The Rules of Caribbean Poker

The game of Caribbean (Stud) Poker originated in the Caribbean Islands, and soon spread to casinos in North America and Europe, becoming increasingly popular. Caribbean Poker is based on the card rankings of five-card stud poker, except that the player bets against the house instead of against other players. Caribbean Poker is played with one 52-card deck with no Joker, and the deck is reshuffled after each hand.
The player places an initial wager (ante), and receives five cards face up. The dealer also receives five cards; four cards face down and the final card face up. Now it's the player's turn to decide to stay in the game (raise) or fold. If the player decides to "raise", he/she must place an additional wager, exactly twice the initial "ante" wager. If the player decides to fold, he/she forfeits the "ante" wager. After the player has made his/her decision whether to raise or fold, the dealer reveals the remaining four cards. The dealer must "qualify" to play by receiving a poker hand consisting of an Ace/King or higher.

If the dealer's hand does not qualify, the player receives a 1 to 1 payout (even money) on his/her "ante" wager, and the "raise" wager is retuned without additional winnings. If the dealer's hand qualifies, the dealer compares his/her cards to the player's cards. If the player's hand is higher in rank than the dealer's hand, the player wins and receives a 1 to 1 payout on the "ante" wager, plus winnings on the "raise" wager, according to the payout table below.

If the dealer's hand is higher in rank than the player's hand, the player loses both "ante" and "raise" wagers.

If the dealer's hand and the player's hand "tie" (all five cards are identical in rank - suits are not considered), the "ante" and "raise" wagers are both pushes, and the bets return to the player.

Winning Combinations (in case dealer's hand qualifies)

Ace/King:
A hand consisting of an Ace and King (for example: A,Q,2,K,7).

One Pair:
A hand consisting of a single pair (for example: A,A,Q,J,6).

Two Pair:
Two sets of pairs of the same card denomination (for example: Q,Q,3,6,6).

Three of a Kind:
Three cards of the same denomination (for example: K,K,K,Q,10).

Straight:
Five consecutive denomination cards of different suit (for example: 6,7,8,9,10. An Ace can be the starting card or the ending card - A,2,3,4,5 or 10,J,Q,K,A ).

Flush:
Five non-consecutive denomination cards of the same suit (for example: 2,5,10,J,A and all cards of the same suit - Spades, Hearts, Clubs or Diamonds).

Full House:
A set of three cards of the same denomination plus a set of two cards of the same denomination (for example: K,K,K,A,A).

Four of a kind:
Four cards of the same denomination (for example: 7,7,7,7,J).

Straight Flush:
Five consecutive denomination cards of the same suit (for example: 5,6,7,8,9 and all cards of the same suit - Spades, Hearts, Clubs or Diamonds).

Royal Flush:
Five consecutive denomination cards of the same suit, starting from 10 and ending with an Ace (for example: 10,J,Q,K,A and all cards of the same suit - Spades, Hearts, Clubs or Diamonds).