Live Dealer Poker

Live Dealer Casino Holdem

Live dealer Casino Holdem plays like the Texas Holdem we all know. Only you are playing against the house/dealer rather than a ring of players.

The object of the game is to build a five-card poker hand that beats the dealer’s.

You place an Ante bet to start the game. Most tables offer a bonus bet that rewards you if two aces come out in the first five cards, and some tables provide a progressive jackpot you win with a Royal Flush.

After the ante, you get two cards, and the dealer gives themself two down cards and three side up community cards, cards you use to build your hand.

How Live Dealer Casino Holdem Works?

From the initial five cards you see, you must decide whether to Call to continue playing or Fold to surrender your bet.

A Call bet is double the ante amount and is automatically placed on a designated spot. When you call, the dealer deals the fourth and final community cards (Turn and River) for five community cards.

Then the dealer reveals their two down cards. You compare your best five-card poker hands using your hole cards and the five community cards.

The dealer must have a pair of 4s or better to qualify. You win if the dealer does not qualify; your Ante bet is paid according to the paytable, and your Call bet is returned to you.

If the dealer qualifies and you win, the ante pays according to the paytable, and the Call bet pays 1:1. If the dealer qualifies and you lose, you lose the Ante and Call bets.

Strategy For Live Dealer Casino Holdem

There is no optimal method for this game. But a good rule of thumb is to fold with any hole cards lower than the Flop.
Call when you have:

• Any pair
• Open-ended straight draw
• An Ace or King higher than the three community cards in the Flop
• A flush draw
• Two cards higher than any cards in Flop

Live 2 Hand Casino Hold ’em Poker

This game is the same as Casino Hold ’em poker, but the player can play two hands against the dealer’s one hand. You play the hands independently, and the rules are the same as for regular Casino Hold ’em.

To begin the game, you first choose to play one or both hands by placing the ante in the designated spot for the hands.

You can also set a Bonus bet on either or both hands.

How 2-Hand Casino Hold ’em Poker Works

The dealer deals two pocket cards face up to each of your hands and face down to the dealer. The procedure is the same as with the original game.

Once the Flop comes out, you can choose to Call to see the final two cards of Fold to forfeit your ante.

The dealer then reveals their cards and compares the five-card poker hands.

The dealer must have a pair of 4s or better to qualify, and the winning conditions are the same for rewarding payouts.

See the paytable above for examples of how the various hand ranks pay. Use a similar strategy, and the house edge is the same.

Live Dealer Texas Holdem Poker

This game is closer to Texas Holdem because you have multiple check/raise opportunities as the game advances.

All options are marked on the table and with indicators on your screen.

But you are still playing one-on-one against the dealer, and since the croupier has a set process and doesn’t bet back, bluffing is out of the picture.

How Live Dealer Texas Holdem Poker Works

You get in the game with an Ante. This poker variant also gives a player the option of a Bonus side bet. Games with a progressive jackpot allow a Jackpot bet, too.

Then the two-hole cards are dealt to you and the dealer.

After that, you get your first choice of whether to Fold or Play. If you fold, you lose your Ante bet, but your Bonus and Jackpot bets stay alive.

If you choose to Play, a bet two times your ante is automatically placed, and the three-card Flop comes out.

With the Flop of Community cards, you have another choice: check and bet nothing, or bet the amount of the ante.

Then the fourth community card is revealed, and you have a final chance to check or bet the Ante amount.

The last (River) shared card is shown, but you can’t bet on this one. After it hits the table, the dealer reveals their hole cards, and the five-card poker hands are compared.

Basic Strategy For Live Dealer Texas Holdem Poker

Before the Flop, the only hands to fold are unsuited 2-3 to 2-7; Play anything else.

After the Flop:

• Bet a pair or better unless the pair is of the lowest ranking card on the table OR if all community cards are suited
• Bet combo draws to a possible straight and flush
• Bet a flush draw
• Bet an open-ended straight draw if both of your hole cards are higher than 7
• Check with all other hands

After the Turn:

• Bet all two-pairs or better hands
• Bet any pair if there is not four to a straight or flush on the board

Live Dealer Caribbean Stud Poker

Caribbean Stud Poker is also known as Casino Stud Poker at some sites.

They have the same rules. It is one of the most simple online poker live games because it is a stud game that involves only a few options.

The first bet is the ante, which gets you in the game. There is also a 5+1 optional bonus bet.

