Casino Hold’em

A table game, Casino Hold’em is designed to be dealt by a coupier for casino patrons. In this game players play the house and not other players. It is a straight contest between the dealer’s hand and the player’s.

A banking game, Casino Hold’em was designed and introduced by Strepehn Au-Yeung in the year 2000. The game was in its initial stages introduced and played as a live casino game in Egypt, Russia, and South Africa. In the year 2002, the game was showcased at the International Casino Exhibition which was held at Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London UK. Currently Gaming Supplies Company, TCS John Huxley and over ten online gaming software companies are marketing the game. The game is being played at over 100 live casinos and over 500 online casinos worldwide. It was licensed for use in the UK in 2007.

Time for dealing a good hand…Casino Holdem

Rules

• The game is played with a standard 52 card deck.
• Each player makes an Ante bet and may make an optional AA bonus side bet
• The player and dealer are both dealt two cards (face down).
• Three cards are then dealt to the board and will eventually contain five cards.
• After checking his/her cards, the player has to decide (a) to fold with no further play losing the Ante bet or (b) to make a Call bet of double the Ante bet.
• If one or more players makes a Call bet the dealer will deal two more cards to the board, for a total of five.
• Players and dealer make their best five card poker hand from their own two personal cards and five board cards.
• Each player’s hand is compared with the dealer’s.
• The dealer must have a pair of 4s or better to qualify.
• If the dealer does not qualify, the Ante bet pays according to the Ante Win pay table and the Call bet is a push (standoff).
• If the dealer qualifies, and the player’s hand is better than the dealer’s, the Ante bet pays according to the Ante-Win pay table and the Call bet pays 1 to 1.
• If the dealer qualifies, and the dealer’s hand is equal to the player’s, all bets are push (it doesn’t win or lose).
• If the dealer qualifies, and the dealer’s hand is better than the player’s, the player loses all bets.

 

Strategy

To figure out and quantify an optimal strategy for Casino Hold’em is a tough task since the optimal decision for each hand is based on the combination of all 7 cards (two personal cards and five board cards) dealt. The optimal strategy player will raise 82% of the time. So only in the worst 18% of hands should the player fold? This means that players should only fold the very weakest hands they encounter during play. Hands that may deserve folds include those in which the player holds less than a pair, does not have over cards to the board, and has no realistic flush or straight draws.

It begins with one of the player putting in or making an Ante bet and/or an optional AA side bet. The dealer then deals out two cards face down. 3 community cards are dealt to the table, also called the flop. After each player checks the cards dealt to them they need to decide to either fold their hand and lose their ante bet or call by placing and additional bet which is double the size of the ante bet.

If the player calls, then the dealer will deal out 2 more cards on the board which makes it a total of 5 cards. The player and dealer put together the best five card poker hand from the two cards that were dealt to the player and the five cards present on the board. The hands of the player are then compared with the dealers.

Post comparison any of the three scenarios happen – before that the dealer must have at least a pair of fours or better to qualify.

• Dealer does not qualify – there isn’t any win or lose.
• Dealer qualifies – and the players hand is stronger compared to the dealer ante bet pays according to the ante table and call bet 1:1.
• Hands are equal – all bets are pushed

The game automatically starts playing the free spins won and summarizes the winnings when the last free spin has been played. The ticker below the slot reels indicate how many remaining free spins are left.

When three or more Bonus symbols are adjacent, from left to right, on an active pay line you win the bonus game. In the bonus game you shoot down beer bottles by dragging the mouse pointer beer bottle and left-clicking. For shot down bottle there is either a winning amount or a collect sign. Once you’ve made your choices with the prizes inside, the bonus game ends, the winnings are collected, and you return to the slot machine.

• Ante Win Pay table – In this game the player not only wins a standard 1 to 1 sum if they have the stronger hand, but for rare hands a higher sum. The pay table of Casino Holdem pays a 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, and straight or less the standard 1 to 1.
• Side bets – Known as and called the AA Bonus Side bet is based on the poker value of the two cards of the players and the first three flop cards. The scoring is as such – A pair of aces to a straight pays 7 to 1, flush 20 to 1, full house 30 to 1, four of a kind 40 to 1, straight flush 50 to 1 and royal flush 100 to 1. A variations to this pay table, a pair of aces to a straight pays 7 to 1, flush or higher 25 to 1.
• House edge – The percentage of each bet the casino will on average win, assuming perfect play on the part of the player varies on the specific rules. But the most commonly pay table result in a house edge varying from just below 2% to around 2.5%.