Casino Holdem
There is a whole new world of little-known casino games. One of the relatively new casino games to be part of the list is Casino hold ’em.
Casino hold ’em is distinct from Texas hold ’em; the poker game everyone is familiar with. Though invented just a little over 20 years ago in the year 2000, Casino hold ’em has continued to gain popularity. It was introduced in the UK in 2007.
Currently, the game is prevalent in online casinos across the world. This fun poker variant involves playing against the casino, unlike Texas hold ’em played against other players.
Casino hold’em is popular in both online and land-based casinos. Regardless of where you play, the strategy and technique are similar.
Playing Casino Hold ’em
Unlike other popular table games played with eight decks of cards, Casino hold ’em is played with a 52 card deck. The aim of the game is to reach the ideal five-card hand, just like Texas Hold ’em.
Players use a mixture of five community cards and two hole cards. You should ensure that you understand the typical poker rankings before you get started with Casino hold ’em.
Betting
When playing Casino hold’em, the first step involves placing an “ante.” You will find an area labeled “ante” on the table. This area is the same as the area marked “blind” in poker.
You will be told to place your ante if you are playing a live Casino hold ’em game.
The dealer deals you two cards after you place your ante. These cards are placed on the table face up and are your “hole cards.” The dealer will also assign themselves two cards though these will be face down.
After dealing with all hole cards, the dealer then deals the initial 3 community cards, flop, before any other action occurs. Unlike in renowned Texas hold ’em, pre-flop action is not present in Casino hold ’em, except placing an ante.
You have the choice to fold or play now that you have two hole cards and three community cards. You have to place your bet if you choose to play. You will decide between betting and folding depending on the strength in your hand.
The dealer deals the turn and the river (fourth and fifth card) if you choose to bet. The dealer will then turn over his or her card to determine the winner. After this stage, there are no other betting rounds.
Winning strategy
How can you win while playing casino hold ’em? You will win when you make a strong combination of five cards using the community cards and your hole cards.
Your combination should be stronger than that of the dealer for you to win. You will win automatically if the dealer doesn’t make a stronger hand than a pair of fours.
If the dealer doesn’t make a better hand than a pair of fours, they will not qualify irrespective of the cards the player is holding.
The amount won based on the ante you placed at the start of the game will vary depending on the strength of your hand. The payouts vary from “straight or less” up to “Royal Flush.”
Side Bets
After placing the ante in Casino hold’em, you also have a choice to place a bonus bet.
This is the side bet. The bonus bet will payout on “Aces or better” on the flop.
Casino Hold ’em strategies
There are some basic strategies that you can adopt when playing casino hold ’em, just like with all other forms of gambling. These strategies will help you to play the casino game optimally.
If you abide by the right strategies, you can get RTP rates as high as 99.18%, though this will vary based on the game.
Your RTP could be as low as 93% if you do not use any strategy. Below are some proven strategies:
Call with a pair
In Casino hold ’em, you are playing not against other players but the dealer. Since there is only a single betting round, any pair in a Casino hold ’em is more dependable than a pair in Texas hold’em.
Call whenever you have a King or Ace
With Casino, hold ’em, when playing a single round against the casino or the dealer, you should seize the opportunity and call whenever you have a King or Ace. You should call whenever you have a jack or queen.
However, this strategy might not be ideal if the first 3 community cards belong to the same suit, and none of your cards fits in that suit. In this case, you should take some time and think of what the dealer could be holding.
If the initial 3 community cards are of the same suit, the dealer has a low chance of a higher card or flush that surpasses your hand.
Therefore, you should fold at this point.
Fold if none of your cards is over 10
If you have two cards that count under 10, you should fold. However, you should not fold if any of your hold cards match any of the community cards. You should not fold if you have four cards to flush.
Call with your two over cards
You should call if your hole cards are higher than community cards. This scenario is known as “overcards”, and it would be ideal to call.
Where to play Casino Hold ’em
After learning the basics and the winning strategies of Casino hold ’em, you are probably eager to try your hand at the game. You can visit your local brick and mortar casino and find out if they offer casino hold’em.
You can also play casino hold ’em at the best online casinos.