How to Play Live Dealer Casino Holdem Poker

Casino Holdem is a variation of traditional Holdem poker. As the name implies, players are competing directly against the house, or the casino, rather than a group of other poker players. Today, we’ll take a closer look at Live Dealer Casino Holdem at Royal Vegas Casino.

The operators employs the leading live casino holdem software of Evolution Gaming. After launching its first dedicated live dealer studio in 2006, Evolution quickly rose to the very top of the niche-market ladder and has held the position ever since. That fact is proven by the company being named Live Casino Supplier of the Year at the EGR B2B Awards for the last 7 years running (2010-2016).

Live Dealer Casino Holdem

Much like Texas Holdem, live casino holdem requires each player to develop the best possible 5 card hand, built from the 2 hole cards they are dealt, and the 5 community cards dealt to the table. The dealer is also dealt 2 personal hole cards, similarly combined with the community cards to build the best possible poker hand.

Because there are no decisions to be made (aside from the numerous betting rounds), live casino holdem is open to as many online players as wish to enter the game. Each player uses the same cards, but each has the choice of proceeding with bets however they wish as a hand progresses.

How To Play Live Dealer Casino Holdem

The game is played with a standard 52-card deck (no jokers). Players begin by placing an Ante Bet (size determined by table stakes). An optional Bonus Bet can also be placed (more on this later).

The player is dealt two hole cards, face up (because it doesn’t matter if the dealer sees them). The dealer also receives two cards, face down. Three community cards are then dealt face up in the center of the table.

The player’s highest hand rank is displayed clearly on the screen. For instance, if the player’s hole cards are Ac-Js, and the community cards are 5d-Jh-5c, the player’s hand rank will be displayed as Two Pair, Js-Jh-5d-5c.

At this point, the player must decide whether to Call or Fold. All Bonus Bets are collected or paid at this point as well (see Live Casino Holdem Bonus Bet below).

Call: To continue with the current hand by placing an additional bet, always equal to 2x the Ante.

Fold: To fold the current hand, forfeiting (losing) any active ante/bets. Note the game will still play out to a showdown even if you fold, because other players may be participating.

Time Out: If a player runs out of time to Call or Fold, their hand will be automatically folded.

If a player continues, their bet is placed. The fourth and fifth community cards are both dealt, and the dealer’s hole cards are revealed. The player’s and dealer’s hands are individually formed into the best possible 5-card combinations.

Live Casino Holdem Outcomes & Pay Table

Just having the higher hand isn’t always enough to win. The dealer must have at least a Pair of 4’s or higher in order to qualify.

If the dealer does not qualify, the player automatically wins the Ante bet (see Ante Bets Pay Table below), but all Call bets are returned.

If the player beats the dealer’s qualifying hand, the Ante is paid according to the pay table, and all Call bets are paid even money.

If the dealer’s qualifying hand is higher than the player’s, all Ante and Call bets are lost.

If both dealer and player have the same hand value (i.e. Pair of Aces), the next highest card (aka the Kicker) determines the winner.

If dealer and player have the exact same hands, it’s a Push. All antes and bets are returned to the player.

Ante Bets Pay Table

Ante bets can be quite valuable in live dealer casino holdem, depending on the player’s hand rank. The pay table, by hand rank, is as follows:

Live Casino Holdem Bonus Bet

Live dealer casino holdem at Royal Vegas offers all players the option to place a Bonus Bet before each game begins. The Bonus Bet is based on the first five cards dealt (player’s hole card + first 3 community cards).

If these cards collectively combine to make a Pair of Aces, or anything higher, the Bonus Bet automatically wins, and is paid according to the following pay table. If not, the Bonus Bet is lost and the game proceeds.

Bonus Bet Pay Table