Free online poker is available on sites for the entertainment and education of poker gambling patrons.  “Love Boat” was a popular television series about twenty-five years ago.  The Caribbean Islands were a popular destination for the cruises of that show.  It was no small wonder that the Caribbean Islands were a preferred port-of-call.  They have always been regarded as a land of beauty and nature where your fondest dreams can come true.

Years ago, cruise ships filled with passengers seeking respite from life’s daily pressures and a little bit of Paradise, would set sail for the Caribbean Islands.   The trips from European ports were lengthy.  So, in order to make the trip more pleasurable, casino parlours became a staple of the cruise ship’s entertainment.  The card game that grew quite popular on these cruises was a variation of the Jacks or Better Poker that was traditional at that time. 

The game featured a dealer and the players competed against the dealer’s hand, but not each other.  This resulted in greater camaraderie among the ship’s passengers instead of animosity.  The game became very popular among poker players, and the moniker, “Caribbean Poker,” was created to describe this cruise ship phenomenon.  

Understanding the Game

Gambling patrons need to understand the concept of Caribbean Poker before they attempt to play it in a play-for-pay casino.  Online free poker play offers you this opportunity to play for virtual stakes, and you can have hours of fun and excitement while learning the nuances of the game at the same time.

In Caribbean Poker, your hand must top the dealer’s.  The dealer must have at least an Ace-King in order for the hand to qualify, which means there are payouts on both the ante and your bet.  If you’re looking at the game solely from a mathematical perspective, then you’ve chosen the game with odds that are not as good as some other casino parlour table games - 94.7 percent.  However, the opportunities for a giant windfall are also good!

The game is played on a layout similar to Blackjack.  It is often referred to as “Caribbean Stud Poker” because the dealer gets 4 cards face down and one face up.  After you have seen the dealer’s face up card and looked at your hand of five cards, you can decide to:  quit the game, and turn in your cards; discard disposable cards, and replace with new ones and continue playing; or stand with the hand you’ve been dealt.

Your Wager Magnifies Quickly

If you decide to stay in the game, then you must add twice the amount of your ante.  For example, if you’re playing with virtual money in a free poker play site, if your ante was 10 pounds, then your secondary bet would be 20 pounds.   You see now how the pots of Caribbean Poker accumulate quickly, and large amounts of money can be won or lost in a relatively short period of time.

The thrill of winning a large amount of money, is the major enticement for gambling patrons around the world.  If your hand is two pair, the payout is 2:1; if your hand is a straight, your payout is 4:1; if your hand is a full house, then your payout is 7:1; and if your hand is a Royal Flush, roughly every 650,000 hands, your take is 100:1.

The game of Caribbean Poker has increased in popularity over the past few years, and you no longer have to wait for the next cruise ship to depart for the Caribbean.  All you need to do is to log onto your favourite free poker play site; click your mouse to enter the casino, and pull up a chair.  A free poker play site is preferred for novice players because you can learn to play the game without losing any “real” money. 

Come join the thousands of others enjoying real money and free poker play aboard their best online gambling sites and cruise on out for a great time!