Casino Hold’em Video Poker: How to Play, Strategy, Tips
December 01, 2024 Eliot Thomas Casino Content Executive Laura Klusaite
Casino Hold’em is 🍊 a variant of Poker that you play against the house.
To play it right, you need to know Casino Hold’em rules 🍊 and video poker strategy.
Read about it all in this article and register to play at one of these top online 🍊 casino sites.
Casino Hold'em is a fascinating video poker game that is hugely popular at land casinos and online casinos alike.
Similar 🍊 in some respects to video poker games like Jacks or Better, Ultimate Texas Hold'em, Caribbean Stud Poker & more, Casino 🍊 Hold'em is played against the house rather than fellow players.
This makes it a brilliant learning game and a fantastic introduction 🍊 to the world of online poker.
In this article, you can learn the following about Casino Hold'em:
How to Play Casino Hold’em 🍊 Online?
Looking for a simple guide to how to play Casino Hold'em online? Look no further!
Step 1 - Open a Casino 🍊 Hold'em game online.
Casino Hold’em rules are similar to the ones of Texas Hold’em Poker. Except you don’t play against other 🍊 players. Your goal is to beat the dealer like in most Casino games.
Thus, many players simply call it a Casino-style 🍊 Texas Hold’em Poker. But generally, you will find it online and offline as Casino Hold’em.y
Want to learn how to play 🍊 video poker? Check out our easy-to-understand Beginner's Guide to Video Poker!
Casino Hold’em Rules
Casino Hold’em games include the standard 52-card deck.
You 🍊 start playing by making an ante bet. It’s a forced wager you need to make before the flop.
You can also 🍊 make a side bet. In Casino Hold’em it’s known as AA (Bonus) bet.
Step 2 - Place your Ante bet & 🍊 optional AA bonus bet.
Once you set your wagers, both you and the dealer get two hole cards each.
When you play 🍊 Casino Hold’em online, you play alone. In some multi-hand versions, you can play two or three hands at the same 🍊 time.
When you play at a brick-and-mortar Casino, the number of players can vary. Players come and go.
Once the players’ cards 🍊 are dealt, the flop with community cards follows.
If you’re not familiar with Poker terms, the flop is the first three 🍊 cards that are dealt face up on the table.
These cards are called community cards because all the players and the 🍊 dealer can use them to make a five-card hand with the highest rank.
And that’s what you need to do if 🍊 you want to win.
Once you see the flop, you have two options:
to call - to bet and continue playing
- to 🍊 bet and continue playing to fold - to discard your hand and wait for another round
Step 3 - Check your 🍊 hand & the Flop. Is it time to Fold or Raise?
Calling requires a bet that’s twice the size of your 🍊 ante. But you can’t win if you don’t call.
When you fold online, the game skips to the next bet without 🍊 revealing the remaining cards or the dealer’s cards.
You lose, the house wins.
When you call, the remaining two community cards are 🍊 dealt.
Then the dealer’s cards go face up and you see the outcome of the game - who has a better 🍊 hand and takes home the pot.
Casino Hold’em Hand Ranking
From the highest to the lowest, Casino Hold’em hands go like this:
Casino 🍊 Hold’em Hand Explanation Example Royal Flush Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 in the same suit A♥K♥Q♥J♥10♥ Straight Flush Five 🍊 cards in the same suit, all in a rank sequence J♠10♠9♠8♠7♠ Four of a Kind Four cards of the same 🍊 rank Q♣Q♠Q♥Q♦2♣ Full House Three of a Kind and a Pair Q♥Q♠Q♣K♣K♠ Flush Five cards in the same suit Q♦10♦9♦7♦4♦ 🍊 Straight Five cards a rank sequence 8♠7♥6♦5♦4♣ Three of a Kind Three cards of the same rank J♣J♠J♥9♣7♥ Two Pair 🍊 Two pairs of different ranks 7♦7♥5♠5♥2♦ Pair Two cards of the same rank A♣A♠K♥J♥9♦ High Card Highest card when no 🍊 higher hand is available A♠J♥8♦5♠2♣
Royal Flush is the best possible hand you can have when you combine your hand with 🍊 the community cards. Whereas a pair of Aces is the best hole cards you can get.
But don’t you worry if 🍊 that’s not exactly what you have in your hand.
There’s more to Casino Hold’em than the best possible cards.
Casino Hold’em Outcomes 🍊 and Payouts
As there are three bets in the game (ante, raise, and AA), you win each bet under certain conditions.
Ante 🍊 Bet
You win ante bet if your hand beats the dealer’s hand.
Step 4 - If your hand beats the dealer you've 🍊 won!
You receive one of the following payouts, based on where does your hand rank:
Your Hand Ante Payout Royal Flush 100 🍊 to 1 Straight Flush 20 to 1 Four of a Kind 10 to 1 Full House 3 to 1 Flush 🍊 2 to 1 Straight or lower 1 to 1
Raise Bet
In order to win most, not only you have to have 🍊 a good hand but the dealer has to have a decent hand, too.
In Poker terms, the dealer needs to qualify. 🍊 In the game of Casino Hold’em the dealer qualifies with a Pair of Fours or better.
If your hand beats the 🍊 dealer’s but the dealer’s hand doesn’t qualify - the raise bet is a push - you get your wager back 🍊 but you don’t win.
