players—you and the dealer—using the five cards that create each individuals’ best hand end up with the same hand.  In that case, the hand is a push on both bets.

Strategy

As the player who has to make decisions, you need to look at the strength of your hand after the flop and decide if the odds favor going on or folding.  It is an amazing fact that, to the best of our knowledge, no one has yet fleshed out a full analysis of the best strategy for Caribbean Hold’em.

One element of strategy seems to be universally accepted: always raise with a pair.   It is obvious that you’ll always raise with more than a pair.   What should you do if you have less than a pair?

We suggest that if you have four to a straight or flush, you raise even though you don’t have a pair.  However, three to one of these good hands without a pair is likely a folding scenario.

Pay Scale

There are two extra pay scales in Caribbean Hold’em.  First is the ante pay scale.  You get extra winnings for winning with the following hands.  This rule applies if the dealer qualified.

• A Royal Flush pays 100-1 of your ante.
• A straight flush pays 20-1.
• Four of a kind pays 10-1.
• A full house pays 3-1.
• A flush pays 2-1.
• All other hands pay 1-1.

Progressive Bet

By paying a small sum into the progressive pot, you qualify for some really big payouts if your luck is with you.  This payout applies to great hands that you get with five of the full complement of seven cards.

• You get the entire progressive pot if you get a Royal Flush.
• You get 10% of the jackpot for a straight flush.
• You get $500 for four of a kind.
• You get $100 for a full house.
• You get $75 for a flush.

Use Caribbean Hold’em to Practice

Since there is no bluffing in Caribbean Hold’em, you can play a very large number of games in a single gaming session.  There is no wasted time waiting for a player to decide if her opponent is bluffing or not.

In standard Hold’em, players fold pre-flop about 70% of the time.  In Caribbean Hold’em, players raise close to 90% of the time.  Caribbean Hold’em is a fast paced poker variety that gives players who want to improve their skill at standard hold’em many hands to evaluate.

New Hold’em players have a difficult time evaluating the strength of their hand.  A player who sees that he might get a straight or a flush might stay in a hand he should have left.  Caribbean Hold’em gives these players a much less expensive way to practice evaluating hands.

First, you can use the speed of Caribbean Holdem to practice evaluating just your hole cards.  Then you can practice evaluating your hand after the flop.

Similarities to Video Poker

In some ways Caribbean Hold’em has things in common with video poker.  First, as we said above, it gives you a chance to practice evaluating hands.  Second, it is poker without bluffing which is the preferable way to play poker for an increasing number of players.  Third, many players who think they’ll use Caribbean Hold’em or video poker as a stepping stone to get into higher level poker end up staying with one or both of these variations.

Everygame for You

We invite you to discover the great pleasure so many of our gamers are already experiencing by playing Caribbean Hold’em.