Casino Hold’em

Casino Hold’em is a popular table game found in many online casinos. Stephen Au-Yeung created Casino Hold’em in the late-1990s to help his student learn poker, then licensed the game in 2000 to live casinos. It gained popularity, so an increasing number of land-based casinos and online casinos began adding Casino Hold’em to their list of games. Certain casino sites have related games like Caribbean Hold’em and Texas Hold’em Bonus, with slightly different rules.

Casino Hold’em is a favorite with players because it is easy to learn, uses elements of poker, and has jackpot payouts on the main game and the side bet. The article below describes Casino Holdem rules, how to play a hand, and basic Casino Holdem strategies to help optimize your winnings.

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General Casino Hold’em Rules

Casino Hold’em rules are easy to learn. Once you read through the rules, play a few hands to master the basics. Pay special attention to betting, because they are slightly different from traditional poker. Improve your odds of winning by learning when to call and when to fold. Those are the key steps in learning Casino Holdem poker rules.

Casino Hold’em Rules You Need to Know Before Playing

Before you get started, here are some Casino Hold’em you need to know. In live settings, a croupier deals all cards. In online casinos, the software deals the cards. Casino Holdem games use a standard 52-card deck.

Hole Cards

Each player receives two face-down cards, while the dealer receives two cards. The player makes decisions first, while the game rules affect dealer decisions.

Ante Bet

Players make an Ante bet in order to play a hand.

Call Bet

The key moment is when you decide whether to call or fold this bet.

AA Bet

Players can make an optional AA side bet. This wager is called “AA” because that is where the bet goes. This has higher payouts, but a lower house edge.

Community Cards

The dealer places 5 community cards on the table. Like in Texas Hold’em, the object is to make the best 5-card hand with any combination of the 2 hole cards and 5 community cards.

Two Deals

Community cards are dealt in two rounds, instead of the three rounds in Texas Hold’em. The first round is after the flop, or first 3 cards. The second deal combines the turn (4th) and river (5th) cards.

Dealer Must Qualify

A key rule to the advantage of the player requires the dealer to qualify for a hand. If the dealer doesn’t have at least a pair of 4s, you win the ante bet. If the flop is bad, keep in mind that the dealer might not qualify.

Pushes

Pushes happen more often in Card Holdem Poker Rules than regular Hold’em. If a dealer doesn’t qualify, the Call Bet is a push.

How to Play Casino Hold’em

Learn how to play Casino Hold’em, so hands take less time to complete and you can enjoy the gaming experience more. Setting a strategy beforehand helps reduce decision-making during the game. Choose how aggressive you are at making calls or raises. Decide whether to make the optional AA side bet before you ever begin playing.

#1

Place Your Ante Bet to Start Hand

This is the beginning of each hand. To make a bet, place your chips in the circle with the word “Ante” in it.

#2

Place the AA Side Bet (or Not)

If you want to compete for bigger payouts, make the AA side bet. Players do not have to make this wager. To place a side bet, place chips in the circle with the letters “AA” in it.

#3

Dealer Deals Hole Cards

After you make Ante and AA bets, the dealer deals two face-down cards to every player at the table. These are the hole cards. The dealer also receives 2 hole cards. Check to see which cards you hold.

#4

The Flop Comes

The dealer next places three face-up cards at the center of the table. This is the flop, where players see 3 community cards appear. Compare your hole cards with the flop to calculate your chances of winning.

#5

Make a Call or Fold Your Cards

After the flop comes, you must decide to raise or fold. The Call Bet is a raise the same size as the Ante Bet. To make the Call Bet, place chips in the circle with the word “Call” in it. If you do not make this bet, you automatically fold. If you fold, you lose the original Ante.

#6

The Turn and River

The dealer places two more community cards at the same time. Once these are on the table, players should compare their 2 hole cards to the 5 community cards and build the best 5-card hand. Online casinos do this automatically for you. Compare this hand to the dealer’s hand, as well as the pay table, to decide the winnings.

