How to Play Casino Hold'em
Casino table games aren’t all about blackjack and roulette - there’s actually a whole world of lesser-known table games available, depending on which casino you’re at. (Incidentally, we list all the table games played at each casino in our casino reviews.)
In this post, we’ll be looking at a relatively new table game to join the ranks - Casino Hold’em. We’ve laid out how to play casino hold’em, casino hold’em basic strategy, and all the casino hold’em rules you need to know to play this fast and fun card game optimally.
(Be aware, Casino Hold’em is not the same as Texas Hold’em, the classic poker game we all know and love. So if you’re looking for information on Texas Hold’em, you’re in the wrong place and you should head on over to our poker category.)
What is Casino Hold’em?
Casino Hold’em was invented just over 20 years ago, in 2000 and was introduced to casinos in the UK in 2007, making it an incredibly young game by most table games’ standards. These days, Casino Hold’em is played in casinos around the world as a fun and fast variant of poker which is played against the casino - rather than other players (such as Texas Hold’em).
There are other variants of poker that are played against the house, such as Three Card Poker, Four Card Poker, and Casino Stud Poker. They’re all very similar table games with small differences.
Casino Hold’em can be played in brick-and-mortar casinos or at online casinos, and the strategy is the same regardless of where you’re playing.
How To Play Casino Hold’em Poker
Casino Hold’em Poker is played with a standard 52 card deck, unlike other casino table games, such as blackjack, which is played with up to eight decks of cards.
Just like Texas Hold’em the goal of Casino Hold’em is to make the best five card hand using a combination of two hole cards and five community cards. So the first step of playing Casino Hold’em is to make sure you know the standard poker hand rankings.
Casino Hold’em Betting
When you start playing Casino Hold’em, you have to place an ‘ante’ on the part of the table marked ‘ante’. This is similar to the ‘blind’ in poker (it’s a bet you have to place). If you’re playing live Casino Hold’em online then you’ll be prompted to place your ante by the client of whichever website you’re playing with. Here’s an example from PokerStars:
Once you’ve placed your ante, the dealer will deal you two cards. These are your ‘hole cards’ and they’re placed face up on the table in front of you. The dealer will also deal themselves two cards, though these are dealt face down.
Now all the hole cards have been dealt, the dealer will immediately deal the first three community cards - the flop - before any further action takes place. Unlike in Texas Hold’em Poker, there is no pre-flop action in Casino Hold’em other than placing the ante.
Now you have your cards and the three community cards, you’re given the option to play or fold. If you decide to play, you will have to place a bet. You should decide whether to bet or fold based on the strength of your hand, just as you do in Texas Hold’em.
If you decide to bet, the dealer will deal the fourth and fifth card (the turn and the river), and then turn over their card to decide who has won. There are no further rounds of betting.
Winning in Casino Hold’em
If you can make a stronger set of five cards using a combination of your hole cards and the community cards than the dealer can, then you’ve won. If the dealer fails to make a hand better than a pair of fours then they don’t “qualify” and the player automatically wins that hand, regardless of what they’re holding.
The amount you win on the ante bet you placed at the beginning of the game depends on the strength of your hand, and the payouts range from ‘straight or less’ for any hands up to and including a straight in strength, all the way to ‘Royal Flush’ which pays a massive 100:1.
Here “AA Bet” is the optional side bet on offer.
The ‘play’ or ‘call’ bet you make on the flop will pay out 1:1 if you manage to beat the dealer, whether that’s by having a better hand or by because the dealer had a hand worse than a pair of fours and failed to qualify.
Side Bets in Casino Hold’em
When you place your ‘ante’ bet, you’ll also have the option to place a ‘bonus’ bet. This bonus bet is a side bet that pays out on ‘Aces or better’ on the flop.
For example, if you’re dealt 7♠ A♢ as your hole cards, and the first three community cards are A♠ 9♡ 10♡, the side bet will pay out because you have a pair of aces. If you can make any hand better than a pair of aces on the flop, then you will win that side bet. The amount you are paid on winning the bonus bet again depends on the strength of your hand, and the pay table at that casino.
For example, here’s PokerStars’ Casino Hold’em pay table, showing the odds for the ante bet and the bonus bet.
Casino Hold’em Strategy
As with all kinds of gambling, there’s some basic strategy to keep to when you are playing Casino Hold’em if you want to play optimally. If you follow the strategy below you can expect RTP rates of up to 99.18% depending on the game. If you don't use any kind of strategy, your RTP can fall to as low as 93%.
Here is a simple strategy outline for playing Casino Hold’em:
Always call with a pair or better
As you’re playing against the dealer and there is only one round of betting, any pair in Casino Hold’em can be relied on more than a pair in Texas Hold’em
Always call when you have an Ace or a King
High cards play much more often in Casino Hold’em when you are only playing one round of betting against the dealer, so you should call when you have any Ace or King.
Call when you have a queen or jack (unless the first three community cards are all the same suit and neither of your cards belong to that suit.)
This is when we start thinking about what the dealer might have. If the first three community cards are all of the same suit, the chances of your dealer hitting a flush or a higher card that beats your hand become too high, so you should fold in this instance.
Call with a flush or straight draw (provided that you only require one card to complete a flush or a straight)
If you have four cards to a flush or a straight, you should call. You shouldn’t call with back door draws (also called runner runner draws) where you need two cards to complete your straight or flush, because this is much less likely to hit.
Call with two over cards
If your two hole cards are higher than all the community cards, these are called ‘over cards’. You should call in this instance.
You should fold if neither of your cards is over 10
You should fold if you have two low cards, which count as anything under 10 - unless you have four cards to a flush or a straight as above, or if either of your hold cards match one or more community cards. (e.g. if you have a pair or better.)
Where Can I Play Casino Hold’em?
Now you’ve learned the basics, you probably want to get playing Casino Hold’em yourself. You can check with your local casino to see if they play Casino Hold’em, or, if you’re hoping to play online - here are some of the most popular sites to play Casino Hold’em on:
For more online casino games, check out our reviews for Sky Casino Blackjack and Sky Poker.