How to Play Casino Hold’em Online
Casino Hold’em is a version of poker that is popular among online casino players. It has similarities to Texas Hold’em poker but with a couple of twists. If you already know the basics of poker hands and betting, Casino Hold’em at Retro Bet Casino will be easy to pick up. And even if you are new to poker entirely, the game is simple enough to learn quickly.
Overview of Casino Hold’em
Casino Hold’em developed as a house-banked version of Texas Hold’em designed for igt slot games play. Up to seven players can play against the dealer in each hand. The game uses a standard 52-card deck, like regular poker.
Each player tries to make the best five-card poker hand possible using two hole cards dealt to them and five community cards on the table. You win money if your hand beats the dealer’s qualifying hand (explained shortly).
Here’s a quick rundown of the game:
- Players make ante and call bets to stay in each hand
- Two hole cards are dealt to the players, and three community cards come out on the flop
- Players decide to fold or make the call bet to continue
- The turn and river cards come out with betting rounds in between
- If the player’s hand beats the dealer’s, they get paid out based on the strength of their hand
Next, we’ll look at the betting structure and payouts in more detail.
Betting Structure and Payouts
To start each round, players must make the equal-sized ante and call bets. The ante bet goes to the pot, while the call bet serves as a kind of insurance. After seeing the two hole cards, players can decide to fold and surrender the ante or make the call bet to continue playing. The dealer then reveals the flop, turn and river cards.
There is another decision point after the flop where players can raise the stake by 2-4x with an optional AA bonus side bet. This side bet pays out if the player gets a pair of Aces or better using their hole cards and the community cards.
Once the last community card comes out, the hands are revealed. If the player beats the dealer’s hand, the ante and call bets win even money. The AA bonus and raise bets have higher payouts depending on the poker hand’s strength.
Here is the Casino Hold’em payout chart listing all the hands and multipliers:
Poker Hand | Payout |
Royal Flush | 100:1 |
Straight Flush | 20:1 |
Four of a Kind | 10:1 |
Full House | 3:1 |
Flush | 2:1 |
Straight | 1:1 |
Three of a Kind | 1:1 |
Two Pair | 1:1 |
Pair of Aces | 1:1 |
Note the qualifying requirement for the dealer: Their hand must contain at least one pair of 4s or better to qualify. If the dealer does not qualify, the ante bet still pays out according to the payout chart, but the call and raise bets push.
Gameplay and Rules
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s go through an example round step-by-step:
- Players make the ante and call bets. To begin, all players at the table must make equal ante and call bets. The ante goes to the pot, while the call bet goes to a separate circle.
- Two hole cards are dealt. Each player is dealt two face-down hole cards. These are combined with the community cards to make the best 5-card poker hand.
- First three community cards come out. The dealer burns the top card of the deck then flips the next three cards face up. These three cards are community cards all players may use.
- Players decide to fold or raise. Looking at the two hole cards and three community cards, players decide whether to fold or raise. If they fold, they lose the ante bet. If they raise, they must bet 2-4x the ante.
- Fourth community card comes out. The dealer burns another card then flips a fourth common card face up for all to use.
- The final community card comes out. The dealer burns the last card then puts out a fifth and final community card. No more betting happens after this card.
- Showdown. Going clockwise, players reveal their hands, combining hole cards with the five community cards. The dealer then reveals their two hole cards and qualifier.
- Settlement. Player hands that beat the dealer’s qualifying hand win. Bets are settled based on the payout chart according to the hand strength.
And that covers the basic gameplay! Note that the house edge usually ranges from about 2-3% in Casino Hold’em depending on specific rules and payouts.
Tips and Strategy
While Casino Hold’em involves more luck than skill, a few tips can help improve your odds and payouts:
- Know the qualifying rules. Pay attention to whether the dealer’s hand needs one pair or higher to qualify. This affects whether call/raise bets will stay in play.
- Bet aggressively with strong hole cards. When dealt Aces, Kings, Queens, or Ace-King suited, strongly consider raising as these have the best odds of making big hands.
- Pay attention to board texture when raising. Only raise when the community cards have connected suits and sequences to have the best chance at flushes and straights.
- Learn the odds for call bets. Getting proper pot odds by comparing the call bet size to the pot size is key to maximizing value from speculative hands.
- Consider the optional side bets carefully. The AA bonus, for instance, generally has poor odds that favor the house. But it can add excitement and is integral to the game.
That covers most of the strategy for Casino Hold’em! Mostly it comes down to making the most +EV decisions on calling, raising and folding based on your hole cards and community cards.