Table game at Fair Go

Caribbean Stud Poker at Fair Go

Caribbean Stud Poker is five-card stud against the dealer: no other players to bluff, one decision per hand and big payouts for big hands. Fair Go lists it next to Caribbean Hold'em, Pai Gow Poker and Tri Card Poker. Here's how Caribbean Stud Poker plays, when to raise, and what the payout table means for the house edge.

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Caribbean Stud at a glance

Check in-game

Cards: Five each; one dealer card face up
Your decision: Raise (2x the ante) or fold
Dealer qualifies with: Ace-king or better
House edge: 5.22% of the ante (standard payouts)
Fair Go's pay table: Not published

Standard raise payouts
Hand	Raise pays
Royal flush	100:1
Straight flush	50:1
Four of a kind	20:1
Full house	7:1
Flush	5:1
Straight	4:1
Three of a kind	3:1
Two pair	2:1
Pair or ace-king	1:1

These are the standard Caribbean Stud payouts. Fair Go's payouts, and whether it adds a progressive side bet, are in the game's help.

Source: Fair Go casino games page. Checked 7 October 2026.

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How Caribbean Stud Poker plays

Place the ante. That's your opening bet.
The deal. You get five cards face up. The dealer gets five, with one turned face up.
Raise or fold. Fold and you lose the ante. Raise and you add a second bet worth twice the ante.
The dealer reveals. The dealer needs ace-king or better to qualify.
Settle. If the dealer doesn't qualify, the ante pays 1:1 and the raise is returned. If the dealer qualifies and you win, the ante pays 1:1 and the raise pays by your hand, from 1:1 for a pair up to 100:1 for a royal flush. If the dealer's hand beats yours, you lose both bets.

There's no drawing and no bluffing. Your only skill decision is step 3, and getting it right is most of the battle.

The payout table and the dealer qualifier

The pay table looks generous, and for the rare hands it is. A full house pays 7:1 on the raise, so on a $5 ante that's $70 on your $10 raise plus $5 on the ante. The catch is the qualifier. When the dealer misses ace-king, which happens a little under half the time, your raise is simply returned. Your full house earns 1:1 on the ante and nothing more. That's the hidden cost in Caribbean Stud, and a big part of why its house edge is higher than the main table games.

The odds of being dealt each hand show the other side of the table:

Hand	Raise pays	Dealt about
Royal flush	100:1	1 in 649,740
Straight flush	50:1	1 in 72,193
Four of a kind	20:1	1 in 4,165
Full house	7:1	1 in 694
Flush	5:1	1 in 509
Straight	4:1	1 in 255
Three of a kind	3:1	1 in 47
Two pair	2:1	1 in 21

A flush or better turns up only about once in every 130 or so hands, so most of your raises are paid at 1:1 or 2:1, when the dealer qualifies at all.

Caribbean Stud Poker strategy: raise or fold

The decision comes down to a few simple rules:

Any pair or better: always raise.
Less than ace-king (no pair, no ace with a king): always fold. The hand can't beat a qualifying dealer.
Ace-king with no pair: the borderline hand. A widely used shortcut is to raise with ace-king-jack-8-3 or better and fold weaker ace-king hands. Perfect strategy also looks at the dealer's up-card, but the extra gain is small.

Played that way, the standard game carries a house edge of about 5.22% of the ante. Because a raise doubles what's at risk, the cost measured against all the money you put on the table is lower, around 2.6%. Either way it's a pricier game than blackjack or baccarat, and the trade-off is the chance of a 50:1 or 100:1 hand.

If you're playing while clearing a bonus, remember your raise is twice your ante. Fair Go caps bets at $10 during wagering, so a $5 ante with a $10 raise sits right at the limit.

Progressive side bets

Many Caribbean Stud games add an optional progressive side bet that pays a share of a growing jackpot for a flush or better, with the full jackpot for a royal flush. Fair Go doesn't mention one on its casino games page, so check the game. If there is one, treat it as a lottery ticket. Its value depends entirely on the jackpot size and the payout table, and at ordinary jackpot levels it carries a far higher house edge than the main game. Our progressive jackpots guide explains how growing jackpots are funded.

Caribbean Stud vs Caribbean Hold'em

Fair Go also lists Caribbean Hold'em, the community-card version. You and the dealer each get two cards, three shared cards appear, and you decide whether to call or fold before the last two shared cards come out. The best five-card hand from your two cards and the five shared ones plays. It rewards reading the board, where Caribbean Stud rewards one clean decision. Fair Go doesn't publish either game's rules, so check the qualifier and pay table in the help screen of whichever you choose.

If you prefer poker hands without a dealer to beat, Jacks or Better video poker pays on your own hand alone. For a quicker three-card game, try Tri Card Poker.

More poker tables at Fair Go

Pai Gow Poker uses the same hand rankings at a slower pace. Vegas Three Card Rummy flips the idea: lowest hand wins.

Caribbean Stud Poker FAQ

How does Caribbean Stud Poker work?

You place an ante, get five cards and see one of the dealer's five. Then you fold, losing the ante, or raise twice the ante. The dealer needs ace-king or better to qualify, and qualifying hands are compared.

When should I raise in Caribbean Stud?

Raise with any pair or better and fold anything below ace-king. With ace-king and no pair, a common shortcut is to raise with ace-king-jack-8-3 or better.

What happens if the dealer doesn't qualify?

Your ante pays 1:1 and your raise is returned, whatever hand you hold. That's why a big hand can sometimes earn very little.

What is the house edge in Caribbean Stud Poker?

About 5.22% of the ante with the standard payout table and good strategy, or roughly 2.6% of all money bet. Fair Go doesn't publish its own figure.

Does Fair Go's Caribbean Stud have a progressive jackpot?

Fair Go's casino games page doesn't say (checked 7 October 2026). Open the game to see whether there's a side bet and what it pays.

Facts checked 8 October 2026 · page updated 9 October 2026