#7

The Dealer Must Qualify

Even if you don’t win outright, you might still win. The dealer’s hand must be a pair-of-fours or better in order to qualify. If the dealer doesn’t qualify, you win the Ante bet. The Call bet is a push, but you receive this wager back.

#8

Compare Your Hand to the AA Pay Table

Those who made the AA Bet now compare their hand to the AA pay table. Excellent hands increases your winnings. The following section provides the pay tables for the Ante Bet and AA Bet.

Casino Hold’em Payouts and Edge

Casino Hold’em has two separate pay tables players need to know: the Ante Payout and the AA Payout. We include one set of ante payouts and two AA payouts, because they are the pay tables you’ll find in an overwhelming number of online casinos. On the Ante Bet, anything less than a flush pays at a 1:1 payout rate. The Call Bet always pays out 1:1, which lowers the return-to-player. Gamblers win most of their money on the Ante Bet.

Ante Payout

HandPayout
Royal Flush100:1
Straight Flush20:1
Four of a Kind10:1
Full House3:1
Flush2:1
Straight1:1
Three of a Kind1:1
Two Pairs1:1
Any Pair1:1
Call Bet Pays1:1

AA Payout Table #1

HandPayout
Royal Flush100:1
Straight Flush50:1
Four of a Kind40:1
Full House30:1
Flush20:1
Straight10:1
Three of a Kind8:1
Two Pairs7:1
Pair of Aces1:1

AA Payout Table #2

HandPayout
Royal Flush25:1
Straight Flush25:1
Four of a Kind25:1
Full House25:1
Flush25:1
Straight7:1
Three of a Kind7:1
Two Pairs7:1
Pair of Aces1:1

The Casino Hold’em house edge varies according to the pay table used. In most variations of the game, the house edge is between 2% and 2.5% for the main bet (ante plus call). Casino Holdem’s house edge makes it one of the best table games, if you know optimal strategy. The house edge when playing the AA side bet once again depends on the pay table used, but is calculated around 2.16%.

Best Casino Hold’em Sites

The best casino hold’em sites have reliable payouts, good game selection, player safety, and friendly customer support. Gamblers should play Casino Hold’em at the sties we recommend, because you’ll be able to play at ease, knowing it’s a quality gaming experience.

We recommend online poker casinos for those that live and play within the United States. For players all around the world, we recommend a couple of international online casinos. The options below are the only Casino Hold’em casinos you will need.

Top Casino Hold’em Sites for US Players

Slots.lv and SlotoCash are our recommendations for U.S. online players. Both sites allow players to bet on Casino Hold’em while clearing the wagering requirement. Both also provide great bonuses.

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Casino Hold’em at Slots.lv Casino

Slots LV offers Caribbean Hold’em, a Casino Hold’em version created by RealTime Gaming. Read our dedicated section on Caribbean Hold’em to learn the rule deviations and strategies that are specific to this version of the game.

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SlotoCash Casino

SlotoCash offers Caribbean Hold’em, because it uses RTG software, too. The rollover on SlotoCash’s bonus is one of the best in the United States online gaming market.

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Top Casino Hold’em Sites for Players Around the World

Betway is our top recommendation for players around the world. This international casino has a great reputation, while they offer bonuses that allows Casino Hold’em for their wagering requirement. Betway has a live dealer Casino Hold’em version, which enhances a player’s gaming experience.

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Betway Live Dealer Casino

Unlike many of its international competitors, Betway allows players to clear the wagering requirement on the welcome bonus while playing Live Casino Hold’em. Though Betway Casino does offer Casino Holdem in its online casino, its live dealer casino offers Casino Hold’em.

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Sign up and play against a casino hold’em real dealer at Betway Casino.

Live Dealer Casino Hold’em

live-dealer-casino-holdem-basicsLive Dealer Casino Hold’em enhances your gaming experience, because you play with human dealers in real-time. The live dealer casino streams the game live to your computer screen as it happens. Live dealer games have attractive, friendly croupiers who help explain the game as you play. The live dealers sometime offer special bonuses you wouldn’t receive in online Casino Hold’em.

