Introduction
Oasis Poker (sometimes incorrectly referred to as Caribbean Stud Poker or Caribbean Poker, which is a different game) is a ⚽️ casino poker game, meaning that it’s derived from classic player vs player poker, but instead the player plays against the ⚽️ house. Oasis Poker is a derivative of Caribbean Stud Poker that allows the player to discard undesirable cards to receive ⚽️ a replacement. Oasis Poker is played with a standard 52 card deck.
We are aware of Oasis Poker being offered at ⚽️ Net Entertainment, Betsoft, GameSys and Galewind casinos.
Play Structure
Initially the player places an ‘Ante’ wager and the dealer will deal out ⚽️ 5 cards to the player and themselves. All but one of the dealers cards are dealt face down (often referred ⚽️ to as ‘Hole’ cards). The player then has to make the decision to either Fold their hand – losing their ⚽️ Ante wager – discard up to 5 cards or ‘Call’. Where the player chooses to discard cards they will be ⚽️ charged a fee equal to the Ante bet for each card they exchange. This fee is not a bet and ⚽️ will not be returned regardless of the outcome of the hand. If the player chooses to Call – either before ⚽️ or after discarding cards - they have to place a bet twice the size of the Ante wager then the ⚽️ dealer’s hole cards are revealed and the hands are compared.
Hand Comparison
Oasis Poker ranks hands according to a hierarchy common to ⚽️ poker games which is explained below (strongest to weakest);
* Royal Flush – The Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten cards ⚽️ all of the same suit.
* Straight Flush – five numerically adjacent cards of the same suit (Example – 4, 5, ⚽️ 6, 7 and 8 of Diamonds). Where both the player and dealer hold a Straight Flush the hand with the ⚽️ highest card is considered the winner.
* 4 of a Kind – four cards of matching rank (Example - 7 of ⚽️ Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds and Spades). Where both the player and the dealer hold 4 of a Kind the hand with ⚽️ the higher rank is considered the winner.
* Full House – three cards of the same rank and two cards of ⚽️ a different but matching rank (Example – 8 of Hearts, Clubs and Diamonds and Jack of Spades and Hearts). Where ⚽️ both the player and dealer hold a Full House, the hand with the higher rank 3 of a Kind is ⚽️ considered the winner.
* Flush – five cards of the same suit (Example – Ace, 8, 5, 2 and Queen of ⚽️ Spades). Where both the player and dealer hold a Flush the hand with the highest card is considered the winner. ⚽️ Where the highest card is matched the second highest is consider and so on.
* Straight – five numerically adjacent cards ⚽️ ignoring suit (Example – 7 of Spades, 8 of Spades, 9 of Clubs, 10 of Diamonds and Jack of Diamonds). ⚽️ Where both the player and dealer hold a Straight the hand with the highest card is considered the winner.
* 3 ⚽️ of a Kind – three cards of the same rank with 2 unmatched cards (Example – 9 of Spades, Clubs ⚽️ and Hearts with any two other cards that are not the 9 of Diamonds or a matching pair). Where both ⚽️ the player and dealer hold a 3 of a Kind, the hand with the higher ranked 3 of a Kind ⚽️ is considered the winner.
* Two Pairs – two sets of two cards of matching rank with one unmatched card (Example ⚽️ – 4 of Clubs and Hearts, 8 Clubs and Spades and a fifth unmatched card). Where the player and dealer ⚽️ both have two pairs, the hand with the highest pair is considered the winner. If both hands have matching top ⚽️ pair, the higher of the two lower pairs is considered the winner. Where both pairs are matched, the hand with ⚽️ the higher ‘Kicker’ (final unmatched card) is considered the winner.
* Pair - two cards of matching rank with three unmatched ⚽️ card (Example – 6 of Clubs and Hearts and any three other cards that are not the six of Spades ⚽️ or Diamonds and are not of matching rank). Where the player and the dealer hold a matching pair, the hand ⚽️ with the highest Kicker card wins. If the Kicker also matches, the hand is decided by the second Kicker then ⚽️ the third if the second Kickers also match.
* High Card – any five unmatched cards ranked as the highest card ⚽️ (Example – 5 of Spades, 9 of Clubs, 7 of Clubs, 2 of Hearts and Ace of Diamonds would be ⚽️ considered ‘Ace High’).
