Dear Mark,

Let’s say two players were playing Caribbean Stud online Poker and both werebetting the side bet, and by some striking coincidence, both got a royalflush. Would they both get the full amount on the progressive meter? AdrianP.

In Caribbean Stud Poker, all players have the choice of making a $1 sidebet that pays for hands of a flush or higher. Though the specific payofftables vary from casino to casino, they all feature a progressive jackpot online gambling.Once there’s a hit, 100% of the jackpot goes for a royal flush, or, for astraight flush, 10% of the total current jackpot. Although to the best of my knowledge your question’s premise has neveroccurred, if that virtually impossible fantasy WERE to occur, and twohysterical players DID each have a royal flush on the same hand, well …In the casinos I worked in, the first player to the dealer’s left would winthe jackpot. The second player would win whatever the jackpot is re-seededat, which is generally $10,000 or $20,000.I did pose your question to one casino executive who thought if the unlikelywere to occur in his online casino, that he would split the jackpot between the twoplayers. But he also confided he really didn’t have the slightest idea whatthe actual rules were when two players both got royal flushes in the samehand.Now logical reasoning, Adrian, would tell you to sit as close as possible tothe dealer’s left. But not so fast, my friend. The clearheaded would notmake the progressive wager at all considering the average house edge is over26%, depending, of course, on the size of the jackpot.Regardless, Adrian, it’s a sucker bet the vast majority of time and I adviseagainst making it.