Strategy
As you have the opportunity to draw and discard cards at Caribbean Draw poker there are also a lot of possibilities. This might seem very complex especially to new players. Fortunately there is a strategy developed to help you when playing Caribbean Draw poker. This strategy is not hard to learn but do make sure that you know the rules of Caribbean Draw poker first. When you know the rules and the strategy you will see how much fun Caribbean Draw Poker can be!
Caribbean Draw Poker Strategy
The first strategic choice is already at the beginning of the game, you must decide if you fold or if you call. Well, to be honest this is not a very difficult decision. The golden rule at Caribbean Draw Poker is to never fold your first hand. Not even when you have very bad cards in your hand. The dealer will always need a pair of eights to qualify and continue. This will happen almost half the time which will make your chances on winning very good and it would be a shame to fold your hand. You will see that you will get an even money pay-off on your ante almost half the time.
Strategy about when to draw
When do you draw? Below you will find a strategy chart which will give you options to draw for several hands. This strategy is developed by Howard Stern. It might seem a big list but once you start playing you will get the hang of it.
| Hand rankings | What to do |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | Do not Draw |
| Straight Flush | Do not Draw |
| Four of a Kind | Do not Draw |
| Full House | Do not Draw |
| Flush | Do not Draw |
| Straight | Do not draw unless you hold KQJ10 of the same suit you can draw 1 card. There is still a little chance of improving to a Royal or Straight Flush or a flush. |
| Three of a Kind | Hold on to the Three of a Kind and discard the other two cards |
| Two Pair | Hold on to the two pairs and draw another card. |
| Pairs in general | Generally it is advisable to hold the pair and discard the two highest other cards but there are some exceptions that will follow now: |
| Pair of Aces or Kings | You can break up the pair to draw to a four-card straight/royal flush. Or hold on to the pair and the highest odd card. |
| Pair of Queens | You can break up the pair to draw to a four-card straight/royal flush. |
| Pair of jacks | You can break up the pair to draw to a four-card straight/royal flush. |
| Pair of 10 or 9 | You can break up the pair to draw to a four-card flush. |
| Pair of 8 | You can break up the pair to draw to a four-card flush or an open ended straight which is nine or higher. |
| Pair of 7 or less | You can break up the pair to draw to a four-card straight draw, an open- ended straight draw or a three-card Royal Flush. |
| No Pair | In this case, if you have a choice, you should hold on to: A four-card Royal Flush A Four-card Straight Flush A Four-card Straight A Four-card open ended Straight A Three-card Royal Flush A Three-card Straight Flush A Three-card Flush A Four-card inside Straight The highest three cards on your hand |
Dealers cards
In the case the dealer does qualify he/she has also has the opportunity to draw two cards. There are several options for the dealer to perform.
- In the case the dealer is just one away of a Straight or a Flush and has no pair he/she will draw one card
- In the case the dealer has no pairs he/she will discards the lowest two cards
- In the case the dealer has one pair, he/she will discard the lowest single cards
- In the case the dealer has two pairs, he/she will discard only one singleton
- In the case the dealer has Three of a Kind, he/she wil discard the two singletons
