While there are many different variations of live casino poker, arguably the most popular variant is Casino Hold’em. The aim of the game is to get a better 5-card poker hand than the dealer; if you do, you’ll win your bet, and if you don’t, you’ll lose your bet. Below, we’ll break down the rules of Casino Hold’em as well as run through the poker hand rankings so you know what hands are good and which to avoid.
Rules Of Live Poker
Casino Hold’em is played with a standard 52-card deck; unlike blackjack which is played with multiple decks at once. Before the cards are dealt, participating players must place an initial bet, called an ante. Once the bets have been made, the dealer deals two cards face-up to each player and two cards face-down to themselves. The dealer then deals three community cards face-up in the middle of the table, called the flop.
After the flop has been dealt, each player is given the option to fold their hand or to call with their hand. If a player folds their hand, they surrender their hand and their initial ante bet. If a player calls, they must match their ante bet to continue. Once all the players have made their decisions, the dealer deals the fourth and fifth community cards (called the turn and the river) face-up in the middle of the table.
After all the cards have been dealt, the dealer turns their hand face-up and declares their best five-card poker hand. The player must try to make the best five-card poker hand possible, using any combination of their hole cards and the five community cards to try and beat the dealer.
Qualifying Hands
Many Casino Hold’em tables require the dealer to “qualify” by making a hand of a certain strength. The minimum hand requirement for a dealer to “qualify” is a pair of 4s. The payouts a player receives vary depending on whether or not the dealer has qualified.
- The dealer does not qualify - The player wins the ante bet according to the ante paytable and the call bet is a push.
- The dealer does qualify but loses the hand - The player wins the ante bet according to the ante paytable and wins the call bet at a rate of 1:1.
- The dealer does qualify and wins the hand - The player loses both the ante and the call bet.
- The dealer does qualify and has the same hand as the player - Both the ante and call bets are a push.
So, if you ever wonder why you only win half your bet even when you beat the dealer, check to see if they had a qualifying hand!
Payouts
Ante bets pay out differently depending on how strong the player’s hand is. The stronger the hand, the more money you’ll be paid out on your ante bet. Take a look at the table below for a breakdown of a commonly found Casino Hold’em ante paytable.
| Hand Strength | Payout |
| Royal Flush | 100:1 |
| Straight Flush | 20:1 |
| Four of a Kind | 10:1 |
| Full House | 3:1 |
| Flush | 2:1 |
| Straight or Lower | 1:1 |
Poker Hands
Casino Hold’em uses the traditional poker hand ranking system when determining the winning hand. If you’re unfamiliar with this ranking system or just need a refresher, we’ve got you covered; you can find each poker hand ranked from best to worst below.
| Hand Ranking | Explanation | Example |
| Royal Flush | Five cards ranked 10-A all of the same suit. | TcJcQcKcAc |
| Straight Flush | Five cards in sequential order all of the same suit. | 6h7h8h9hTh |
| Four-of-a-Kind | Four cards of the same rank. | AcAdAsAh9d |
| Full House | Three cards of the same rank with two cards of the same rank. | 7d7s7h9d9h |
| Flush | Five cards of the same suit, not in sequential order. | Ad9d7d4d3d |
| Straight | Five cards in sequential order, not of the same suit. | 4d5d6s7h8c |
| Three-of-a-Kind | Three cards of the same rank. | 3d3s3cAd9c |
| Two Pair | Two sets of two cards of the same rank. | JcJs8d8h2d |
| One Pair | Two cards of the same rank. | KcKsQd7c5h |
| High Card | Five unpaired cards of different suits. | Ad8c7d3h2c |
You’ll notice that all of the examples use five cards, even if the hand strength only requires three or four cards. This is because all poker hands are made up of exactly five cards, so players must pick their best five cards from their two hole cards and the five community cards.
If you want to play live dealer poker games at your favourite online casino, you’ll find that the only options available are real money poker games. 