In the instance where both the dealer and player have hands of matching value by the above table ⚽️ the hand is considered a push and the player’s bets are returned.
Payouts
As with many other poker based casino games, there ⚽️ is a qualification hand for the dealer to play. As such payouts vary depending on whether the dealer qualifies or ⚽️ not. The dealer qualifies if their hand is Ace/King or better.
If the player loses all bets placed are lost. If ⚽️ the player Folds they lose their Ante bet. If the player wins payouts are decided as follows;
* If the player ⚽️ wins and the dealer does not qualify the Ante bet is paid out at 1 to 1 while the Call ⚽️ bet pushes.
* If the player wins and the dealer does qualify the Ante bet is paid at 1 to 1 ⚽️ and the Call bets is paid according to the following paytable;
Hand GameSys Payout* Payout Royal Flush 100 to 1 100 ⚽️ to 1 Straight Flush 50 to 1 50 to 1 Four of a Kind 26 to 1 20 to 1 ⚽️ Full House 8 to 1 7 to 1 Flush 5 to 1 5 to 1 Straight 4 to 1 4 ⚽️ to 1 Three of a Kind 3 to 1 3 to 1 Two Pairs 2 to 1 2 to 1 ⚽️ Pair 1 to 1 1 to 1 Ace/King 1 to 1 1 to 1 House Edge XXX 0.47%
* This paytable ⚽️ is only used on the ‘Without House Edge’ version of Oasis Poker. It should be noted that when playing the ⚽️ Without House Edge games that the house take a 10% cut of any winnings at the end of the session.
Alternative ⚽️ Discard Rules
Galewind software offer an alternative discard rule. Instead of being charged a full Ante bet for each card discarded ⚽️ the charges for discarding different numbers of cards are as follows;
Number of cards discarded Cost 1 1xAnte 2 2xAnte 3 ⚽️ 3xAnte 4 2xAnte 5 1xAnte
With this rule Galewind software also make an adjustment to the Call bet paytable;
Hand Payout Royal ⚽️ Flush 100 to 1 Straight Flush 50 to 1 Four of a Kind 20 to 1 Full House 6 to ⚽️ 1 Flush 5 to 1 Straight 4 to 1 Three of a Kind 3 to 1 Two Pairs 2 to ⚽️ 1 Pair 1 to 1 Ace/King 1 to 1 House Edge 0.55%
Jackpot Bet
The GameSys, GamesOS and Galewind software Oasis Poker ⚽️ games also offer a side bet referred to simply as the ‘Jackpot’ bet. This side bet is optional but if ⚽️ the player chooses to place the Jackpot bet it costsR$1 and the results are based only on the player’s final ⚽️ hand (after any dicard/replacements). The payouts for the Jackpot bet are provided below;
Hand Hand Probabilities GameSys* GamesOS Galewind Royal Flush ⚽️ 0.00000153908 1000 1000 Jackpot Straight Flush 0.0000138517 500 500 10% of Jackpot Four of a Kind 0.00024 200 200 500 ⚽️ Full House 0.001441 70 100 100 Flush 0.0019654 50 60 50 Straight 0.003924646 40 40 3 of a Kind 0.021128451 ⚽️ 25 Jackpot Range NA NA 25000-110280* Break Even Value NA NA 218009.7 House Edge 3.05% 51.69% 31.50%-56.44%*
* This paytable is ⚽️ used for both the normal and ‘Without House Edge’ versions of Oasis Poker at GameSys casinos.
**The Galewind website lists the ⚽️ theoretical minimum House Edge for the Jackpot bet as 24.04% which would equate to a Jackpot size ofR$135793.56. Our Jackpot ⚽️ range is based on the reset value and the maximum value we’ve seen.
Calculating the House Edge and Break Even value ⚽️ for the Jackpot Bet
It is possible calculate the House Edge and break even value for any jackpot value at the ⚽️ Galewind game simply by using the Hand Probability figures.
