CASINO HOLD'EM

Casino Holdem is a very new variation of poker popular in many casinos and online gambling sites worldwide. It is a banking game or house game, meaning that players actually play against the dealer instead of each other as in regular Texas Holdem. While players conventionally bet against the dealer, it is also possible to receive bonuses by placing side bets instead of just ante bets. It can also be played at home for recreation though one player needs to be designated as the croupier or dealer. This can rotate amongst several people so that everyone gets a chance to play.

 

Best Casinos to Play Casino Hold'em Online

 

 

Casino Holdem History

 

The history of Casino Holdem is not long, considering that it was very recently conceived. Casino Holdem was invented in the year 2000 by a gambler and poker player named Stephen Au-Yeung. Egypt, South Africa and Russia were the first countries to adopt the game. At the International Casino Exhibition in Earls Court Exhibition center in 2002 the game was introduced to a wider audience, gaining some small prominence in the casinos of England. Since then, it enjoys massive popularity on the Internet as well as in casinos around the world.

Unlike games with pasts that are hard to determine, Casino Holdem is young and has a clear progression of history. Because of this, the game has been licensed by a specific company, much like a patented board game or card game is patented by its creators. Gaming Supplies Company licenses the physical game itself while Over Ten Online Gambling Software handles the management of online distribution and rights to the game.

 

Casino Holdem Rules

 

You will need a typical 52-card deck in order to play Casino Holdem. After this, each player must make a bet (called the ante) and an additional side pot bonus bet if they wish. The players as well as the dealer are each given two face-down cards. As in regular Texas Holdem, a flop is then dealt on the table consisting of three face up cards. The player should consult their cards to see the relative power of their cards versus the others they cannot see.

Keep in mind that like in Texas Holdem, two more cards will eventually be revealed, totaling 5 community cards on the table to use for your hand. If you don't have the best hand, you could still succeed depending on what is presented with the final two community cards. Once each player determines the potential strength of their hand, they can either fold or make a call of double the amount of the ante. This differs from other poker variants' styles of betting, forcing players to contribute large antes to begin with.

This can potentially make the game more intense and faster paced than other types of poker. If there is at least one player still active in the game that hasn't folded, the dealer then deals out the other two remaining community cards. From here, both the players and the dealer make the best 5-card poker hand with a combination of the 5 community cards on the table as well as the cards in their respective hands. There are a few basic scenarios that will occur.

- A dealer is required to have a hand with a pair (4s at a minimum) or stronger in order to qualify.
- In the event that the dealer does not have a strong enough hand, the ante is paid based on an Ante-Win pay table and a Called bet results in a stand-off between the best hands.
- Assuming that the dealer qualifies and the hand is of equal strength to the player's, every bet is pushed. There is no winner or loser and the pot transfers.
- If a dealer is able to qualify and the dealer's hand is of better strength than any player's, all players lose their bets.

 

Casino Holdem Payout Table

 

Different hands have different payouts based on the probability of getting that specific combination of cards. These payouts generally line up with their relative strength among the different types of poker hands. The hands of a pair of aces through a straight generally have payouts of 7 to 1. The rest of the hands are as follows:

Flush is 20 to 1
Full house is 30 to 1
Four of a kind is 40 to 1
Straight flush is 50 to 1
Royal flush has a payout 100 to 1

Sometimes, certain web sites or casinos will make variations to these payouts in order to raise the stakes or give a certain favor or edge to the house dealer or players. Additionally, there are different payouts for any side pots that may be created during the game, again determined according to probability of hands. The payouts for side pots are as follows:

A hand of a pair of aces through a straight usually pays 7 to 1
A flush is at a pay rate of 20 to 1
A full house is 30 to 1
A hand of four of a kind is 40 to 1
A straight flush is 50 to 1
A Royal flush is 100 to 1

Just like the other pay out rates, these are subject to adjustment depending on the casino or web site you play at, though these are the accepted guidelines.

 

Casino Holdem Strategy and Tips

 

In Casino Holdem it is difficult to determine rigid rules and guidelines to help your playing style and success rates. This is because all players are simply playing against the dealer, so bluffing is less a part of the game than other poker variants like Texas Holdem or Omaha. The different types of betting systems also change things up. Casino Holdem is generally more based in luck than skill when compared to these other poker variants.

While it is not completely random, the only real choice afforded to players is whether to fold, ante up or raise their bets. Essentially, these are the main concerns in Casino Holdem as players obviously have no control over the cards they are dealt or the dealer's cards. The only thing players can do is assess their potential hands and try to gauge them against the hand of the dealer, which is a poker skill pervasive among almost all variants of poker.

One thing to keep in mind is tight, aggressive play. This is a common mantra for many Texas Holdem players who often fold and only play objectively powerful hands in order to minimize their losses and capitalize on their gains. This can also apply to Casino Holdem where you will not want to be loose with your hands, considering you can stand to lose much more money by seeing a poor hand through.