Caribbean Stud Poker Rules: Ante, Raise and the Dealer's Hand

Published: October 27, 2026

Caribbean Stud Poker rules revolve around one choice made with partial information: you hold five cards, you see just a single card from the dealer’s hand, and you must either fold or raise. The raise is always exactly twice your ante. Before the hands are compared, the dealer has to reach ace-king, and a dealer who does not ends the round with a small win for you. When the dealer qualifies and loses, a paytable decides what the raise returns. This guide follows a round from the ante to the reveal, explains the qualifier and the raise table, covers the optional progressive wager, and closes with five rounds to settle in chips.

Key Takeaways: Caribbean Stud Poker Rules

Core Decision: Players see one dealer upcard and decide to fold, forfeiting the ante, or raise by exactly twice the ante before the showdown.
Dealer Qualification: The dealer must hold Ace-King or better to qualify (56.32% of rounds); if unqualified, the ante pays 1 to 1 and the raise bet pushes.
Raise Paytable: When beating a qualified dealer, the raise is paid by a paytable scaling up to 100 to 1 for a royal flush, while ante pays even money.
Progressive Jackpot: An optional side bet evaluates player cards independently, paying on a flush or better, but carries a higher house edge.

A Round From Ante to Reveal

The ante goes down first, together with the progressive wager if you want that side bet. You then receive five cards face down, and the dealer takes five of his or her own with the last one turned face up. With your hand and that single card in view, you fold, which gives up the ante and the progressive wager, or you raise by exactly two antes. Only after the raise do the dealer’s other four cards come up and the two hands meet.

Bet	Amount	Paid when
Ante	One base unit	At even money, if you win or the dealer misses the minimum
Raise	Exactly two antes	By the raise paytable, once a qualified dealer has been outranked
Progressive	A small optional stake	On a flush or better, whatever the dealer holds

One Card From the Dealer’s Hand

That exposed card is the only part of the dealer’s hand you learn about ahead of your choice. It cannot settle the result, since the other four cards stay face down until the raise is in, and the rules give no way to see more.

Which Five-Card Hand Is Higher

Both hands follow the order in the poker hand rankings guide. When the kinds match, the cards inside them decide, as the kicker rules explain, and suits never count. Hands that are identical rank for rank push.

Dealer’s hand	Your hand	Result	Why
K-K-9-5-2	K-K-9-5-3	You win	Three cards match, then 3 beats 2
A-K-Q-J-8	9-9-6-4-2	You win	Any pair outranks a hand without one
T-T-7-7-A	Q-Q-3-3-2	You win	The higher top pair decides
T-9-8-7-6	A-A-A-K-Q	Dealer wins	A straight outranks three of a kind
A-Q-9-5-2	A-Q-9-5-2	Push	The ranks match exactly

Meeting the Ace-King Minimum

A dealer qualifies with ace-king or better: any pair, any stronger hand, or a hand without a pair that contains an ace together with a king. The weakest qualifying hand is A-K-4-3-2, and the strongest one that fails is A-Q-J-T-9. Across many rounds the dealer qualifies 56.32% of the time and misses 43.68% of the time.

Dealer’s hand	Ante	Raise
Below ace-king	Even money	Returned
Qualified, and you win	Even money	Raise paytable
Qualified, and the hands are equal	Returned	Returned
Qualified, and the dealer wins	Lost	Lost

A dealer who misses ends the round before the raise paytable is consulted. Holding three of a kind against that dealer still earns only even money on the ante, and the raise simply returns to you.

The Raise Paytable

The ante stays at even money, so the raise is where the big payouts live. They apply only against a qualified dealer whom you outrank. The table gives one common version, with the number of five-card hands, out of 2,598,960, that make each result.

Winning hand	Raise payout	Deals that make it	Probability
Royal flush	100-1	4	0.000154%
Straight flush	50-1	36	0.00139%
Four of a kind	20-1	624	0.0240%
Full house	7-1	3,744	0.144%
Flush	5-1	5,108	0.197%
Straight	4-1	10,200	0.392%
Three of a kind	3-1	54,912	2.11%
Two pair	2-1	123,552	4.75%
A pair or less	1-1	2,400,780	92.37%

Just 7.63% of hands reach two pair or better, the first rung that pays above even money. Other tables are posted elsewhere, so the information panel of the game you open has the final word.

The Optional Progressive Wager

The progressive wager is a side stake beside the ante. Your five cards are judged alone, with no reference to the dealer, and a payout begins at a flush while the royal flush claims the biggest piece of the jackpot. Meters and prizes vary between games, and this wager carries a house edge far above the main game’s, which is why the exercises skip it.

