Casinos are filled with table games, some old, some new, but nearly all are derived from the basic concepts and fundamental dynamics behind the game of poker. Caribbean Stud for example uses the basic poker hand rankings, with its own island flavor. It probably comes as no surprise that the game itself originated in the Caribbean Islands, where it was marketed as the casinos’ variation of the more traditional poker game of five-card stud.
It didn’t take long before Americans noticed the game on holiday, and almost as soon as it was developed, all of the major cruise lines that traveled those waters would add Caribbean Stud to their gambling decks. From there, the game came to the continental United States, but in order get the action it deserved, the casinos would have to sweeten the pot.
The principal behind traditional five card stud, and Caribbean stud rules are identical, but the betting structure and the requirement for the dealer to qualify makes Caribbean Stud, in it’s original form, an extremely undesirable for the educated gambler. So in an effort to sell this poison to the American public, mainland casinos would introduce a form of casino bonus, the progressive jackpot.
The game itself is relatively new, and in fact, it first appeared on the island of Aruba as late as 1988. Aruba’s Holiday Inn Hotel and Casino invented it, they, say; the hotel has since been renamed the Excelsior Casino. In modern America, each player plays his hand against the dealer, and for an additional side bet of one dollar, players have the chance of hitting the jackpot. A progressive jackpot is just as it sounds.
All of the losing side bets are collected and placed into a pool, as more side bets are made, the jackpot increases, where eventually the next player to hit a royal flush will take it all. The game has gained rapid exposure and popularity over the years in land-based casinos, and that can easily be attributed to it’s similarities to poker, and its commonly recognizable nature.
As technology advances, so do our means of gambling, and return, so do our ideas of how to beat the game. In most, if not all land-based casinos, it strictly forbidden for players to share information amongst each other in respect to the value of their hands. Even though in Caribbean Stud, each player is pit against the dealer, with respect to deciding whether to raise of fold, player collusion would certainly give the gambler an edge over the unknown. Where there is a will, there is a way.
It would not surprise me in the least if there were teams of online casino Caribbean Stud players who use the internet to create heir own playground for collusion with respect to sharing information while playing at the same table. It is one hundred percent illegal to bring in any electronic or computerized device that helps a player calculate the probabilities of a casino game. I don’t condone using a special software program that calculates the optimal play at lightning speed, but when playing Caribbean Stud online, who’s really going to stop you?
Heinz Michael operates successful online gambling portals at Perfect Betting and at Eternal Gambling.