To calculate the House Edge we multiply the Paytable values by the ⚽️ probabilities, sum the results and subtract the remaining possibilities. So if we have a Jackpot value of 94000 the calculation ⚽️ would be as follows;
94000x0.00000153908 + 9400x0.0000138517 + 500x0.00024 + 100x0.001441 + 50x0.0019654 – (1-(0.00000153908 + 0.0000138517 + 0.00024 + 0.001441 ⚽️ + 0.0019654+))
0.14467352 + 0.13020598 + 0.12 + 0.1441 + 0.09827 – (1 – 0.00169639)
0.4309795 - 0.9998303609 = -0.3626
So the House ⚽️ Edge for this Jackpot size is 36.26%
House Edge*
The House Edge of Oasis Poker using the standard paytable and across the ⚽️ full round of wagering (Ante bet, Discard fees and Call bet) and assuming that the player plays using the optimal ⚽️ strategy discussed below is 0.47% and Net Entertainment casinos and 0.55% at Galewind casinos. If the player does not play ⚽️ optimally this figure will rise.
The House Edge of the Jackpot bet is dependent on the paytable the casino is using ⚽️ and the size of the Jackpot, but our observations places the House Edge value between 31.50% and 56.44%.
For further information ⚽️ regarding the house edge for both the main game and the Jackpot bet see Beating Bonuses (http://beatingbonuses/oasis.htm).
Optimal Strategy
The most important ⚽️ aspect of correct strategy while playing Oasis Poker is not to play the Jackpot side bet unless it is over ⚽️ the breakeven values listed above. As the Jackpot theoretically should never exceed the breakeven point this means the player should ⚽️ never play the Jackpot bet. Even if the Jackpot value was above the breakeven value you should be aware that ⚽️ this bet has an extremely high variance and it’s highly unlikely that the regular player will ever hit the Jackpot, ⚽️ meaning that realistically the regular player will be playing with a far higher house edge.
The Optimal Strategy for Discard decisions ⚽️ when playing Oasis Poker is relatively straight forward. Unlike Video Poker games the fee for replacing cards makes discarding a ⚽️ poor choice except in a small number of situations, namely;
- When the player holds four cards of a Royal or ⚽️ Straight Flush and their hand is not a Straight or a Flush. (Discard the one non-Royal/Straight Flush card)
- When the ⚽️ player holds four cards of a Flush and does not have a Pair. (Discard the one non-Flush card)
- When the ⚽️ player holds four cards to an Outside Straight* and does not have a Pair. (Discard the one non-Straight card)
This strategy ⚽️ can be improved on with a little added complexity be discarding;
- When the player holds four to a Flush with ⚽️ a 22 through 66 pair and the dealer’s upcard is of higher rank than the pair. (Discard the one non-Flush ⚽️ card)
- When the player holds four to an Outside Straight* with a 22 or 33 pair and the dealer’s upcard ⚽️ is of higher rank than any cards the player holds. (Discard the one non-Straight card)
- When the player holds four ⚽️ to an Inside Straight* without a pair and the highest card of the Straight is 10 or more with the ⚽️ dealer’s upcard of lower rank than any card in the Straight.
* An ‘Outside’ Straight is four cards that are numerically ⚽️ adjacent meaning that two different cards would create a Straight (i.e. 6, 7, 8, 9). An ‘Inside’ Straight would be ⚽️ four cards that could make a Straight with a gap in between meaning only one card rank could complete the ⚽️ Straight (i.e. 3, 4, 6, 7).
The above is only the strategy for the Discard decision.
For the Fold/Call decision the decisions ⚽️ are similar to Caribbean Stub Poker and as such are too complex for all but the most dedicated player to ⚽️ memorise. A simplified version of this strategy would see the player Call with any hand of Ace/King/Jack/8/3 or better. This ⚽️ results in a house edge 0.1% higher than the full optimum strategy. For full Optimum Strategy you can use our ⚽️ Strategy Calculator;
Fairness Calculator
Below you can find a calculator to allow you to check the fairness of your wins/losses when playing ⚽️ Oasis Poker.
*This fairness calculator will assume that you’ve been playing with the optimal strategy detailed above. If you have not ⚽️ then the calculator will NOT return accurate results.
