Russian Poker
- Basic casino rules
- Variants and differences
- Payout cheat sheet
- Dealer glossary
- Test yourself
- In the Croupier Assistant trainer
Overview
Russian Poker is a five-card poker game played against the dealer, a relative of Caribbean Stud Poker that is common in casinos in Russia and the CIS (listed on wizardofodds.com as Lunar Poker, also known as Russian Poker; see Variants and differences). Players do not compete with each other: each plays only against the dealer's hand.
Russian Poker rules vary a lot from casino to casino: which purchases are allowed and what they cost, how a non-qualifying dealer is paid, whether two hands can be paid at once, and the pay tables. A common version is described below; payouts follow the trainer's tables.
- A 52-card deck is used, usually shuffled before every hand.
- The player and the dealer each get five cards; one dealer card is face up and four are face down.
- Hand rankings are standard poker rankings (see Poker Hand Rankings). In addition, Russian Poker treats ace-king (ace high with a king in the hand) as a qualifying, paying hand.
Bets
- Ante: the mandatory opening bet within the table limits.
- Play (call, raise): made after looking at the cards and always equal to twice the ante.
- Bonus: an optional side bet made together with the ante (if the table offers it). It pays for a strong player hand regardless of the dealer's hand.
- Purchases (drawing cards, a sixth card, buying a game from the dealer) cost one ante each; this money is never returned and goes to the house.
Game procedure
- Players place the ante (and the bonus if they wish).
- The dealer deals five cards face down to each player and to the dealer, then turns one dealer card face up.
- The player looks at the cards and chooses: fold (losing the ante), make the play bet (2 antes), or first improve the hand with a purchase.
- After a purchase the player decides again: fold or play.
- When all players have acted, the dealer reveals the hand and checks whether it qualifies.
- Bets are settled in order: the comparison with the dealer (ante and play), then the bonus.
Drawing cards and the sixth card
Before making the play bet, the player may improve the hand in one of these ways (what is allowed, and how many times, depends on the casino):
- Draw: the player discards one to five cards and receives the same number of new cards from the deck, paying one ante for the draw.
- Buy a sixth card: for one ante the player gets a sixth card; the best five of the six cards play.
- The purchase fee is never returned whatever the outcome. Discarded cards do not come back into play.
Dealer qualification
The dealer qualifies with ace-king or any pair or better. If the dealer does not qualify (for example queen high, or an ace without a king), the no-game rule applies:
- A player who made the play bet is paid 1 ante (1 to 1 on the ante), and the play bet is returned without a win, whatever the player's hand.
- Instead, the player may buy a game from the dealer: pay one ante, and the dealer replaces one of the dealer's cards (usually the highest) with a card from the deck. If the dealer now qualifies, the hands are compared as usual; if not, the settlement depends on the casino (typically the ante is paid and the purchase fee stays with the house).
- The bonus bet does not depend on whether the dealer qualifies.
Deciding the winner and payouts
If the dealer qualifies, the player's hand is compared with the dealer's by hand rank and kickers:
- Player's hand is higher: the play bet pays according to the pay table for the player's hand; the ante is not paid — it is returned to the player.
- Dealer's hand is higher: the player loses the ante and the play bet.
- Equal hands: the ante and the play bet push (are returned).
- A player hand below ace-king cannot beat a qualifying dealer, since the dealer has at least ace-king.
Play bet pay table
The odds apply to the play bet, which is twice the ante: win = ante × 2 × odds. Pay tables vary between casinos; a typical table, also used in the trainer, is shown below.
| Player hand | Pays on play bet | Win with ante 100 (play 200) |
|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 100 to 1 | 20,000 |
| Straight flush | 50 to 1 | 10,000 |
| Four of a kind | 20 to 1 | 4,000 |
| Full house | 7 to 1 | 1,400 |
| Flush | 5 to 1 | 1,000 |
| Straight | 4 to 1 | 800 |
| Three of a kind | 3 to 1 | 600 |
| Two pair | 2 to 1 | 400 |
| Pair | 1 to 1 | 200 |
| Ace-king | 1 to 1 | 200 |
When the player's hand wins, the ante is not paid — it is returned. The ante pays 1 to 1 only when the dealer does not qualify.
Bonus side bet
The bonus pays for a player hand of a straight or better, regardless of the dealer's hand and of whether the dealer qualifies. If the player bought a sixth card, the bonus is based on the best five of six cards and pays from the second, lower column. Win = bonus bet × odds; pay tables vary between casinos, the trainer's table is shown below.
| Hand | 5 cards | 6 cards |
|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 1000 to 1 | 300 to 1 |
| Straight flush | 500 to 1 | 150 to 1 |
| Four of a kind | 300 to 1 | 100 to 1 |
| Full house | 100 to 1 | 30 to 1 |
| Flush | 50 to 1 | 15 to 1 |
| Straight | 25 to 1 | 8 to 1 |
Hands below a straight do not pay the bonus; the bonus bet loses.
Example hands
Dealer
Dealer
Dealer
Dealer
Rules and pay tables are checked against wizardofodds.com. Casinos may differ — see Variants and differences.
Variants and differences
On wizardofodds.com this game is described as Lunar Poker (also Royal Poker and Russian Poker). Its rules differ from the version common in CIS casinos:
| Rule | CIS casinos (these rules) | Lunar Poker (wizardofodds.com) |
|---|---|---|
| Required bets | Ante | Ante and Super (at least the ante) — on your own hand or the dealer's |
| Two hands | Only the higher one pays | Both pay if the second one contains a card of its own |
| Buying a game from the dealer | For 1 ante | No |
| Drawing cards | 1–5 cards for 1 ante | 2–5 cards for 1 ante |
| Instant payout | No | Royal 1000:1, straight flush 200:1 on the ante right away |
Payout cheat sheet
Bet with ante 10 (bet 20)
| Hand | Pays | Bet wins |
|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 100 to 1 | 2,000 |
| Straight flush | 50 to 1 | 1,000 |
| Four of a kind | 20 to 1 | 400 |
| Full house | 7 to 1 | 140 |
| Flush | 5 to 1 | 100 |
| Straight | 4 to 1 | 80 |
| Three of a kind | 3 to 1 | 60 |
| Two pair | 2 to 1 | 40 |
| Pair, ace-king | 1 to 1 | 20 |
When a hand wins, the ante is returned without a payout. If the dealer does not qualify — only the ante pays 1:1 and the bet is returned.
Dealer glossary
- Ante
- The required opening bet.
- Bet
- The play bet, 2 antes.
- Qualification
- The dealer plays with ace-king or better.
- No game
- The dealer does not qualify: the player is paid 1 ante.
- Buy
- Drawing cards, a sixth card or a game from the dealer — for 1 ante.
- Bonus
- A side bet on a straight or better in the player's hand.
- Ace-king
- A hand with no pair but an ace and a king — qualifies for the dealer, pays 1 to 1 for the player.
Test yourself
Three payout questions. Answer with the net win or the amount asked for, not including the bet itself.
Trainer modes for this game: what you calculate and how your answer is checked.
- Russian PokerThe player places an ante, gets five cards and decides whether to go on: the play bet is twice the ante.
- 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).