Casino poker games give you a poker hand to measure against the house, so the dealer is your only opponent and the other seats at the table have no bearing on your result. No pot is up for grabs, since the casino pays every winning wager at fixed prices, and the dealer follows a script with no choices to make. Five such games have guides in the series: Caribbean Stud Poker, Three Card Poker, Casino Hold’em, Ultimate Texas Hold’em and Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker. This overview sets the games beside one another by cards held, the dealer’s required hand, the wagers on offer and the cost of the side bets, and four rounds at the end are totalled in chips.
Key Takeaways: Casino Poker Games
- House Contest: Players compete solely against the dealer at fixed payouts, meaning other seats never impact the outcome.
- Mid-Round Decision: After the ante, players choose to fold or make a second wager to stay in, with Caribbean Stud revealing one dealer card.
- Dealer Qualification: If the dealer misses minimum qualifying ranks, player antes are protected and paid under specific game rules.
- Side Bet Costs: Optional wagers carry distinct paytables with house edges ranging from 0.902% (Trips) up to 8.54% (Bonus).
How a Dealer Table Differs
Ordinary poker has players competing for a pot built from their own money. A dealer table replaces that with a private contest between each player and the house, so what the next seat holds can never change what you win or lose.
Three features hold in all five games:
- Winning wagers are paid at published prices, and over time the casino keeps a share of every one.
- The dealer’s cards are handled by fixed rules, which leaves nothing for the dealer to decide.
- A round opens with an ante, can carry optional side bets and closes by comparing two hands under the poker hand rankings.
Your one real choice arrives mid-round. You can fold and lose the ante, or put down a second wager to stay in, and each game has its own name for that wager: play bet, raise, call or flop bet. Caribbean Stud Poker alone lets you see one of the dealer’s cards before you choose.
Five Games Compared
Cards in hand, number of wagers and the dealer’s required hand all vary from one game to the next.
| Game | Cards in your hand | Dealer’s minimum | Wagers |
| Three Card Poker | Three | Queen-high | Ante and play bet, with Pair Plus as an option |
| Ultimate Texas Hold’em | Two private plus five shared | One pair | Ante, blind and play bet, with Trips as an option |
| Caribbean Stud Poker | Five | Ace-king | Ante and raise, with a progressive side wager as an option |
| Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker | Two private plus five shared | None | Ante plus bets on the flop, turn and river, with a bonus as an option |
| Casino Hold’em | Two private plus five shared | Pair of fours | Ante and call bet, with AA Bonus as an option |
Minimum Hands for the Dealer
Four games in the set ask the dealer to reach a minimum, and a dealer who falls short changes the way the round is paid.
- Three Card Poker and Caribbean Stud Poker: the ante wins 1 to 1, and you get the second bet back.
- Casino Hold’em: the ante collects from its own paytable, and the call bet is handed back.
- Ultimate Texas Hold’em: only the ante is returned, while the blind and the play bet still follow the comparison.
| Game | Dealer’s minimum | Share of rounds in which it is met |
| Three Card Poker | Queen-high | 69.59% |
| Ultimate Texas Hold’em | One pair, which opens the hand | 82.59% |
| Caribbean Stud Poker | Ace-king | 56.32% |
| Casino Hold’em | Pair of fours | 75.78% |
Missing the minimum does not stop the dealer from holding the stronger cards. Your ante is safe all the same, and the first exercise shows it: the round ends in a gain although the dealer’s hand ranks higher.
What the Side Bets Cost
Every side wager has a paytable of its own, and the whole of its house edge is decided there. A casino may print several versions for one wager, so the same bet may cost very different amounts under two tables. The edges below match the paytable on each game’s page in the series.
| Edge for the house | Cards it looks at | Game | Wager |
| 2.32% (Table A) or 7.28% (Table B) | Your first three | Three Card Poker | Pair Plus |
| 0.902% | Your best five out of seven | Ultimate Texas Hold’em | Trips |
| 8.54% | Your two private cards | Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker | Bonus |
| 2.97% | Best five once the flop is out | Casino Hold’em | AA Bonus |
The edge describes the portion of each wager the casino expects to keep over many rounds. Your round follows the paytable inside the game, so read that one before betting.
Live Dealer Tables
Each of the five games exists as a live dealer table, with a studio dealer handling real cards while you place wagers on screen. A live table may use a different paytable or offer side bets this series leaves out, so open the game’s information panel before you start.
Exercises: Four Rounds, Four Games
Every round here uses a different game. Both hands and all bets are shown, and your task is to see whether the dealer qualifies (or opens, for the Ultimate Texas Hold’em round) and then total each round in chips.
❓ Practice: Qualified or Not?
Three Card Poker. Your cards: 9h 7d 3c. Dealer’s cards: Jh 8s 4d. Bets: a 10-chip ante and a 10-chip play bet. What is the result of the round in chips?
Caribbean Stud Poker. Your cards: Jc Jd 8h 5s 3c. Dealer’s cards: Ah Kd 9c 4s 2d. Bets: a 10-chip ante and a 20-chip raise. How many chips does the round win or lose?
Casino Hold’em. Shared cards: Qc 9h 6d 5s 2c. Your cards: Ah Js. Dealer’s cards: 5h 3c. Bets: a 10-chip ante and a 20-chip call bet. How many chips does the round win or lose?
Ultimate Texas Hold’em. Shared cards: Kd 8c 6s 4h 2c. Your cards: Qh Jd. Dealer’s cards: Ks 3d. Bets: a 10-chip ante, a 10-chip blind and a 20-chip play bet made after the flop. How many chips does the round win or lose?
More Guides in the Series
Stage four of the online poker series starts here, and every game on this page has its own guide covering rules, paytables and exercises. Open any of these next:
- Three Card Poker rules: the shortest hand, one play bet and an optional pair wager.
- Ultimate Texas Hold’em rules: a play bet that grows smaller as the board appears.
- Caribbean Stud Poker rules: five-card hands and a dealer who must reach ace-king.
- Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker rules: a wager at every street and a bonus on the first two cards.
- Casino Hold’em rules: one call bet, the AA Bonus and a 2 Hand variant.
- Poker hand rankings: the ladder of hands that all five games use.
Spending Limits at Table Games
Fixed odds favour the casino over time at these tables, so more rounds never make a loss less likely. Pick a spending limit and a stopping time before the first ante, and keep to both. Anyone in Ontario who wants to speak with someone can call ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600 or text CONNEX to 247247, and our responsible gambling page covers more tools and support services.
❓ Casino Poker Questions: Frequently Asked Questions
How is casino poker different from poker against other players?
What if the dealer does not qualify?
Why do tables of one game pay differently?
Which dealer games are in this series?
Author:
Lucas Portela
Owner, BoldGambler • Avanhandava/SP
Oddsmaker, affiliate and content creator in the iGaming industry.