Then five face-up cards are dealt to you and five to the dealer with only one card face-up.

How Live Dealer Caribbean Stud Poker Works

Then you decide whether to Fold or Call 2X the ante. After you Call, the dealer reveals their hand, and you compare the hands.

The higher-ranking hand wins, but the dealer needs an Ace and King or better to qualify. If the dealer’s hand does not qualify, you win 1:1 on your Ante bet, and the call bet is a push.

That applies even if the dealer’s hand is better but not qualified.

If the dealer’s hand qualifies, the higher-ranking hand wins. If it is your hand, you win even money on the ante, and the Call bet pays according to the paytable.

With the 5+1 Bonus Bet, you can use your five cards and the dealer’s one face-up card to form the best possible five-card poker hand.

With a Jackpot side bet, you win according to a paytable that rewards a Jackpot for a Royal Flush and multiples of your bet for hands as low as Three of a Kind.

Strategy For Live Dealer Caribbean Stud Poker

It’s simple; if you have an Ace & King or better, Play. That means from a pair of 2s on up. Otherwise, fold.

Live Dealer 3-Card Poker

How often have you had three to a straight in a poker hand? In live dealer 3-card poker, that’s your hand, and it’s a winner – if it beats the dealer.

It’s not the only winner in this game, but the point is that you get just three cards, which makes this game different.

The game moves along quickly, a lot like blackjack, because of its simplicity.

Here’s how it works:

How Live 3-Card Poker Works

You ante to get in the game and have the option of a Pair Plus side bet.

Then the dealer gives you three cards and themself three down cards. You decide whether to Play the hand or Fold.

If you fold, you surrender your Ante bet. If you play, you make another bet amount equal to the ante. Then the dealer reveals their hand and has to qualify with a Queen or better.

If the dealer does not qualify, you are paid 1:1 on your ante and push the Play bet.

If the dealer has Queen or better and you win, you receive even money on the ante and win according to the typical paytable below for the play.

Basic Strategy For Live 3-Card Poker

Play with a Queen or better. That’s it!

Note that a flush does not pay unless it is a straight flush. However, when you make the Pair Plus side bet, you are betting that you will get a pair or better, and you win if you get that, regardless of the dealer’s hand.

Here are the payables:

Live Royal/Russian Poker

Royal Poker, aka Russian Poker, is a stud game that plays much like the Caribbean.

The hitch here is that you can buy a card or exchange cards with the dealer after the initial deal.

Since the dealer must have a qualifying hand that pays you more if you beat it, there are instances in which you may want to give the dealer a card to help them qualify.

That gives live dealer Royal Poker a complex strategy.

There is a game called Royal Poker that plays more like Hold ’em, and Russian Poker rules vary from site to site. But the live dealer Royal Poker we found is the one we use as an example.

How Live Royal/Russian Poker Works

The game starts when you ante. Then the dealer deals five cards to you and five cards to themself with one show. At this point, you may:

• Fold and forfeit your Ante bet, OR
• Call by betting 2X your Ante, OR
• Buy 1 card and pay the amount of your ante. This option makes the first of the five community cards to be dealt your sixth card.
• Swap cards, costing the amount of your ante. You can select any of your cards to be swapped out for the first of the community cards that come out.

For example, you may have a pair and want to swap three cards. You would get the first three community cards to come out.

Then the community cards come out, and you can choose to Call, Fold or take insurance.

After that, the dealer cards are revealed, and the highest-ranking poker hand wins. The dealer must qualify with an Ace, King, or better, and the win conditions favor the player if they qualify.

You get a win payout on your Call bet if the dealer qualifies and your hand is higher.

If the dealer does not qualify, your Call bet pushes, and you win 1:1 on the Ante bet. To cover yourself, you can buy insurance before the dealer’s hand is revealed. It pays even money if the dealer fails to qualify.

Strategy For Russian Poker

The rules vary at different Royal Poker tables, so make sure you know the rules of your particular game.

For the game we described, here are some basics:

• Additional bets increase the house edge, so use them sparingly.
• Buy or Swap options should only be chosen to improve an already strong hand, not to make a weak hand better.
• You should generally fold if you have a weak hand – no Ace-King, pair, or draw to a possible straight or flush.
• If you have an Ace-King, exchange the remaining cards.
• Only buy insurance if you have a huge hand, like four of a kind.