Jean Gabriel | January 5, 2023 | Updated on: January 17th, 2023
Online Casino Holdem Poker Guide
Play Online Casino Hold’em Poker at top Australian casino sites with Casino Inquirer! Casino Hold’em was created in the late 1990s and was created as a training tool to help students learn how to play Poker. However, it was then licensed to casinos in the early 2000s and has become quite popular.
Casino Hold’em has become a player favourite because it is easier to learn than regular Poker versions and offers the potential for great payouts. If you don’t see Casino Hold’em listed at your chosen online casino, look out for Caribbean Hold’em or Texas Hold’em Bonus. These are the same game, with some very minor rule tweaks.
This guide will take you through everything you need to know about playing Casino Hold’em Online for real money. This includes the rules, how to play a hand and some winning strategies you can use when playing.
Best Casinos offering Casino Hold’em Poker
Casino Holdem Game Rules
Casino Holdem is one of the easier Poker games to learn and understand. This has no doubt helped to speed up its popularity. Once you read through the rules and play a few hands, you should have no trouble understanding the game. The goal in Casino Hold’em Is to build a better five-card Poker hand than the dealer. The game follows very similar rules to Texas Hold’Em, except you are trying to beat the dealer, not other players.
Below are some of the rules you need to understand before playing Casino Hold’em online.
- Hole Cards – Each player will receive two Hole Cards, as will the dealer. These hole cards are dealt face down and kept secret from everyone else.
- Ante Bet – Instead of a Big Blind and Small Blind bet at the start of the round, players need to make an Ante bet to kick things off in Casino Hold ’em. Don’t make this bet too big, though, as you will need to double it if you want to Call/Raise later in the game.
- Call/Raise – Once you have received your Hole Cards, and as community cards are added to the table, players will need to Call/Raise to continue playing. Some casinos will require you to place an additional bet equal to your Ante when you Call; other games might need a Call bet of 2x your Ante.
- Side Bet – Most versions of Casino Hold’em offer a side bet, known as the AA Bet. This bet offers the chance to win higher payouts, but it does have worse odds of winning.
- Community Cards – Similar to Texas Hold’Em, the dealer will place five community cards on the table. Players must use their hole cards and the community cards to make the strongest five-card hand.
- Community Cards Dealing – When playing Casino Hold’Em, the community cards are dealt in two rounds instead of three. The dealer will place out three community cards (The Flop), and then the following round will place the final two, combining the Turn and the River.
- Qualifying Hands – Players need to remember that the dealer’s hand needs to qualify for the player to be eligible for bigger payouts. In most versions of Casino Holdem, the dealer needs a pair of 4s or better to qualify
- Push – If the dealer’s hand does not qualify, the player’s Call bet is a push and is returned to the player.
How to Play Online Casino Hold’em
We have created this step-by-step guide to help new players get into the game if you have never played Casino Hold ’em before.
- Step 1 – Each round will begin with you making your initial Ante Bet. Click on the chips on your screen and make the desired bet. Your chips will be placed in the circle labelled Ante
- Step 2 – Now, you need to decide if you want to place the optional AA side bet. This gives you the chance to win bigger payouts, but the odds of winning it are worse. If you want to place it, put your chips in the AA circle.
- Step 3 – Once you have finalised your bets, click on the Deal Button. You will now receive your two Hole Cards, as will the dealer.
- Step 4 – Once the hole cards have been dealt, the dealer will now deal the first three community cards, known as the Flop. These three cards are placed face-up in the centre of the table.
- Step 5 – Players need to look at their hole cards and the three community cards and decide if they think they have a chance of building a good poker hand or not. If you think the odds of making a good hand are bad, you can decide to fold at this point. Your round will be over, and you will lose your initial Ante Bet. If you want to keep playing you need to Call/Raise. This requires placing a second bet, equal to your Ante. Place the chips in the Call circle.
- Step 6 – The dealer will add the final two community cards to the table. In Texas Holdem, these would be done in two separate rounds called the Turn and the River. However, these are combined in Casino Hold’em.
- Step 7 – Players will now make their best five-card Poker hand and compare it to the dealer. Remember, the dealer’s hand needs to qualify. If the dealer’s hand does not qualify, you receive the stated payout on your Ante Bet, and your Call Bet is returned to you.
Casino Holdem House Edge and Payouts
Below we have a breakdown of the payouts in Casino Holdem. There are three different paytables. The first Paytable is for the Ante Bet. The other two are for the AA Side Bet. There are two separate paytables because casinos often tweak the payouts for the side bet. These are two of the most common AA Side bet paytables.
