Caribbean Stud/Let It Ride/Three Card Poker Quiz with Answers

One of the leading casino trends of the last decade has been toward trying new table games, loosening the hold that blackjack, craps, roulette and baccarat long have held on table players.

Given enough floor space, there's ample reason for table games managers to try new games. The new games are in part an attempt to woo players back to the tables at a time that slot and video poker machines are capturing more and more of the market. Table managers also are trying to wean players off low-edge games onto games that are more profitable for the house.

With the exception of Spanish 21, the most successful of the new games have been based on stud poker.

The most widely played of the new games is Caribbean Stud Poker, which surpasses the popularity of baccarat and challenges roulette in most markets. Let It Ride and Three Card Poker also have carved out niches. The stud poker games have their similarities, of course, but there also are big differences. See if you can sort them out in this quiz on Caribbean Stud, Let It Ride and Three Card Poker. Next week: answers and explanations.

1. The player has winning hands most frequently in:
   1. Caribbean Stud.
   2. Let It Ride.
   3. Three Card Poker Pair Plus.
   4. Three Card Poker vs. the dealer.


2. Given a minimum bet at a $ 5 table, the player's expected average loss is greatest at:
   1. Caribbean Stud.
   2. Let It Ride.
   3. Three Card Poker Pair Plus.
   4. Three Card Poker vs. the dealer.


3. Without making a side bet, the player has a chance at the largest potential jackpot is in:
   1. Caribbean Stud.
   2. Let It Ride.
   3. Three Card Poker Pair Plus.
   4. Three Card Poker vs. the dealer.


4. The player's smallest potential jackpot is in:
   1. Caribbean Stud.
   2. Let It Ride.
   3. Three Card Poker Pair Plus.
   4. Three Card Poker vs. the dealer.


5. The game or games that have side-bet options for players who want to chase bigger jackpots are:
   1. Caribbean Stud.
   2. Let It Ride.
   3. Three Card Poker Pair Plus.
   4. Three Card Poker vs. the dealer.


6. After making the initial bet, the player has no more decisions to make when playing:
   1. Caribbean Stud.
   2. Let It Ride.
   3. Three Card Poker Pair Plus.
   4. Three Card Poker vs. the dealer.


7. In Let It Ride, an "aggregate limit" on winnings:
   1. Puts a cap on a potential jackpot.
   2. Means that some bets may be paid at less than posted odds.
   3. Raises the house edge.
   4. All of the above.
   5. None of the above.


8. In Let It Ride, if the player's first three cards are 6-7-8 of mixed suits, the player should:
   1. Pull back the first bet.
   2. Let it ride.


9. In Caribbean Stud, if the player's cards are Ace-King-8-4-3 of mixed suits and the dealer's face up card is a 4, the player should:
   1. Bet.
   2. Fold.


10. In Three Card Poker play vs. the dealer, if the player is dealt Queen-9-5 of mixed suits, the player should:
    1. Bet.
    2. Fold.

SCROLL DOWN FOR ANSWERS

Let's check out the answers:

1. The player has winning hands most frequently in:

D. Three Card Poker vs. the dealer. We win about 42 percent of the time in that game, compared with 38 percent on Caribbean Stud, 26 percent on Three Card Poker Pair Plus and 24 percent on Let It Ride.

2. Given a minimum bet at a $5 table, the player's expected average loss is greatest at:

A. Caribbean Stud. Play 200 hands with a $5 ante on each, and the house edge of 5.2 percent of the ante leads to an expected average loss is $52. That compares with $36 on Three Card Poker against the dealer, $35 on Let It Ride and $23 on Pair Plus.

3. Without making a side bet, the player has a chance at the largest potential jackpot in:

B. Let It Ride. The 1,000-1 payoff on a royal flush in Let It Ride is the biggest we'll find with no side bet. Caribbean Stud pays only 100-1 on royals, Three Card Poker Pair Plus pays 40-1 for a straight flush and Three Card Poker vs. the dealer adds a 5-1 straight flush bonus to the even-money payoff we're likely to win on the basic game.

4. The player's smallest potential jackpot is in:

D. Three Card Poker vs. the dealer. In play against the dealer, winning hands pay only even money unless we get a bonus hand -- 3-1 on a straight, 4-1 on three of a kind or 5-1 on a straight flush. Caribbean Stud, Let It Ride and Pair Plus all have many hands with bigger payoffs.

5. The game or games that have side-bet options for players who want to chase bigger jackpots are:

A. Caribbean Stud and B. Let It Ride. Most Caribbean Stud players make the $1 side bet on a progressive jackpot in which a percentage of bets are added to the pool until someone hits a royal flush. Royal flush payouts in excess of $700,000 have been recorded. There are smaller payoffs for hands of a flush or better. Bonus Let It Ride also features a $1 side bet, but the jackpot is not progressive.

6. After the initial bet, the player has no more decisions to make when playing:

C. Three Card Poker Pair Plus. Pair Plus players make their bets, then wait to see if they're dealt a winning hand of a pair or better. In Carribbean Stud and Three Card Poker vs. the dealer, we bet or fold after seeing our cards, and in Let It Ride we must decide whether to pull one bet back after seeing our first three cards, and another after seeing our fourth.

7. In Let It Ride, an "aggregate limit" on winnings:

D. All of the above. (Puts a cap on a potential jackpot, means that some bets may be paid at less than posted odds and raises the house edge.) I've seen casinos put a $15,000 aggregate limit on winnings. Bet $5 per spot and get a royal flush, and you get the full 1,000-1 payoff. But if you bet $10 on each of the three spots, spot, 1,000-1 would give you $30,000. A $15,000 limit would mean you're paid only 500-1, in effect lowering the pay table and raising the house edge.

8. In Let It Ride, if the player's first three cards are 6-7-8 of mixed suits, the player should:

A. Pull back the first bet. If straights happen with the last bet on the line, great, but we don't play for them on the first and second bets. Without a sure winner, we'd need straight flush possiblities before letting it ride after the first three cards. After three cards, we don't even bet flushes without straight flush possibilities. After a card is turned, we do let it ride on four-card flushes, but not four-card straights.

9. In Caribbean Stud, if the player's cards are Ace-King-8-4-3 of mixed suits and the dealer's face up card is a 4, the player should:

A. Bet. Always bet on pairs or better, and also bet when holding Ace-King if the dealer's face up card matches one of the other three cards in your hand. Here the dealer's 4 matches your 4, diminishing the chance the dealer will have a pair.

10. In Three Card Poker play vs. the dealer, if the player is dealt Queen-9-5 of mixed suits, the player should:

A. Bet. Three Card Poker strategy is a snap. Bet whenever you have a Queen or better.

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