Casino Hold’em pits the dealer against the player, having a live croupier on a dedicated table gives players more of an adrenaline rush from winning. Chatty players can engage in banter with the live dealer after a big win. Betway is a good choice for live dealer Casino Hold’em, because it uses a variety of Microgaming and Evolution Gaming studios. The Microgaming studio offers dealers dressed like Playboy bunnies.

Caribbean Hold’em

Caribbean Hold’em is a Casino Hold’em version played at RealTime Gaming casinos. RTG changed one rule in Casino Hold’em and renamed the game, so their license holders could offer the game. In Caribbean Hold’em, the ante bet pays 1:1 when the dealer doesn’t qualify, meaning you can discount the Ante Bet pay table above.

Because of the different rule, players need to study a specific Caribbean Holdem strategy chart before playing this game. Strategy dictates you play overcards, gut shot straight draws, and runner-runner flush draws differently. You want to see the dealer qualify, because payouts on good hands are much better. The house edge on Caribbean Hold’em is 2.16%.

Texas Hold’em Bonus

Texas Hold’em Bonus is a table game similar to Casino Hold’em, complete with Texas Hold’em rules and a pay table with large payouts. Players will find Texas Holdem Bonus in Atlantic City casinos, as well as some online casinos. Texas Hold’em Bonus differs from Casino Hold’em, because players bet after the flop and the turn, but not after the river. On your final bet, then, you do not have information on the river card (5th community card). Also, the dealer does not have to qualify to win. If you have a choice, play Casino Hold’em.

Online Casino Hold’em Strategy

Optimal Casino Hold’em strategy is a bit more complicated than basic strategy in blackjack, because it involves 7 cards. At the same time, players have a single decision to make each hand, so you only need to master one skill: choosing when to call or fold. The list of optimal strategies below give clarity on the amount of aggression players should use.

Top Strategies to Winning at Casino Hold’em

Fold with Lows Cards and No Pair

When the flop comes, if your 2 hole cards and 3 community cards do not make a pair or better, it is time to consider folding. If your singletons are lower than the 3 community cards in the flop, then you need to fold.

Call with a Straight Draw

If the 5 singletons give you 4 of the 5 cards in a straight, make the Call Bet. You won’t hit the straight every time, but you will enough to make it worth your while.

Call with a Flush Draw

If the 5 singletons give you 4 to a flush, again make the Call Bet. This pays out more than the straight and has more “outs”, so players holding 3 to a flush should make the Call Bet, if the payout table pays 3:1 on flushes.

Make the Call Bet Often

Players should make the call bet 82% of the time, or about 4 out of 5 hands. This means you should be folding only about 1 in 5 hands (18%). While the cards dictate when to call or fold, if you consistently deviate from these numbers, you are not playing optimally.

Casino Hold’em Calculator Tools

New players might consider playing with a Casino Hold’em calculator tool, which are found online. These are not practical for real money play, but help beginners learn optimal strategy by showing the player when to call and when to fold.

To Play or Not to Play Casino Hold’em

Casino Hold’em is a fun way to play a game similar to Texas Hold’em where you play against the house without any intimidating all-in decisions. Keep in mind the house edge while playing, but know you can mitigate the edge with smart decisions. Casino Hold’em has a better than average house edge for a table game, which makes this a favorable game to play.

Casino Hold’em Recap

Casino Hold’em offers a poker-themed table game with a low house edge, if you play at the best casinos and know optimal strategy. Bookmark this page to read the latest updates on online casinos with the best bonuses and best payout tables. Remember to brush up on the Casino Holdem strategy tips before each long session.

Now that you know how to play Casino Hold’em and have strategies to win, go ahead and sign up at any of the best Casino Hold’em sites that we recommended. Those online casinos will give you the best experience, reliable deposits and withdrawals, and great bonuses to use at the casino hold’em poker table.

About the Author
Neil White

Neil White - Editor in Chief

His drive and passion for casinos and the most popular games keep him in touch with the latest news and interests to provide the best for his readers.