The Short History of Caribbean Stud Poker

Caribbean Stud Poker is not a very old game. No one seems to know for certain who invented the game, but it showed up in the Caribbean in the ‘80s.

It was first played on Aruba and on cruise ships circling the Caribbean islands. The game was clearly invented with profit in mind, since it has a rather hefty house edge.

Still, the game quickly became popular, possibly thanks to the simple rules and the similarities with poker.

A COMBINATION OF POKER AND BLACKJACK

Other than sharing the five-card hand and same hand ranking as most poker games, the game itself is not really a true poker variation, but more of a blend of poker and casino blackjack.

You play against the dealer instead of other players, and there is no bluffing involved. The player acts first by placing an ante and can either raise or fold depending on the poker hand's strength.

MOVE TO LAS VEGAS

With the popularity of the game growing, it was soon adopted by the Las Vegas casinos.

Because of the large house advantage, it didn't sit well with the players at first. To attract more players to the game, some casinos added a progressive jackpot with an optional side bet.

This version was more widely accepted, and it's the most common form of Caribbean Stud poker played today – both in land-based and online casinos.