Casino Hold’em is a house-banked variation of hold’em poker provided by supplier Playtech. This version plays similarly to the live variants released by Evolution Gaming and Ezugi. After each hand, the cards in the Playtech version are shuffled by a dedicated shuffling machine built right into the table.
Rundown of the Rules and the Payouts
Here you play against the live dealer instead of competing against other players. The game plays with a single deck of cards, mixed by a shuffler after each round. The objective is to beat the live dealer with a better poker hand.
The game uses a slightly different ranking and a board of community cards. The live dealer qualifies with pairs of 4-4 or better. A round starts with the player posting an Ante bet. The dealer then deals two face-up cards for the player and two hole cards for themselves.
Next comes the three-card flop, with players having the option to fold or call by doubling their ante bets. A folded hand results in the loss of the ante bet. The turn and the river are dealt immediately after with no betting action in between.
The dealer exposes their two hole cards and the hand with the better ranking wins. Call bets pay even money but the payout you get for the ante bet depends on the ranking of your hand as follows:
- Pairs of Aces, two pairs, sets, and straights all pay at even-money odds
- Flushes pay 2 to 1
- A full house pays 3 to 1
- Quads pay 10 to 1
- Straight flushes pay 20 to 1
- Royal flushes pay 100 to 1
These playing conditions yield quite tolerable house edge for the ante bets, which stands at 0.82%.
Gaming Interface and Remarkable Features
Casino Hold’em is set in Playtech’s live studio but the table is separated from the main floor. This creates a more intimate atmosphere with less distraction. Everything you need to control your gameplay is just a few clicks away.
Seated players can take advantage of the live chat to address the dealer or other players. There are several useful buttons to the side that cause the paytable and the limits to slide onto the screen. Similarly to other Playtech live tables, you can tip your Casino Hold’em dealer.
Playtech delivers an exciting twist in the form of a set of optional side wagers, called the AA bets. You can place one at the start of the round before any cards are dealt. These yield higher payouts and win whenever the player’s first two cards and the three cards from the flop comprise any of the previously listed poker hands. The payouts for the AA side bets in ascending order are:
- 7 to 1 for paired Aces, two pairs, sets, and straights
- 20 to 1 for flushes
- 30 to 1 for a full house
- 40 to 1 for quads
- 50 to 1 for straight flushes
- 100 to 1 for a royal flush
We advise against making these bets consistently because they have a lower theoretical return than that of the main game, namely 93.74%.
Closing Thoughts
Live Casino Hold’em is perfect for all players who are just starting to learn the basics of poker. It has a simplified betting structure and rules as well as a house edge under 1%. The well-trained dealers and the intimate studio setting further improve the quality of one’s session.