Casino Hold'em with AA Bonus

Basic casino rules
Variants and differences
Payout cheat sheet
Dealer glossary
Test yourself
In the Croupier Assistant trainer

Basic casino rules

Overview

Casino Hold'em is a casino version of Texas hold'em played against the dealer; in CIS casinos it is usually called simply Texas Hold'em, and in the trainer it is Texas Hold'em Bonus (after the AA Bonus side bet). Players do not compete with each other: each plays only against the dealer's hand.

A 52-card deck is used, shuffled before every hand.
The player and the dealer get two face-down cards each; five community cards are dealt to the board: the flop (three cards), then the turn and the river.
A hand is the best five of seven cards (two hole cards and five community cards); it may use both hole cards, one or none.
Hand rankings are standard poker rankings (see Poker Hand Rankings).

Bets

Ante: the mandatory opening bet within the table limits.
Call: a bet made after the flop, exactly twice the ante. Instead of calling, the player may fold.
AA Bonus: an optional side bet made together with the ante. It pays for a pair of aces or better made from the player's two cards and the three flop cards.

Game procedure

Players place the ante and, if they wish, the AA Bonus.
The dealer deals two face-down cards to each player and two to the dealer, then turns over the flop, three community cards.
The player decides: call (2x the ante) or fold. A fold loses the ante and the player's cards are collected.
The dealer turns over the turn and the river, two more community cards, then the dealer's two cards.
The dealer checks qualification and settles the Ante and Call of each remaining player. The AA Bonus is settled on the player's hand after the flop.

Dealer qualification and settlement

The dealer qualifies with a pair of fours or better. A pair of deuces, a pair of threes or high card does not qualify.

Outcome	Ante	Call
Dealer does not qualify	Per Ante pay table	Push
Dealer qualifies, player wins	Per Ante pay table	1 to 1
Dealer qualifies, tie	Push	Push
Dealer qualifies and wins	Loses	Loses
Player folds	Loses	—

If the dealer does not qualify, the Ante pays from the table on the player's hand, whatever it is, even if the dealer's hand is technically higher.

The lowest qualifying dealer hand: a pair of fours.

Does not qualify: a pair of threes is below a pair of fours.

Ante pay table

The Ante pays on the player's final hand (best 5 of 7). Pay tables vary between casinos (wizardofodds.com lists several versions); the most common one is shown below.

Player hand	Ante	Win with Ante 100
Royal flush	100 to 1	10,000
Straight flush	20 to 1	2,000
Four of a kind	10 to 1	1,000
Full house	3 to 1	300
Flush	2 to 1	200
Straight or lower	1 to 1	100

A winning Call always pays 1 to 1.

AA Bonus

The AA Bonus is based on the best five-card hand from the player's five cards: the two hole cards and the three flop cards; the turn and river do not count for the bonus. The dealer's hand, qualification and the player's decision (call or fold) do not affect it. A hand below a pair of aces (including a pair of kings) loses the bonus. Win = bonus bet × odds. Pay tables vary between casinos; the trainer's table is shown below.

Hand after the flop	AA Bonus	Win with Bonus 100
Royal flush	100 to 1	10,000
Straight flush	50 to 1	5,000
Four of a kind	40 to 1	4,000
Full house	30 to 1	3,000
Flush	20 to 1	2,000
Straight	7 to 1	700
Three of a kind	7 to 1	700
Two pair	7 to 1	700
Pair of aces	7 to 1	700

A pair of aces from a hole card and the flop: the bonus pays 7 to 1.

Special cases

A tie with a qualifying dealer is decided on the best five cards; if both hands are the five community cards, the Ante and Call push.
If the dealer does not qualify, the Call always pushes and the Ante pays from the table, even if the player has only high card.
As a rule, the AA Bonus is settled even for a player who folded: only the hand after the flop matters.
The hand for the Ante and the hand for the bonus can differ: for example, a pair of aces on the flop and a full house by the river.

Example hands

Ante 100, Bonus 100, Call 200. After the flop the player has three aces: the bonus pays 7 to 1 = +700. Final hands: the player's three aces against the dealer's pair of kings; the dealer qualifies and the player wins. Ante 1 to 1 = +100, Call +200. Total +1,000.

Ante 100, Bonus 100, Call 200. After the flop the player has only king high: the bonus loses (−100). The dealer has jack high and does not qualify: the Ante pays 1 to 1 from the table = +100 and the Call pushes. Net 0.

Ante 100, Bonus 100, Call 200. A flush on the flop: the bonus pays 20 to 1 = +2,000. The dealer has a pair of kings and qualifies; the player's flush is higher: Ante 2 to 1 = +200, Call +200. Total +2,400.

10d — Ante 100, Call 200. The player has a pair of tens, the dealer a pair of aces: the dealer qualifies and wins. The player loses the Ante and the Call: 300.

Ante 100, Call 200. The player has a pair of tens, the dealer a pair of aces: the dealer qualifies and wins. The player loses the Ante and the Call: 300.

Rules and pay tables are checked against wizardofodds.com. Casinos may differ — see Variants and differences.

Variants and differences

Rule	These rules (wizardofodds.com)	Where it differs
Ante table	100-20-10-3-2-1 (table 3)	20-20-10-3-2-1; 25-25-12-3-2-1; 100-49-17-3-2-1
AA bonus	100-50-40-30-20-7-7-7-7 (table 2)	25 for a flush and better; 100-50-40-30-20-10-8-7-7
Dealer qualification	A pair of fours or better	—
Call	2 antes	—

Payout cheat sheet

Ante 10

Hand	Pays	Win
Royal flush	100 to 1	1,000
Straight flush	20 to 1	200
Four of a kind	10 to 1	100
Full house	3 to 1	30
Flush	2 to 1	20
Straight or lower	1 to 1	10

AA bonus 10

Hand after the flop	Pays	Win
Royal flush	100 to 1	1,000
Straight flush	50 to 1	500
Four of a kind	40 to 1	400
Full house	30 to 1	300
Flush	20 to 1	200
Straight, three of a kind, two pair, pair of aces	7 to 1	70

The call pays 1:1 when the player beats a qualifying dealer; if the dealer does not qualify, the call is returned and the ante pays by the table.

Dealer glossary

Ante: The required opening bet.
Call: The play bet, 2 antes.
Flop: The first three community cards.
Qualification: The dealer plays with a pair of fours or better.
AA bonus: A side bet: a pair of aces or better from the player's cards and the flop.

Test yourself

Three payout questions. Answer with the net win or the amount asked for, not including the bet itself.

Ante 20, call 40. The player has a flush, the dealer qualifies and loses. How much do you pay on the ante and call?
Ante 25, the player called, the dealer does not qualify, the player has a straight. How much do you pay?
AA bonus 10, the player has a full house after the flop. How much do you pay?

In the Croupier Assistant trainer

Trainer modes for this game: what you calculate and how your answer is checked.

Poker: BonusesThe bonus pays for a strong player hand regardless of the dealer. The trainer uses the table for a 6-card hand (after buying the sixth card).

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