If you were to explore the world’s most popular poker games, Texas Hold’em has been right near the top of the list for over a century. Due to its easy-to-understand gameplay and being brought into the mainstream by popular culture in recent years, Hold’em is now the most popular game found in U.S. casinos.
On the heels of that popularity came newer games based on the original, like Live Dealer Texas Hold’em, which has gained the acclaim of its own and widespread acceptance among online casino players and other states where online gambling is legal. This poker variant is a fast-paced five-card game played with two hole cards (not showing to the table) and five community cards against the dealer as opposed to other online casino players and provides excitement as Texas Hold’em is given a twist and your skills are put to the test against the house.
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Live Dealer Texas Hold’em is not quite the same as traditional Texas Hold’em as many may see on television. The goal is the same: to form the best five-card hand possible in order to win the pot, but there are plenty of subtle differences.
One of the major ones is that Live Dealer Texas Hold’em players are squaring off with the dealer as opposed to one another. Similar to other popular casino games like Blackjack, what other players at the online casino table have in their hands is completely irrelevant to your hand. There is also no rake (percentage of winnings that casino takes each hand) on Live Dealer Texas Hold’em games, unlike playing standard hold’em at a casino table.
There are two types of Texas Hold’em game when it comes to playing live dealer. The most widely played is Live Dealer Casino Hold’em, followed by Live Dealer Ultimate Texas Hold’em. Casino Hold’em and Ultimate Texas Hold’em are similar games in nature but differ in certain areas like betting sequences and payouts. Here on BonusSeeker, we will break down the rules by which each game is played and side bet payouts.
Live Dealer Casino Hold’em is a great poker variant that provides a few clever twists on the original game. As mentioned, each participant in the game is competing against the dealer an opposed to the other players. In another deviation from standard hold’em, there is no limit to the amount of players at the table. This is due to online casino players taking part in Live Dealer Casino Hold’em games are dealt the same exact hand, similar to how Live Dealer Blackjack is played.
Because each hand is against the dealer and not other participants, there is no necessary strategic reason for players to all need different cards and hands. This also allows the game to move quickly between hands, allowing those unlimited amounts of new players to hop in anytime.
The house edge for Casino Hold’em Online games is just over two percent when it comes to Ante bets. Here is the payout chart for Ante bets in Casino Holdem games:
Bonus Bets are optional and can be placed at the start of the hand following the Ante bet. Bonus Bets pay out for any hand including a pair of Aces or better out of the player’s two cards and the first three community cards. Take a look at this chart for Bonus Bets payouts based on figured from Golden Nugget Online Casino:
Like Live Casino Hold’em, Live Dealer Ultimate Texas Hold’em is played with a standard 52-card deck with the goal of defeating the dealer with a five-card hand using two hole cards and five community cards. There are some aspects that are different, however, that make Ultimate Texas Hold’em its own game like mandatory blind bets and an optional Trips bonus bet. Players also get to see all the community cards before making a final bet or fold decision, unlike Live Casino Hold Em Online.
Each hand provides three different chances for online casino players to make bets, with the value requirement of those bets (and the amount you can win) decreasing as the hand moves along. Players may only bet once per hand, so there is also some strategy to learn once mastering the basic rules of the game.
The mandatory Blind Bet placed alongside the Ante has the potential to be a moneymaker for online casino players in Ultimate Texas Hold’em. There are special payout odds for players whose hands result in a straight or better, with returns getting larger as the hands get better. Check out this chart detailing Blind Bet payout odds on Live Dealer Ultimate Texas Hold’em on 888 Casino:
Trips is a bonus side bet that is optional at the start of each Live Dealer Ultimate Texas Hold’em hand. It pays out for any hand of Three of a Kind or better and has the ability to help make big winners out of online casino players. Below is a chart to document the payout for a Trips Bonus Bet while playing Live Ultimate Texas Hold’em, according to 888 Casino USA: