How to make Carribean Stud better

My friend just got back from the Carribean and told me that the Carribean Stud tables were empty. That's not surprising, because the game is terrible.

But there would be a very easy way to make the game better.

7 Cards.

Make a pair of tens the qualifying hand.

Obviously the paytables would have to change.

Would you play, Yes or No?

I vote yes. I'll try anything once. But I'd be interested to see if the HE stayed as high as it is now, and if the gameplay slowed even farther down.

Or they could just keep the same rules but improve the paytable, for example:

Hand	Payout
Royal Flush	100:1
Straight Flush	50:1
Four of a Kind	25:1
Full House	15:1
Flush	9:1
Straight	6:1
Three of a Kind	3:1
Two Pair	2:1
One Pair	1:1
Ace-King	1:1

That paytable has a house edge of 1.9915% and an element of risk of 0.9741%.

I read yesterday that CS is dying everywhere and
it might not last another few years. Too many better
games competing with it.

The game isn't bad because of the bad odds; heck, lots of bad odds games are fun.

The game is bad because you can get "bad beats" frequently, when the dealer doesn't qualify and you have a nice hand. That is the #1 complaint I've heard at the other carnival tables, when the subject of Caribbean comes up: "I had a full house and the dealer didn't qualify." "I had a flush and the dealer didn't qualify, and then I had a straight and the dealer had a flush."

That makes it "not fun". People gamble for fun, not for frustration.

(i) The game odds (in the UK) had too much house edge.
(ii) There wasn't a side bet (similar to 3-card) that pays out for good hands.
(iii) The irritation factor when you get a good hand and the dealer doesn't qualify IS the worst thing about the game.
(iv) Similar when you're beaten - but to be honest 3-card has that as well.
(v) There was a £1 sidebet for a Jackpot (typically £50 fl, £75 FH, £100 Quads, >£100000 RF, 10% SF), but gradually that's gone.

I've seen various varieties (Oasis where you can exchange card(s) for an Ante) and "Russian" (in Prague) where you buy the dealer a card (typically done where you have trips or better).

At the time I had only seen 3-card on the Isle of Man, but since then 3-card has taken over, and while 5-card is still in some of the larger UK casinos, I can't see it coming back anywhere else. fwiw Let It Ride came and went in the UK.

The easiest change would have been to pay out a bonus on the hand (regardless of whether the dealer qualifies or not).

Quote: charliepatrick

(i) The game odds (in the UK) had too much house edge.
(ii) There wasn't a side bet (similar to 3-card) that pays out for good hands.
(iii) The irritation factor when you get a good hand and the dealer doesn't qualify IS the worst thing about the game.
(iv) Similar when you're beaten - but to be honest 3-card has that as well.
(v) There was a £1 sidebet for a Jackpot (typically £50 fl, £75 FH, £100 Quads, >£100000 RF, 10% SF), but gradually that's gone.

I've seen various varieties (Oasis where you can exchange card(s) for an Ante) and "Russian" (in Prague) where you buy the dealer a card (typically done where you have trips or better).

At the time I had only seen 3-card on the Isle of Man, but since then 3-card has taken over, and while 5-card is still in some of the larger UK casinos, I can't see it coming back anywhere else. fwiw Let It Ride came and went in the UK.

The easiest change would have been to pay out a bonus on the hand (regardless of whether the dealer qualifies or not).

I have seen this as an option on some tables, specifically at Ameristar St Charles. It's a side bet, and I'm sure the odds are lousy, but at least you'd get paid for good hands.

There are some Caribbean Stud games where they allow you to buy an extra card. I think that makes the game much more interesting.

Very nice pay-table. On-line Casinos should offer it, especially if offering Oasis Poker.

I agree, too many " I had quads, Dealer no Qualify" stories, makes CS a very bad game.

EDIT: a new thought. Suppose the ANTE wager pay-offs increase using a standard pay-table:

Sorry for dbl-post, thought it might be better than obscurring the work.
EDITTED for ERROR

I did the math and came up with this ANTE SCHEDULE

Two Pair or less 1:1
Triples 2:1 [1:1]
Straight 3:1 [3:1]
Flush 4:1 [5:1]
Full House 6:1 [7:1]
Quads 10:1
Str-FL 20:1
Royal 50:1

Used with this 2-unit Raise Schedule

One Pair or less 1:1
Two Pair 2:1
Triples 3:1
Straight 4:1
Flush 5:1
Full House 7:1
Quads 20:1 [15:1]
Str-FL 50:1 [40:1]
Royal 100:1


This Ante payout reduces HA to about 2.1465%. Element of Risk 1.05%
The value of an Ante for the purpose of "No Qualify" is approx 1.0251

EDIT for revised plan better suited to Live Play. the Payouts in [ ]'s have a HA of 3.51% 2/22/12