Caribbean Draw Strategy for Discards Made Simple

April 15, 2014 by

caribbean-draw-strategyOf all of the Caribbean Poker games, Caribbean Draw is probably the most difficult to play well because the decisions involved require so much more skill than the other games in the line. The key feature of this game is the ability to discard up to two of your cards to try to make a better hand and the ability for the dealer to do the same based on a set of house rules. This combines with the option to fold your hand to begin with to create a lot of difficult decisions, but we want to help you to decide how to play.

Solid Caribbean Draw Strategy for Making Discards

The dealer qualifies with a pair of eights or better in this game. This provides you with a cut-off level of hand to work with when it comes to smaller hands. If you have at least a pair of eights in your original hand, then you should go ahead and play your draw. With single pairs, keep the pair and the largest kicker that you can while discarding the smallest two non-pair cards that you have available. If you have three of a kind, discard two, and if you have two pair, then discard one.

Playing Flush and Straight Draws

Four-card draws to straights and flushes can be pretty valuable in Caribbean Draw Poker. While they don’t come in all that often, they can give you some nice payouts on your raise since a straight gives you a 3x payout and a flush gives you a 5x payout. If you hit your hand, you’re almost guaranteed to win, and your winning chances are also boosted by having big cards in your hand. This creates a situation where you can miss your main draw and still catch a pair to beat the dealer.

If you have no pair and no draw, then you should usually fold in this game. However, three cards to a royal is a pretty strong hand, and so is three to a straight flush if the cards are all eight or higher and if there are no gaps.

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