Casino Hold’em

The gameplay is the same as with the more popular Texas Hold’em, but in Casino Hold’em your opponent is a house dealer. Each player is dealt two cards face down, followed by three revealed community cards (the flop). Now you have to decide whether to fold and give up the initial ante, or call which will cost the same amount as the initial ante.

So when you should call and when should you fold? Gamblers have been calculating this throughout the years, and the conclusion seems to be that calling 82% of the time (and folding 18% of the time) is the most profitable strategy. The approximate 18 of 100 times you should fold is when you have two low cards (not a pair) that does not connect with the flop and does not have good drawing possibilities to a flush or a straight.

If you have a pocket pair or cards that connect well with the flop, either it being for draws, pair(s) or better, you should call. If you (or another player at a multiplayer table) call, the dealer will reveal two more community cards (the turn and the river).

Your hand is made up from five of the seven cards available (your two hole cards and the five community cards). If the dealer does not have a pair of fours or better, you win the amount of the bet if your hand is better. Should the dealer have a pair of fours or better he “qualifies”, and this is where it gets interesting in Casino Hold’em. This is what you win (x your bet) if your hand is better than the dealers (and if the dealer has a pair of fours or better):

• 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 less 1 to 1

You get your money back if your hand has the same value as the dealer’s.

As with other casino games, you find the Reversed House Edge by following optimal strategy and taking advantage of generous online casino bonuses. Depending on the rules the casino usually has a house edge of around 2%, so you don’t need much luck to score a profit when bonuses are thrown into the mix.