Caribbean Stud Poker in Macau
(Last updated: November 2, 2023)
In terms of gross gaming revenue, Caribbean Stud Poker ranks 6th in Macau, nestled between Three Card Poker in 5th spot and Fan Tan in 7th.
11 casinos currently offer the game, with lowest minimums found at Grand Lisboa, Grand Lisboa Palace, Studio City and MGM Cotai, all of which are a steep $300.
Caribbean Stud Poker in Macau: What to Watch Out For
The Progressive Side Bet Wagers at Sands and MGM casinos. I don’t know if it’s exclusive to Macau or not, but Sands and MGM players can increase their side bet wager by factors of 2, 3, 4 and 5, and then win increased payouts by the same amount if they hit a flush, full house or four of a kind. For straight flushes and royals, however, the normal 10% and 100% bonuses still apply.
Please note that side bet wagers at MGM casinos start from $25, while they are a very pricey $50 at Sands venues.
MGM
Sands
In an interesting twist, players can also bet on the Dealer’s hand as well, with all of the same rules still applying. In addition, once every 15 hands or so, a lucky player on the floor will be selected and win 5 free side bet credits, so long as they’ve been wagering the side bet. And after every 80 hands or so, a lucky dealer will be selected, and all the players who have been doing the side bet at that table will receive 5 credits.
Although those cash pay tables sure look enticing, this side bet should be avoided, simply because the straight flush and royal flush payouts don’t increase in proportion to the side bet wager. In order for it to become a fair bet, the Progressive Jackpot needs to hit $6,727,631.58 HKD in MGM casinos, and $13,355,263.16 in Sands casinos.
For what it’s worth, I’ve never personally seen the jackpots grow that large in any Macau casino.
Caribbean Stud Poker in Macau: Strategy and Advice
The vast majority of Caribbean Stud Poker hands are exceptionally easy to play – always raise with a pair or better, and fold with anything worse than Ace/King. It’s the Ace/King hands which are tricky, and I doubt anyone other than Rain Man himself can correctly remember every optimal strategy play.
In other words, we’re going to need some help with this one, which is why I recommend following the Wizard of Odds “Wizard Strategy” found here: Caribbean Stud Poker.
Extremely easy to learn, following his three steps only adds 0.001% to the house edge, a small hit for simplicity that we should take every time. I personally know that without it, I’d be lost on what to do on over 75% of Ace/King hands.
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