If the dealer’s hand qualifies, you always receive a 1:1 payout on your Call Bet. Your Ante Bet is where you will make most of your money, based on the hand you are able to build.
Casino Holdem Ante Bet Payout
| Hand | Payout |
| Royal Flush | 100:1 |
| Straight Flush | 20:1 |
| Four of a Kind | 10:1 |
| Full House | 3:1 |
| Flush | 2:2 |
| Straight | 1:1 |
| Three of a Kind | 1:1 |
| Two Pairs | 1:1 |
| Any Pair | 1:1 |
| Call Bet | 1:1 |
AA Side Bet Paytables
| AA Paytable #1 | AA Paytable #2 | ||
| Royal Flush | 100:1 | Royal Flush | 25:1 |
| Straight Flush | 50:1 | Straight Flush | 25:1 |
| Four of a Kind | 40:1 | Four of a Kind | 25:1 |
| Full House | 30:1 | Full House | 25:1 |
| Flush | 20:1 | Flush | 25:1 |
| Straight | 10:1 | Straight | 7:1 |
| Three of a Kind | 8:1 | Three of a Kind | 7:1 |
| Two Pairs | 7:1 | Two Pairs | 7:1 |
| Any Pair | 1:1 | Any Pair | 1:1 |
Online Casino Holdem House Edge
There is some variation in the House Edge in Casino Holdem, depending on the paytable being used by the casino. However, most casinos use a paytable like the one we covered. In this case, the House Edge is between 2% and 2.55 (Ante plus Call Bet). If you have a good strategy, this makes Casino Holdem one of the best table games you can play.
The House Edge for the AA Side Bet also changes depending on which paytable the casino uses, but it is generally around 2.2%.
Live Casino Hold’em
Casino Hold’em is also one of the most popular Poker games to be offered at Live Dealer Casinos. This creates a far more immersive and authentic experience. Instead of computer-generated graphics and Random Number Generators, Live Casino Hold’em uses real decks of cards and a real dealer to run the game.
Live Casino Holdem is a more social experience, with players able to interact with the dealer. The only real drawback to Live Casino Holdem is that you will not be able to play for free, as casinos will require real money bets. However, you can always play Online Casino Holdem and switch to the Live version when you are more comfortable with the game.
Caribbean Hold’em
Caribbean Hold’em is a nearly identical game to Casino Hold’em. Caribbean Holdem is the name used by RealTime Gaming, and they changed one rule to make it unique to their game library. The only difference between Casino Hold’Em and Caribbean Hold’em is that if the dealer does not qualify, players get a 1:1 payout on their Ante Bet. The payouts are generally better when the dealer qualifies to make up for this.
Winning Casino Hold’em Strategy
As you play and get more confident in Casino Holdem, you will develop your own betting strategies. However, we have some strategy suggestions for brand new players to help guide your betting decisions while learning the game.
- Low Cards and No Pair – Following the Flop, if your hole cards plus the three community cards cannot make a pair or better, you might want to consider folding. If your two hole cards are also a lower value than the cards in the flop, you should fold.
- Straight Draw – Your hole cards plus the first three community cards give you 4 out of the five cards needed to make a straight; we suggest you Call. While you won’t get a straight every time, it will be worth your while.
- Flush Draw – If your hole cards and the community cards give you 4 to a Flush, it is recommended you call. The same is true for 3 to a Flush.
- Call Often – Generally speaking, players should be able to Call about 82% of their hands. This means four out of five hands should be good enough to Call. You should only be folding one in five hands, or 18%.
More Poker Pages
- Online Poker Tips and Tricks
- Caribbean Draw Poker
- Caribbean Hold’em
- Caribbean Stud Poker
- Draw Hi-Lo Poker
- Texas Hold’em Poker
- 3 Card Poker
- Pai Gow Poker
- Omaha Poker
- Poker FAQs
- Poker Myths
- Glossary for Online Poker
- Poker Variants
Casino Hold’em FAQs
Yes, Casino Hold’Em is offered at many Australian casino sites. Players will be able to play Casino Hold’em and win real money.
Yes, many casino sites that offer Live Dealer games will have Live Casino Hold’em on offer.
All top casino sites have put plenty of effort into making sure all their games, including Casino Holdem, work on a wide range of mobile devices. So, feel free to enjoy real money Casino Holdem Poker on your smartphone or tablet.
Yes, any casino site that offers Real Money Casino Hold’em should also allow players to try the game for free. This is great for new players, so they can get comfortable with the game before risking their bankroll.
While casinos might tweak their paytables a bit, typically, the highest payout is for a Royal Flush and comes in at 100:1. Players could get an additional 100:1 payout for a Royal Flush if they placed the AA Side Bet.