Casino Hold 'Em: The Poker Table Game Where Players Compete Against the Casino, Not Other Players

By Dennis J Occhino

Casino Hold 'em is similar to the king of all poker games, Texas Hold 'em. The main difference being players compete against the house rather than other players. It is easy to learn and play, as long as you understand poker hand rankings. Novice players need not worry about being intimidated by other players. First let's list the face value for each card and the five card poker hand rankings in sequential order:

Face Value of Cards

2 through 10 and Jack, Queen, King, Ace (2 is lowest, Ace is highest)

Poker Hand Rankings

High card - Five cards of different values with mixed suits and Ace being the highest.

One Pair - Two of the same cards such as 2, 2.

2 Pair - Two of the same cards twice, 7,7, & K, K

3 of a Kind - Three of the same cards, K, K, K, (AKA Trips)

Straight - Five cards in sequential order with mixed suits, 7,8,9,10, J

Flush - Five cards with the same suit in any order (5 Spades, Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds.

Full House - Trips and a Pair, Q, Q, Q, 8,8, (AKA, Full Boat).

4 of a Kind - Four of the same cards, J, J, J, J, (AKA, Quads).

Straight Flush - Five cards of the same suit in sequential order.

Royal Flush - 10, J, Q, K, A, of the same suit.

How to Play

A standard 52 card deck is used. All players must first make an ante wager before play begins. There is also an optional bonus wager called AA Bonus. The dealer will then deal his or herself two hole cards face down, and place three community cards face up in the center of the table. This is known as the flop. The community cards can be used by all players to complete their hands.

Players examine their cards and must make one of two decisions:

Fold - forfeiting the ante bet.

Call - Make a wager equal to two times the ante bet.

The dealer will then deal two more community cards face up for a total of five, and reveal his or her cards. The players and dealer make their best five card poker hand by using any combination of their own two cards and the five community cards.

The dealer must have a pair of 4's or better to qualify. If the dealer does not qualify, the call bet pushes and the ante bet will pay according to the pay table listed below.

If the dealer qualifies and player beats dealer, the call bet pays 1 to 1 and the ante bet pays according to the ante pay table below.

If the dealer qualifies and beats the player, the player loses the ante and call bets.

If the dealer qualifies and ties the player, the ante and call bets push.

Pay tables may vary, below is supposedly the most common one:

Ante Bet Pay Table

Royal Flush - 100/1

Straight Flush - 20/1

4 of a Kind - 10/1

Full House - 3/1

Flush - 2/1

All Other - 1/1

Optional AA  Side Wager

The AA optional side wager pays if the player is holding a pair of Aces or better. The bet pays even if the player folded the original hand. Here is the pay table:

Royal Flush - 100/1

Straight Flush - 50/1

4 of a Kind - 40/1

Full House - 30/1

Flush - 20/1

Straight - 10/1

Three of a Kind - 8/1

Two Pair - 7/1

Pair of Aces - 7/1

Strategy

Strategy is rather simple for this game according to gaming Analysts. Only the worst 18% of hands should be folded. Which are two low unsuited hole cards with no chance of a straight or flush when matched with the three-card community flop.

House Edge

The house edge has been calculated at 2.16% for the call wager and 2.97% when making the bonus wager, based on the pay tables listed.

Good Luck!

Copyright � - Dennis J. Occhino - All rights reserved

Dennis Occhino is the founder of http://www.aResponsibleGambler.com, where you'll find More than 70 articles ranging from casino customs, table games, machine games, sports, and probably some games you never heard of. You'll learn how to play them all with detailed descriptions, videos, and links for free play. Products and publications are available for purchase. This site shows you how to play responsibly, and when to take the money and run.

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