Casino Hold’em Poker is one of the most popular games to play at the casino, whether that casino is made of bricks and mortar or is an online version. Of course poker is the most popular card game in the world, and the casino version of Hold’em brings a flavor of the game to the gaming floor. The main difference between standard hold’em and casino hold’em is that in the latter you are playing against the dealer rather than your fellow players, and bluffing does not come into the equation.
How to Play Casino Hold’em
So first off, let’s quickly run through the rules of casino hold’em poker, taking an example of one player playing online versus the dealer. Anyone who’s played a variation of Texas Hold’em will recognize the sequence of play. First off you post your ante, then you will receive two cards, as will the dealer. You don’t get to see the dealer’s cards until the game is over. After you see your cards, you have the option to double up and continue or to cut your losses and fold. Three more cards are dealt in one go (the Flop), with the option to check or play for more. Then comes the Turn (4th card) and River (5th card) with the option to bet or check after each. At the end, you and the dealer reveal your cards and whichever is the better hand wins.
Remember: it doesn’t matter if it’s one player or five at the table, you are only interested in beating the dealer to win.
Got the idea? Okay, let’s find out about five ways to improve your chances of a win at Casino Texas Hold’em Poker:
1. Know the Odds
As with every game at the casino, it is always a good idea to have at least a general idea of the odds of winning based on different bet types. That’s what we have laid out for you in the table below, where we show the payouts and odds of making specific hands from your two hole cards and the five communal cards:
| Hand | Ante Bet Payout | AA (Bonus) Bet Payout | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 100 to 1 | 100 to 1 | 30,940 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 20 to 1 | 50 to 1 | 3,589 to 1 |
| Four of a Kind | 10 to 1 | 40 to 1 | 594 to 1 |
| Full House | 3 to 1 | 30 to 1 | 37.5 to 1 |
| Flush | 2 to 1 | 20 to 1 | 32.1 to 1 |
| Straight | 1 to 1 | 7 to 1 | 20.6 to 1 |
| Three of a Kind | 1 to 1 | – | 19.7 to 1 |
| Two Pair | 1 to 1 | – | 3.26 to 1 |
| Pair | 1 to 1 | – | 1.37 to 1 |
| High Card | 1 to 1 | – | 0.99 to 1 |
We have also included the AA Bonus Bet payouts here – this is an optional side bet where the hand is made up only from your two cards plus the three cards of the flop, and does not include the turn or river cards. The Odds column gives you an idea of how many hands you would statistically need to play on average in order to score the hand value in question. The Ante Bet payouts list is a multiplier of how much you win for beating the dealer with the stated hand of cards. The Call Bet payout is a 1 to 1 payout based on all other bets during the hand, and regardless of what your winning is hand is made up of. Note that this table doesn’t apply to every game of casino hold’em but gives a good general idea of what to expect.
2. Pay to See the Flop
It is generally a good idea to call when playing Casino Hold’em Poker, unless you have a particularly weak hand. It may be a better idea to cut your losses after the flop, but as a general rule it is a good idea to call about 80% of the time after your hole cards have been revealed. If you are lucky enough to have strong hole cards like a pair or A plus high card then ramp up those bets as the cards are dealt. Fortune (often) favors the brave when it comes to playing Casino Hold’em!
3. Dealer Must Qualify
One point we haven’t mentioned so far is around dealer qualification. Unless the dealer has a final hand worth at least a pair of 4s or better, he loses the ante bet automatically. Good news for the player! This means there is always a ‘get out of jail free’ card potentially waiting for the player, assuming the dealer can’t make that pair or better. Oftentimes the dealer will qualify, but if not then it’s a win for the player in terms of the ante bet. However, you don’t win the additional bets too – they are ‘pushed’ – meaning that you just get your money back.
4. Approach the AA Side Bet with Caution
The AA Side Bet offers some nice potential payouts, as you can see from our table above. However, with bigger returns usually comes bigger risk – casino operators are no dopes. If you feel like going for the AA bet – which to remind you, is based only on the 5-card total of your hole cards plus the flop – then sure, give it a go. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that this option has a house edge of 6.26%, or in other words an expected Return to Player of 93.74%. That’s lower than the average online slot game, so you will probably have a better shot of a big win when you spin the reels of a feature-rich slot than when taking the AA side option.
5. Cut Your Losses After the Flop
We said above that it’s usually a good idea to pay to see the three-card flop. However, from this point on you want to start thinking about your probabilities of coming out with a winning hand. If after the flop all you’ve got is a low pair or a high card, then your best option is to Check for the rest of the hand unless you fall into a flush or straight. If checking is not an option then this is a good time to Fold and live to play another day. Naturally, the opposite is true if the flop does you a favor and delivers a strong 5-card hand. In that case keep raising through the river and hope that your strong hand is strong enough to beat that dealer.
If you enjoyed our Casino Poker tips, you may want to check out our other guides to casino gaming, like the Top 5 Tips for playing Blackjack, Roulette and Baccarat.
