Casino Hold'em

Casino Hold'em / Caribbean Hold'em (Casino Hold'em Poker / Caribbean Hold'em Poker) is a casino gambling game. This banking game, introduced by Stephen Au-Yeung in 2000 and now played in live casinos worldwide. It was licensed for use in the United Kingdom in 2007. In addition online casinos offer the game, which is based on the traditional multi-player Texas hold 'em.

Casino Hold'em is a house game designed to be dealt by a croupier for casino patrons to play in the main casino. Players play the house and not other players in this variant. Subject to the dealer qualifying, its a straight contest between the dealers hand and the players. The player may also get paid a bonus on his ante bet and a sidebet he can place which pays out on high hands.

AnteWin Pay Table

In Casino Hold'em the player not only wins a standard 1 to 1 sum if they have the stronger hand, but for rare hands a higher sum. This paytable is typically to pay a Royal Flush 100 to 1, Straight Flush 20 to 1, Four of A Kind 10 to 1, Full House 3 to 1, Flush 2 to 1, Straight or less the standard 1 to 1.

House Edge

The house edge of Casino Hold'em excluding the sidebet (that is, the percentage of each bet the casino will on average win, assuming perfect play on the part of the player) varies depending on the specific rules in the casino but is the most common paytables result in a house edge varying from just below 2% to around 2.5%. Using the ante pay table above, the house edge is 2.16%.

Strategy

There is no easy way to quantify optimal strategy for this game since the optimal decision for each hand is based on the combination of all 5 cards dealt. As such while computer programs can easily deal with the calculations required to make the correct play in any particular hand, it is difficult to make a set of general rules which can be memorised such as exists for Blackjack. The optimal strategy player will raise 82% of the time. So only in the worst 18% of hands should the player fold. These are broadly when the player has two singletons in the hole that are low compared to the flop, with little or no chance for a straight or flush.

Side Bets

A side bet known as the AA+ Bonus Bet as follows: Based on the poker value of the player's two cards and the three flop cards.

A pair of Aces to a Straight typically pays 7 to 1, Flush 20 to 1, Full House 30 to 1, Four of a kind 40 to 1, Straight Flush 50 to 1 and Royal Flush 100 to 1. Occasionally there will be variations to this paytable, usually in order to increase the house edge.

The History

Stephen Au-Yeung devised the game in 2000. It first appeared as a live casino game in Egypt, Russia and South Africa. It was show in 2002 at International Casino Exhibition held at Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London, UK.

Today the game is marketed by the Gaming Supplies Company [TCSJOHNHUXLEY] and is played in over one hundred live casinos worldwide. It was licensed for use in the United Kingdom in 2007.