Caribbean Stud Poker Pay Table

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Different online gaming software providers offer Caribbean Stud Poker games that are almost identical as far as the playing mechanisms are concerned. However, the pay table can be different. Therefore though players are following similar rules the outcomes can be different. This article describes the different pay tables used by the leading software providers and the effects of these on the payouts.

At the outset it must be stated that the pay table does not enter into the picture for determining each and every payout. The pay table will not be referred to in case the player folds, or the dealer does not qualify, or the dealer wins or if the hands tie. Based on computer generated statistics these events take place about 84% of the time. Therefore the pay table is referred to in only 16% of the outcomes. Hence one must not over emphasize the importance of differences in pay tables among software providers.

Cryptologic and Microgaming are the leading online gaming software providers and their Caribbean Stud Poker payout tables are as different as chalk and cheese. The payouts are bulleted below for easy comparison.

• One Pair or Less
  
  • Microgaming: 1 to 1
  • Cryptologic: 1 to 1
• Two Pairs
  
  • Microgaming: 1 to 1
  • Cryptologic: 2 to 1
• Three of a Kind
  
  • Microgaming: 3 to 1
  • Cryptologic: 3 to 1
• Straight
  
  • Microgaming: 5 to 1
  • Cryptologic: 4 to 1
• Flush
  
  • Microgaming: 9 to 1
  • Cryptologic: 5 to 1
• Full House
  
  • Microgaming: 14 to 1
  • Cryptologic: 7 to 1
• Four of a Kind
  
  • Microgaming: 99 to 1
  • Cryptologic: 20 to 1
• Straight Flush
  
  • Microgaming: 199 to 1
  • Cryptologic: 50 to 1
• Royal Flush
  
  • Microgaming: 999 to 1
  • Cryptologic: 200 to 1

To the uninitiated it would appear that Cryptologic is ripping off its players. For poker hand rankings of Four of a Kind and higher the Microgaming payouts are very much greater than the Cryptologic ones. For poker hand rankings from Straight to Full House the Microgaming payouts are still greater. For One Pair or Less and for Three of a Kind the payouts are the same and only for Two Pairs is the Cryptologic payout greater. So why would anyone wager at Cryptologic Caribbean Stud Poker? Online casino gaming is a highly competitive industry and no software supplier can exist by offering terms that have significant disadvantages to the players.

The answer lies in the facts that payouts offer only half the story. It was earlier stated that the payout table is referred to only in 16% of the cases. The two cases in which the payouts are equal cover 13% of these. The one case in which the Cryptologic payout is greater occurs 2.5% of the times. And the several hand rankings that have a greater payout in the Microgaming Caribbean Stud Poker table occur only 0.5% of the time. 2.5% of the time Cryptologic Caribbean Stud Poker will pay out comparatively slightly more and 0.5% of the time Microgaming Caribbean Stud Poker will pay out significantly more. The net result in terms of house edge is identical. Both software providers offer games with identical house edges for all practical purposes. Players who are conservative and happy with small but more frequent winnings will prefer Cryptologic Caribbean Stud Poker, whereas those who like to try for large payouts, even if these materialize infrequently will wager at the Microgaming game.

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