Rules of Casino Hold’em
Casino hold’em is a variation of Texas hold’em. It was invented by Stephen Au-Yeung in 2001. It is available in online casinos all over the world, but it otherwise only available for live play in Egypt, Holland, Ukraine, Russia, South Africa, Morocco, Estonia, Latvia, Ireland, Romania, Panama and Malta.
Play begins with each player placing an ante wager. The dealer then deals two cards (face down) to each player and to himself. He then deals the flop into the center of the table – these are community cards. After examining their own cards, each player must decide whether to call or fold.
If the player folds, he loses his ante bet. If he calls, he must wager twice his ante bet. The dealer then deals two more community cards (the turn and the river) and the player turns his cards face up. The player’s hand is calculated based on the highest poker value of his cards, plus the five flop (community) cards. Players play against the bank, rather than the other players.
The dealer must hold a pair of fours or higher in order to qualify for play. If he does not qualify, the ante pays accordingly and the call bet will push. If he does qualify and he beats the player, the player will lose the ante and the call bet. If the dealer qualifies and loses, the ante will pay accordingly and the call bet will pay 1:1. If the dealer qualifies and ties with the player, both the ante bet and the call bet will push.
There is a total house edge of 2.16%. There is a worthwhile bonus payout if a player is able to make a good hand from the flop – the first three community cards that are dealt.
There is an option to place two side bets, known as AA+. These bets are based on the poker value of the player’s cards and the flop cards.
Casino hold’em is easy to learn and fun and exciting to play. It is a great place to start when learning to play poker and can easily be practiced by playing online in your own home.
