Casino Hold’em is a universally popular variant of poker. It is the essential version of the game played at most popular online casinos. If you have any interest in playing live casino poker, keep reading on to learn all about this variant.
The basic rules of poker are simple. Each player at the table has a hand, which is private. Their goal is to get a particular combination of cards with a high value. The player with the highest value hand after several rounds wins. This game involves a lot of strategies and bluffing, as players make bets between rounds of draws.
Hands such as Royal Flush, Straight Flush or Four of a Kind are highly valuable. Hands like Pair and Two pair are less valuable and low ranked. You can look up and learn all the different hands and their values later.
Live Casino Holdem makes some refinements to these basic rules. Keep reading to learn all you need to know about this game.
Play Live Casino Holdem Poker with Real Dealers
Live Casino Holdem poker involves players going head-to-head against the dealer. The dealer is not just any computer program like a video poker game. The dealer is a real person, who is playing at a studio and is live-streamed back to the players. Hence, live Holdem Poker is both immersive and thrilling compared to video poker.
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The Basics of Live Casino Holdem Poker
A game of Live Casino Holdem Poker begins with each player placing their starting bet. This bet is known as the Ante. At this time, players can also place a side bet.
Once the initial bets have been placed, the dealer deals two cards to the player, two cards to themselves, and three community cards. The community cards are placed in the middle of the table and are visible to everyone. A player can add a community card to their hand when determining the final hand.
Depending on their hand and the community cards, the player has to decide their next action. If things look bad, it’s best to Fold. If things are going well and the player is confident of having the better hand, they can Call. The dealer will deal the last two community cards, then the hands will be revealed.
This is called the ‘Showdown’. Whoever has the better hand in the Showdown will win!
Live Casino Hold'em Rules
There are some particular rules in Live Casino Hold’em. It’s important to know them before joining a game.
First of all, the dealer needs to ‘qualify’. This is to ensure that the Casino has a small edge. The qualifying hand is a Pair of 4s. If the dealer’s hand is worse than this hand, the dealer will automatically lose and the customer will get their ante bet back.
If the dealer does qualify, then the game moves onto the next round. If the player does not fold, the outcome of the Showdown will determine the final payout. Remember, when a player Calls, they place an additional bet. If the player loses, all their bets are forfeit.
Therefore, often it is better to fold than lose the showdown. If the player ties, they get their bet back. If the player wins, then the payout will depend on the hand.
A win with a Royal Flush pays out 100x the bet. With a Straight Flush, the payout is 20x the bet, and so on. The lowest payout you can get is equal to your bet, with a Straight or lower-ranked hand.
Possible Side Bets
When making the initial ante bet, it is also possible to make a side bet. The side bet in Casino Hold’em Poker is very straightforward. If the dealer deals out two Aces among the five cards, then the player wins the bet.
The side bet does not pay out on its own, but it massively increases the payout of the normal live dealer games.
The Best Strategy for Live Dealer Holdem
The best strategy in any kind of Poker game is all about considering the odds. By looking at the cards that are visible, you need to consider the possibility of making a strong hand with the unknown cards that will be dealt next.
Learning the exact odds for each combination of cards in hand is really complicated. So, here are some general rules to follow.
Call if you have Pair, Ace or King. Also, make sure to call if you are just one card away from completing a Flush (five cards of the same suite) or Straight (five cards in numbered in order).
Fold if you don’t have any of the above cards. Also, if you don’t have a flush or straight, then folding will save you from a bigger loss.
How to Play Live Casino Holdem Online
Time needed: 15 minutes
To play live casino Holdem online, follow these steps:
- Pick a casino
First, you need to pick a casino. You can choose the best casino from our recommended list
- Register an account
Register an account at the casino. Just enter some basic information and necessary documents.
- Make a deposit and claim your bonus
Make the first deposit. Be sure to claim the Welcome Bonus while doing this. It will come in handy later on.
- Choose live dealer table
Choose which live dealer casino Holdem table to join. Some casinos will have only one table, while others can have multiple.
- Play and fun
Have fun playing and winning against real live dealers. Also, try out other variants of poker sometimes.
Advantages of Playing Casino Holdem Online
There are plenty of benefits to playing Casino Holdem Online. While some people prefer the immersion of a physical casino, online casinos are better in many ways. Here are a few of the pros of playing Live Casino Holdem online.
- Bonuses and promotional offers: Bonuses can be used to get extra cash and rewards for playing Live Casino Holdem.
- No Dress Code: There is no dress code for playing at home. Players can hop on the game wearing comfy clothes at any time.
- No Travelling: There are no traveling expenses at all. Not traveling is also more eco-friendly.
FAQs
You can play Live Dealer Texas Hold’em at any one of our top recommended casinos in the UK. Please see the list above.
Live dealer hold'em is played in real-time against a real dealer. Whoever gets the better poker hand wins. More detail about this is given in the article.
Yes. The best modern casinos have a mobile app/site for playing live dealer games. Simply visit the casino and launch the game.
