Casino Hold’em is routinely confused with Texas Holdem Poker, yet there are marked differences between the two variants. For starters, Casino Hold’em features an Ante bet and a progressive jackpot side bet that poker players can make. In the poker arena, the quality of Casino Hold’em games is often evaluated by the degree of engagement these games can generate with fans.
Live Casino Hold’em merges the rapid-play of online poker entertainment with authentic dealers to create a truly transformational gaming experience. There is tremendous merit in quality live casino games, notably the comfort and convenience of home-based play, or gaming on the go, and the personal interaction with a professional poker dealer.
How Does Live Casino Hold’em Play Out?
The rules of play for traditional Casino Hold’em require players to be seated at a table where they compete against one another. With live casino games, players compete directly against the dealer. It doesn’t matter what other live casino players are holding – whether it’s the nuts or a bad beat. All that matters is that you beat the dealer’s hand total to claim the spoils of victory. What’s great about this variant are the payouts. With a Royal Flush, you can expect a payout of 100:1 with the Ante, and with the Bonus round. Of course, the bonus payouts are higher for all other hands given that you’ve placed an extra bet.
All the cards are dealt from a single deck – that’s 52 cards. Players can interact in real time with the live dealers via WebCam and chat functionality. Your goal is to form the highest-ranking 5-card hand given your two cards, the Flop, Turn and River. These community cards are dealt face up on the center of the table for the player and the dealer to use. You have the option of a classic view, or a 3D view of the action – it’s your call. Unlike Texas Hold’em which is played against other players, in Casino Hold’em you’re only playing against the dealer.
Beyond the Façade, Casino Hold’em is Different
You still have two hole cards and five community cards, but the bet structure is different. In Texas Hold’em, players have an opportunity to be the Big Blind and the Small Blind when the button moves in a clockwise fashion around the table. In Casino Hold’em, you’re always paying the Ante – since it’s just you against the dealer. It’s important to adopt a winning poker strategy with this game, since your temperament will be tested with a live dealer.
As with all standard poker games, you have the option to fold, or call. You can also place an additional bet known as a bonus bet that’ll pay if a pair of pocket rockets – Aces or higher – are dealt in the first 5 cards. Both the dealer’s cards are hidden from view, unlike blackjack where one of the dealer’s cards is face up. After the flop, you will have the option to call or fold. If you call, you must place another bet equivalent to twice the Ante. If you fold, it’s game over.
Simply wait for the next hand, take your seat, and pay the Ante bet. If you call, the dealer will flip over two additional community cards known as the Turn and the River. At that point, you will see the dealer’s pocket cards.
The Best 5-Card Hand Always Wins
With Live Casino Hold’em, the best 5-card poker hand wins. But here’s where things get interesting: you can place a bonus bet once you have placed the Ante bet. It is only applicable to the first of five cards in your hand. If you are holding a pair of Aces, or a better combination of cards, and you decide to call, you will win the bonus bet. Unlike Texas Hold’em, the dealer needs at least a pair of 4’s or better to qualify in Casino Hold’em. If the dealer doesn’t qualify with a pair of 4s, you win. If the dealer qualifies and beats your hand value, you lose. If it comes to a push – but you and the dealer have the same value hand, nobody wins and nobody loses. You will receive your Call bet and your Ante bet back. Here are some of the payouts you can expect with Ante and
Bonus bets:
• Ante bet Royal Flush – 100:1 vs bonus bet Royal Flush – 100:1
• Ante bet Straight – 20:1 vs bonus bet Straight – 50:1
• Ante bet 4 of a kind – 10:1 vs bonus bet 4 of a kind – 40:1
• Ante bet Full House – 3:1 vs bonus bet Full House – 30:1
This game has a theoretical return to player of 97.84% on the Ante bet, and 93.74% on the bonus bet. You can place wagers anywhere from £0.10 all the way up to £1,000, and quick-click functionality makes it really easy to breeze through the game and enjoy all of the features with the Live Casino Hold’em dealers.