Step 5 - The Dealer doesn't qualify - your Raise bet is a Push.
Thus, you win the 🍊 raise bet only if the dealer qualifies and you beat their hand. When that happens, the raise bet pays 1 🍊 to 1.
Casino Hold’em outcomes in a nutshell:
Dealer qualifies Dealer doesn’t qualify Your hand beats the dealer's hand You win both 🍊 ante and raise bets You win ante bet, raise bet is a push Your hand doesn’t beat the dealer's hand 🍊 You lose both ante and raise bets You win ante bet but lose the raise bet Both your and dealer’s 🍊 hands are equal Both ante and raise bets are a push Both ante and raise bets are a push
AA (Bonus) 🍊 Bet
Unlike ante and raise bets, AA bonus bet is not related to your hand beating the dealer’s or the dealer’s 🍊 hand qualifying.
It’s considering only your hand the flop (first three community cards).
If during this stage your hand is a Pair 🍊 of Aces or better, you win AA bet. The payouts are pretty sweet, too:
Your Hand AA Payout Royal Flush 100 🍊 to 1 Straight Flush 50 to 1 Four of a Kind 40 to 1 Full House 30 to 1 Flush 🍊 20 to 1 Pair of Aces to Straight 7 to 1
You know whether you win AA bet before you know 🍊 the final outcome of the game.
No matter what are the remaining community cards, you can only win AA bet if 🍊 your hand is a Pair of Aces or better during the flop.
Step 6 - Your hand on the flop was 🍊 Two Pair (Kings and 2s) - you win AA bonus bet!
The Best Casino Hold'em Strategy
Approximately, Casino Hold’em has a house 🍊 edge of up to 2.5 percent. That’s not the best odds at a Casino.
But not the worst ones either.
It’s more 🍊 difficult to come up with a simple basic strategy that games like Blackjack or Pontoon have.
But not everything is lost 🍊 when playing online.
Yes, calculating the probability of whether you will get favorable cards after the flop or not would be 🍊 a pain. But it’s nothing for a computer.
And you are already on one!
Open a Hold’em Strategy calculator in a separate 🍊 window, type in what cards you have and what community cards are dealt. The computer will advise you whether you 🍊 should call (raise) or fold.
The PokerNews Texas Hold'em Calculator can be used.
I have to admit, it won’t be that easy 🍊 to switch between tabs on a smartphone. And to take time to check every hand will be impossible if you 🍊 play Casino Hold’em live.
But if you use it frequently enough when playing online, you will start noticing the probability of 🍊 some cards and have a better feeling when to call or fold.
What is Live Casino Hold'em?
Like many other Casino games, 🍊 you can also play Casino Hold’em live.
It means you will still be playing at an online Casino but not against 🍊 the random number generator.
A real dealer will be dealing your cards and talking to you via a computer or a 🍊 smartphone screen in real-time.
That’s a good alternative if you need human contact when playing Casino games online.
However, remember: the pace 🍊 of live dealer games is a lot faster in comparison to when you play against the online game.
The Best Online 🍊 Casinos to Play Casino Hold'em
Once you know how to play Casino Hold’em, you need to know where.
You can consider sites 🍊 to play for free, as Social Casinos offer excellent free games to many.
But when you want to play for money, 🍊 you need to look further.
You need a place that’s a) trustworthy (safe and secure, licensed and regulated), b) has a 🍊 Casino Hold’em game in their collection, and c) is available at your location.
So, how about one of these online Casinos?
Find 🍊 a full guide to The Best Online Casinos for Video Poker here!
Casino Hold'em Video Poker - FAQs
What is Casino Hold'em? 🍊 Casino Hold'em is a variant of poker that you play against the house. It is a relatively new game, but 🍊 it has quickly become popular because it is easy to learn and play. How do you play Casino Hold'em? The 🍊 goal of Casino Hold'em is to beat the dealer's hand. You start by placing an ante bet and (optionally) an 🍊 AA bonus bet. Then, you and the dealer are each dealt two cards. If you like your hand, you can 🍊 call the bet by placing a bet that is twice the size of your ante bet. If you don't like 🍊 your hand, you can fold and lose your ante bet. What are the payouts in Casino Hold'em? The payouts in 🍊 Casino Hold'em depend on the strength of your hand and whether or not the dealer qualifies. The dealer qualifies if 🍊 they have a pair of fours or better. If your hand beats the dealer's hand, you win your ante bet 🍊 and raise bet. If the dealer qualifies and your hand beats theirs, you win your ante bet and raise bet 🍊 at 1:1. If the dealer qualifies and your hand doesn't beat theirs, you lose both your ante bet and raise 🍊 bet. If the dealer doesn't qualify, you win your ante bet and your raise bet is a push (you get 🍊 your money back). What is the AA bonus bet in Casino Hold'em? The AA bonus bet is a side bet 🍊 that you can place before you see the flop. If your hand is a pair of aces or better on 🍊 the flop, you win the AA bonus bet. The payouts for the AA bonus bet are as follows: Royal Flush: 🍊 100 to 1
Straight Flush: 50 to 1
Four of a Kind: 40 to 1
Full House: 30 to 1
Flush: 20 to 1
Pair 🍊 of Aces to Straight: 7 to 1 Where can I play Casino Hold'em? You can play Casino Hold'em at many 🍊 online casinos. You can also play it at some land-based casinos.
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