Winning Strategies
Offline
Hole Carding, Steering or Sorting
Unlike Blackjack the techniques used to gain an ⚽️ advantage over the game of Caribbean Stud Poker in the offline environment are not nearly so widely discussed. Gaining information ⚽️ on dealer’s hole cards – be that via edge sorting, steering or hold carding – can produce a player advantage ⚽️ as long as the information is used to alter the player’s strategy. Even with information on up to two of ⚽️ the dealer’s hole cards and an optimised strategy the player still has a substantial disadvantage (nearly 2%) so you need ⚽️ to have knowledge of at least 3 of the dealer’s hole cards before this is a worthwhile game. With perfect ⚽️ knowledge of all four dealer hole cards the strategy is trivial – Call, any winning hand or hand where the ⚽️ dealer will not qualify – though it may be worth playing some losing hands to avoid unusual/suspicious folding decisions where ⚽️ you hold a strong hand. With knowledge of only three hole cards or imperfect knowledge of four cards the strategy ⚽️ is more complex.
The rarity of being able to obtain information on 3 or more of the dealer’s hole cards and ⚽️ the high skill level involved ensure that only the most diligent of professional players are ever likely to come across ⚽️ this information and it should be emphasized that the risks involved in gaining less than perfect information are likely to ⚽️ be substantial.
The best source of information on how best to play with additional information can be found in James Grosjean’s ⚽️ ‘Exhibit CAA: Beyond Counting’. The author provides the full and correct Optimal Strategy for Caribbean Stud Poker for each of ⚽️ the different scenarios where additional information can be gathered. This book is widely considered the Bible for the professional player ⚽️ and as such is not a worthwhile investment for anyone other than a full time professional Advantage Player (not to ⚽️ mention it requires a professional reference to obtain).
Optimum Strategy and Sharing Hand Information
Offline the rules of Oasis Poker prohibit players ⚽️ sharing information about their hands. Online it’s certainly possible to share hand information if a multi-player tables could be found ⚽️ without the casino being aware of it. However given the prohibited nature of this activity in the offline game we ⚽️ would not like to comment on the ethics of engaging in such activities. As such the following information is for ⚽️ use at the player’s own risk – we do not encourage players to share information while playing Oasis Poker. We’re ⚽️ also not aware of any multi-player options in the online environment and include this information simply due to the easy ⚽️ modification from Caribbean Stud Poker.
While the House Edge of Caribbean Stud Poker cannot be reduced enough to give a player ⚽️ advantage without more hands being played than we are aware of being available online (at least 7 hands), given that ⚽️ the Discard decision substantially reduces the overall House Edge of the game, it may be possible to gain a Player ⚽️ Edge at Oasis Poker if enough additional hands are known.
According to James Grosjean you would need to have information on ⚽️ a full 7 hands and the dealer’s up card (36 cards in total) alongside a playing strategy optomized to the ⚽️ additional information to gain an edge of 2.374% over the house. 6 or less hands and the house retains the ⚽️ edge. Even with complete information the strategy required to obtain this edge is far too complicated for human application. Grosjean ⚽️ has developed a count system that couple be feasibly applied by a team of human players that achieves a player ⚽️ advantage of 1.34%. We have neither the desire, the inclination, nor the permission to republish the details of this count ⚽️ system, but interested parties should look to get hold of Grosjean’s book ‘Exhibit CAA: Beyond Counting’. It should be stated ⚽️ that the opportunities for application of this system are extremely rare and very likely not worth the effort for anyone ⚽️ but the most dedicated professional player.
In the Optimal Strategy section of this article you will find our ‘Strategy Calculator’. This ⚽️ calculator has an option to generate the Optimum Strategy when additional cards are known. Simply check the ‘Enter Additional Removed ⚽️ Cards From Deck’ option and AFTER you’ve entered your hand and the dealer’s upcard, click on the cards that you ⚽️ are aware of.
Online
There are several methods of legitimately gaining an advantage playing online Oasis Poker games. By and large these ⚽️ involve the use of promotions, bonuses and comp point systems as the games by themselves – assuming the game is ⚽️ functioning in a correct fashion and there are no errors in the paytable – will not provide any additional information ⚽️ about the cards and shuffles after every hand.
It should be noted that online advantage play is not specific to Oasis ⚽️ Poker and in recent years the wagering requirements for player’s choosing to play any table game has inflated to the ⚽️ point that Oasis Poker is now often a sub-optimal choice for the player. For more information on beating online casinos ⚽️ see BeatingBonuses.
References
James Grosjean ‘Exhibit CAA: Beyond Counting’
* All ‘House Edge’ figures in this article are based on the ‘loss per ⚽️ unit wagered’ rather than ‘loss per initial bet’.
