There isn’t a ton of strategy involved in playing Caribbean stud. Optimal strategy can be a bit complicated, but if you follow a few simple rules you can diminish the house edge to 5.23%. That’s as close to optimum strategy as you’ll get without getting deep into the numbers.

The first thing to do is to always raise your bet with a pair or higher, and fold with anything less than an ace/king. And raise your bet with ace/king if one of the following situations arises:

1. If the dealer’s card is a 2 through queen and matches one of yours.
2. If the dealer’s card is an ace or king and you have a queen or jack in your hand.
3. If the dealer’s rank does not match any of yours and you have a queen in your hand, and the dealer’s card is less than your fourth-highest card.