Casino poker games
| Game | How it works | What to check |
| Casino Hold'em | Your hand against the dealer's, five shared cards | The payout table and the side bet's cost |
| Three Card Poker | Ante and Pair Plus bets on three cards | Pair Plus paytable; it varies between tables |
| Caribbean Stud | Five-card stud against the dealer | Progressive side bets add a high edge |
| Video poker | Draw poker on a machine-style screen | Full-pay tables, for example 9/6 Jacks or Better |
Our guide on new poker variants goes deeper into strategy.
Casino Hold'em is the closest casino game to a poker room. Casino Hold'em deals each player two cards and places five shared cards on the board. The player folds or raises after the first three shared cards appear. Many tables require the dealer to qualify before the raise pays, so a hand can end without the raise winning. Read the rules panel of each table for the qualifying hand.
Three Card Poker pairs two bets on one hand. The Ante bet plays your hand against the dealer's hand. The Pair Plus bet pays on your own three cards whatever the dealer holds. Pair Plus paytables vary between tables, so the same bet can cost more at one casino than at another.
Caribbean Stud pays on five-card hands played against the dealer. Caribbean Stud tables often add a progressive jackpot side bet. A progressive side bet is a separate stake with a high house edge. Treat that stake as a jackpot ticket, not as part of your poker strategy.
Video poker and strategy
Video poker is the one casino game where your decisions move the return a lot. A full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better table returns about 99.5% with perfect strategy; the same game with a 8/5 table returns about 97.3%. The paytable is printed on the screen: check the payouts for a full house and a flush.
Video poker deals five cards and lets you hold any of them. The machine then redraws the cards you discard. The paytable fixes what each final hand pays. A strategy chart tells you which cards to hold for each deal. A chart only helps on the paytable it was built for, so match the chart to the screen before you play.
Poker and bonuses
Poker games usually count 10% or less towards bonus wagering, and video poker is often excluded. Read the game weighting before claiming a welcome offer for poker.
Poker bonus rules sit in the terms, not on the banner. The wagering terms list each game type with a contribution percentage. A game that counts 10% needs ten times the stake of a game that counts 100%. Poker and video poker usually sit near the bottom of that list. Read the weighting table in our welcome bonus guide before you claim an offer for poker.
Choosing a casino for poker
- Check that the casino accepts New Zealand and that the licence is on the regulator's register.
- Look for the games you want in the lobby, RNG or live, before depositing.
- Check table limits at live poker tables.
- If you want player-versus-player poker, confirm the casino has a poker room; most casino lobbies do not.
A casino poker lobby has two parts. The RNG section runs on software and plays at any hour. The live section streams a real dealer from a studio. Live tables set their own betting limits, so a low-stake player should open the table before the first deposit. The live poker games from the Evolution Gaming studio show how a studio lobby is laid out.
+32
9.1
/10
