In this game, the dealer deals two cards at the start of each round (not to be shown) and there are five cards face-up on the table. Each player then uses their two cards (or one or none of those cards) in combination with five face-up cards to make a best possible hand. The player with the best hand wins the round.

Basic rules of the game

Learn to play Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hold'em, Seven Card Stud, Five Card Stud. Contents: 48 x 30 inch Poker Gaming Mat, 200 Professional Poker Chips, a Dealer Button, a Big Blind Button, a Small Blind Button, 2 Decks Playing Cards, Poker Chip Rack, Easy Instruction Booklet. Texas poker is a fast and lively game with Holdem being one of the most popular types of poker played today. Each player starts receives two hole-cards which are dealt face down. After that, each player receives additional cards that are dealt face up. The winner is the player that has the best combination of cards.

In a nutshell, each player is dealt two private cards ('Hole Cards' or 'Pocket Cards'), after which there is a betting round. Then three community cards are dealt face up (the 'Flop'), followed by a second betting round. A fourth community card is dealt face up (the 'Turn'), followed by a third betting round. A fifth community card is dealt face up (the 'River') and the the fourth and final betting round. At the Showdown, each player plays the best five-card hand they can make using any five cards from the two pocket cards and the five community cards (or 'Board Cards'). A player with the best hand as per the hand ranking rules wins the round i.e. the Pot (Pot is the sum of money that players bet during each hand. After each betting round, all bets go into the Pot until the Showdown).

To begin the game, the dealer deals two cards at the start of each hand (round), which are not meant to be shown to the opponents. In poker, action moves to the left. Two forced bets, known as the ‘blinds’ will have to be placed into the ‘Pot’ (potential winning amount). Big blinds are always double the amount of small blinds. The player sitting left of the dealer places the small blind on the table and the player sitting left of him places the big blind.

Once the blinds are placed, the person on the left of the big blind will have to decide whether they want to play the hand. Players have 3 options to choose from. They can:

• Fold – This is when the player doesn’t want to participate in the hand and gives up the cards i.e. Surrenders.
• Call – This simply involves matching the big blind as a signal of participation in the hand
• Raise – This involves raising the bet at a minimum of double the big blinds and it’s a clear sign of a strong hand.

Once the initial bets are placed, it’s time for the dealer to deal the first 3 cards, known as ‘the flop’. After the flop, another betting round takes place, starting from the player who placed the small blind, always moving to the left. Players are not obliged to bet, as they also have an option to ‘check’, which simply means they are not placing a bet and would like to see the next card for free. If everyone checks, the next card is dealt. If one player bets, once again, everyone will wait their turn to decide whether they decide to fold, call or raise.

The next card to be dealt is called ‘the turn’. This is the 4^th card and another betting round occurs, giving players another chance to decide whether they want to stay in the hand. The last and final card is called the ‘river’. After the last round of betting, the action ends there, where players will have to reveal their hole cards. To make a poker hand, players must combine theirhole cards with any 3 of the 5 cards dealt by the dealer or use the cards dealt by the dealer to make a hand. The player with the best hand wins the pot.

Poker hands from highest to lowest:

1. Royal flush
A, K, Q, J, 10, all the same suit.

2. Straight flush
Five cards in a sequence, all in the same suit.

3. Four of a kind
All four cards of the same rank.

4. Full house
Three of a kind with a pair.

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5. Flush
Any five cards of the same suit, but not in a sequence.

6. Straight
Five cards in a sequence, but not of the same suit.

7. Three of a kind
Three cards of the same rank.

8. Two pair
Two different pairs.

9. Pair
Two cards of the same rank.

10. High Card
When you haven't made any of the hands above, the highest card plays.
In the example below, the jack plays as the highest card.

Casino Hold'em is a casinogambling game. This banking game, introduced by Stephen Au-Yeung in 2000 (First Texas Hold'em Poker play against the casino and not other players) and now played in live casinos worldwide. It was licensed for use in the United Kingdom in 2007. In addition online casinos offer the game, which is based on the traditional multi-player Texas Hold'em Poker.

Casino Hold'em is a house game designed to be dealt by a croupier for casino patrons to play in the main casino. Players play the house and not other players in this variant. Subject to the dealer qualifying, it is a straight contest between the dealer's hand and the player's, player may also get paid an AnteWin Bonus on his Ante bet.Player can also place an AA Bonus side bet which is based on the poker value of his two personal cards and the first three flop cards.

History[edit]

Stephen Au-Yeung devised the game in the late 1990s as a tool to assist in training his partner of the time to play Texas Hold 'Em poker. After this the training tool was developed into a House game and launched in 2000.^[1] It first appeared as a live casino game in Egypt, Russia and South Africa. It was shown in 2001 at the World Gaming Congress Expo, Las-Vegas, US and in 2002 at the International Casino Exhibition held at Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London, UK.

Rules[edit]

• The game is played with a standard 52 card deck.
• Each player makes an Ante bet and may make an optional AA bonus side bet.
• The player and dealer are both dealt two cards (face down).
• Three cards are then dealt to the board and will eventually contain five cards.
• After checking his/her cards, the player has to decide (a) to fold with no further play losing the Ante bet or (b) to make a Call bet of double the Ante bet.
• If one or more players makes a Call bet the dealer will deal two more cards to the board, for a total of five.
• Players and dealer make their best five card poker hand from their own two personal cards and five board cards.
• Each player’s hand are compared with the dealer’s.
• The dealer must have a pair of 4s or better to qualify.
• If the dealer does not qualify, the Ante bet pays according to the AnteWin pay table and the Call bet is a push (stand off).
• If the dealer qualifies, and the player's hand is better than the dealer's, the Ante bet pays according to the Ante-Win pay table and the Call bet pays 1 to 1.
• If the dealer qualifies, and the dealer's hand is equal to the player's, all bets are push (it doesn't win or lose).
• If the dealer qualifies, and the dealer's hand is better than the player's, the player loses all bets.

Strategy[edit]

There is no easy way to quantify optimal strategy for this game since the optimal decision for each hand is based on the combination of all 7 cards (two personal cards and five board cards) dealt. As such while computer programs can easily deal with the calculations required to make the correct play in any particular hand, it is difficult to make a set of general rules which can be memorized such as exists for Blackjack. The optimal strategy player will raise 82% of the time. So only in the worst 18% of hands should the player fold. These are broadly when the player has two singletons in the hole that are low compared to the flop, with little or no chance for a straight or flush.^[2]

AnteWin pay table[edit]

In Casino Hold'em the player not only wins a standard 1 to 1 sum if they have the stronger hand, but for rare hands a higher sum. This pay table typically pays a 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, and straight or less the standard 1 to 1.

House edge[edit]

The house edge of Casino Hold'em excluding the side bet (that is, the percentage of each bet the casino will on average win, assuming perfect play on the part of the player) varies depending on the specific rules in the casino but is the most common pay tables result in a house edge varying from just below 2% to around 2.5%. Using the ante pay table above, the house edge is 2.16%.

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Side bets[edit]

A side bet known as the AA Bonus is based on the poker value of the player's two cards and the first three flop cards.

A pair of aces to a straight pays 7 to 1, flush 20 to 1, full house 30 to 1, four of a kind 40 to 1, straight flush 50 to 1 and royal flush 100 to 1. A variations to this pay table, A pair of aces to a straight pays 7 to 1, flush or higher 25 to 1.

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References[edit]

1. ^ThePOGG (26 February 2014). 'ThePOGG Interviews – Stephen Au-Yeung – Creator of Casino Hold 'Em'.
2. ^wizardofodds.com

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