Exercises: Five Rounds, Counted in Chips

Every round uses a 10-chip ante and a 20-chip raise. Both full hands are on view, and your task is to decide whether the dealer qualifies and then work out your net result.

❓ Practice: Net Chips for Each Round

Your hand: Qc 9d 7h 4s 2c. Dealer’s hand: Ad Qs 9c 6h 3d. The ante is 10 and the raise is 20. What is your net result?

The dealer has ace-high (ace, queen, nine, six, three), and you have queen-high (queen, nine, seven, four, two). Neither side has a pair, and the dealer is one rank short of the minimum. The dealer is short of ace-king, so the ante pays 1 to 1 (+10) and the raise is given back. Net result: +10 chips.

Your hand: 9s 8d 7c 6h 5d. Dealer’s hand: Ac Ad 8h 4s 2d. The ante is 10 and the raise is 20. What is your net result?

Your cards make a straight, nine-high, and the dealer’s make a pair of aces, with eight, four and two kickers. A pair of aces qualifies, so the paytable applies. The dealer qualifies but is outranked, so the ante pays 1 to 1 (+10) and the raise pays 4 to 1 (+80), because you hold a straight, nine-high. Net result: +90 chips.

Your hand: Kd Js 8h 5c 2s. Dealer’s hand: Ah Kc 9d 7s 3c. The ante is 10 and the raise is 20. What is your net result?

The dealer shows ace-high (ace, king, nine, seven, three), which is exactly the minimum, and you show king-high (king, jack, eight, five, two). A qualified dealer holds the higher hand, so the ante and the raise are both lost (-10 and -20). Net result: -30 chips.

Your hand: Ac Kd Qh 8s 4c. Dealer’s hand: As Kh Qd 8c 4d. The ante is 10 and the raise is 20. What is your net result?

Rank for rank, both players hold ace-high (ace, king, queen, eight, four), and the suits do not break the tie. The dealer qualifies and the hands match, so the ante and the raise are given back. Net result: 0 chips.

Your hand: 8d 7d 5d 3d 2d. Dealer’s hand: 9c 9h Ks 4s 2c. The ante is 10 and the raise is 20. What is your net result?

You hold a flush, eight-high, and the dealer holds a pair of nines, with king, four and two kickers. The dealer qualifies, so a flush collects its full raise payout. The dealer qualifies but is outranked, so the ante pays 1 to 1 (+10) and the raise pays 5 to 1 (+100), because you hold a flush, eight-high. Net result: +110 chips.

More Guides in the Series

This is the one dealer game in the online poker series that plays with five-card hands from beginning to end. Good pages to read next:

Casino poker games: all five dealer games in a single comparison.
Three Card Poker rules: a shorter hand with a queen-high qualifier.
Casino Hold’em rules: a Hold’em table that asks for a pair of fours.
Poker hand rankings: the order both five-card hands follow.
Poker kicker rules: what separates two hands of one kind.

Limits and the Price of a Raise

A raise that loses costs three antes in all, since the ante and a raise of two antes go together, and a progressive wager adds to that. Measure your spending limit in chips and not in hands, and stop at the limit or when your planned time runs out. In Saskatchewan the Problem Gambling Helpline is at 1-800-306-6789, and our responsible gambling page covers more tools and support services.

❓ Caribbean Stud Poker Questions: Frequently Asked Questions

What does the dealer need to qualify?

Ace-king or better, which covers any pair or higher hand along with a hand without a pair that contains an ace and a king, so A-K-4-3-2 is the weakest qualifier. A dealer who falls short leaves the ante at even money and the raise returned. The dealer needs ace-king or better.

Can I raise by a different amount?

No. The raise is exactly twice the ante, however strong or weak your hand looks, and the table does not allow any other size. Folding is the only alternative, and it costs the ante together with any progressive wager you placed. A raise is always twice the ante.

How large can the raise payout get?

Against a qualified dealer you outrank, the paytable on this page begins at 1 to 1 for a pair or less, moves through 2 to 1 for two pair and 3 to 1 for three of a kind, and tops out at 100 to 1 for a royal flush. A royal flush pays 100 to 1 on the raise.

How much of the dealer’s hand do I see?

Exactly one card. The dealer exposes a single card out of the five, and the remaining four stay face down until you have either raised or folded, so the final comparison always involves cards you could not see when you decided. Only one of the dealer’s cards is visible.

Author:

Lucas Portela

Owner, BoldGambler • Avanhandava/SP

Oddsmaker, affiliate and content creator in the iGaming industry.

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Caribbean Stud Poker Rules: Ante, Raise and the Dealer’s Hand