Introduction
Casino Hold’em is a Live Casino game played with one standard 52-card deck. It is a variant of Texas Hold’em, one of the most popular Poker games, in which you play against the house.
The aim of Casino Hold’em is to make a better five-card poker hand than the dealer. Your five-card hand is made of two initial cards (hole cards) and five community cards.
How to Play
To play, select the value of your Ante bet and place it on the ANTE bet spot when the betting timer starts.
Your total bet will be displayed in the Total Bet field.
Once the timer runs out, the dealer deals two cards face-up to you and two cards face-down to the dealer. The dealer then deals three community cards – the flop – face-up. These three cards are common for you and the dealer for making your hands.
The decision time will begin, during which you must decide whether to continue with your hand or fold. Choose PLAY to continue the game round, and a Play bet, double your Ante bet, will be automatically placed on the Play bet spot. Choose FOLD to end the round and forfeit your Ante bet.
Side bets are not affected by your PLAY/FOLD decision.
Once you have made your decision, the dealer deals two more community cards – the turn and the river – and reveals their hole cards. The best five-card poker hands are now formed.
Your five-card poker hand is compared with the dealer’s. You win if your hand is better than the dealer’s, and you are paid according to the Payout table. Your initial bet is also returned.
Side Bets
Side bets are evaluated only on the first five dealt cards (your two hole cards and the three cards dealt on the flop).
AA+ is an optional side bet that can only be placed if you have also placed the ANTE bet.
If you have a Pair of Aces or a better combination, you win the AA+ bet and are paid according to the AA+ payout table.
Your bet must cover the AA+ bet spot to qualify for the winnings.
JACKPOT bet
The JACKPOT bet is an optional side bet. To bet on the JACKPOT bet spot, you must first place the ANTE bet.
You win if your initial five-card hand, i.e. your two hole cards and the flop, forms any of the following combinations:
- Straight Flush
- Four of a Kind
- Straight
Your bet must cover the JACKPOT bet spot to qualify for the winnings.
Winning Hands
The individual cards are ranked in descending order: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2.
An Ace can be the highest-value card in a Straight of A, K, Q, J, 10 or the lowest-value card in a Straight of 5, 4, 3, 2, A.
Hand combinations from highest payout to lowest:
 | Royal Flush is a Straight Flush containing the A, K, Q, J and 10 all of the same suit. |
 | Straight Flush contains five cards in sequence, all of the same suit, e.g. 9, 8, 7, 6 and 5, all Hearts. Two Straight Flushes are ranked by comparing the higher-ranked card in each hand. |
 | Four of a Kind contains all four cards of one rank plus any other card, e.g. four Aces. Between two Four of a Kinds, the hand with higher-ranked cards wins. If both are the same, the fifth card, known as the Kicker, is compared. |
 | Full House contains three cards of one rank and two matching cards of another rank, e.g. three Kings and two Sixes. Between two Full Houses, the hand with higher-ranked three cards wins. If both are the same, the hand with the higher Pair wins. |
 | Flush contains five cards all of the same suit, e.g. five cards that are all Clubs. If a hand matches more than one of these combinations, the highest one applies. Two Flushes are ranked by comparing the higher-ranked card in each hand. If both are the same, the second-highest card is compared, and so, until a difference is found. |
 | Straight contains five cards of sequential rank, e.g. 9, 8, 7, 6 and 5. If a hand matches more than one of these combinations, the highest one applies. Two Straights are ranked by comparing the higher-ranked card in each hand. |
 | Three of a Kind contains three cards of the same rank, plus two other cards, e.g. three Kings. Between two Three of a Kinds, the hand with higher-ranked cards wins. If both are the same, the Kickers are compared, starting with the highest. |
 | Two Pairs contains two cards of the same rank, plus two other cards of equal rank to each other, and another card that does not match any of the others, e.g. two Aces and two Kings. Between two Two Pairs, the hand with the higher-ranked Pair wins. If both are the same, the second Pair is compared. If both hands have the same two pairs, the hand with the highest Kicker wins. |
 | Pair contains two cards of the same rank, plus three cards that do not match any of the others. The higher-ranked Pair wins against a lower-ranked one. If both hands have the same Pair, the Kickers are compared in descending order and the hand with highest Kicker wins. |
Game Outcomes
The game outcomes are determined by comparing your and the dealer’s best five-card hands, formed from each player’s two hole cards and the five community cards in any combination.
The dealer qualifies with a pair of 4s or better. If the dealer does not qualify, your winnings are smaller, but you are paid regardless of the hand’s outcome.
| RESULT | ANTE bet | PLAY bet |
| You fold | Lose | Lose |
| Dealer does not qualify | Win according to the ANTE payout table | PUSH |
| Dealer qualifies, you win | Win according to the ANTE payout table | Win 1:1 |
| Dealer qualifies, you lose | Lose | Lose |
| Dealer qualifies and you Tie | PUSH | PUSH |
Payouts
The payouts depend on the placed bet type.
ANTE
| HAND | PAYOUT |
| Royal Flush | 100:1 |
| Straight Flush | 20:1 |
| Four of a Kind | 10:1 |
| Full House | 3:1 |
| Flush | 2:1 |
| Straight | 1:1 |
| Three of a Kind | 1:1 |
| Two Pairs | 1:1 |
| One Pair or less | 1:1 |
AA+
| HAND | PAYOUT |
| Royal Flush | 100:1 |
| Straight Flush | 50:1 |
| Four of a Kind | 40:1 |
| Full House | 30:1 |
| Flush | 20:1 |
| Straight | 7:1 |
| Three of a Kind | 7:1 |
| Two Pairs | 7:1 |
| Pair of Aces | 7:1 |
JACKPOT
| HAND | PAYOUT |
| Straight Flush | 19,999:1 |
| Four of a Kind | 999:1 |
| Straight | 99:1 |
Placing Bets
The Table Name indicates the table you are currently playing at, and the Table Limits show the minimum and maximum bets allowed at the table.
When clicking/tapping this area, the Bet Limits & Payouts window opens, showing the minimum and maximum limits and payout odds for each bet type.
The Game Information Indicator informs you of the game status.
While the timer is displayed, you may place and modify your bets.
The Chip Display allows you to select the value of the chips you wish to bet with. Only chip values that can be covered with your current Balance are available.
The Rebet button allows you to repeat the same bets from the previous game round. Once you have clicked/tapped the Rebet button, the Double and Undo buttons are enabled.
The Double button doubles all your placed bets. Every click/tap doubles your bets up to the maximum limit.
The Undo button removes the last bet you placed. This button is available only during the betting time. Once bets are closed, you will not be able to undo or change your bets. Clicking/tapping the Undo button repeatedly removes bets one by one, with the most recent bet removed first.
The Balance indicator shows your available funds and currency. Your balance has to be sufficient to cover all your placed bets.
If your balance is not updated (after placing bets, losing or winning), please refresh your game.
The Cashier button will open the Cashier window for deposits and withdrawals. On mobile devices the Cashier button is available inside the game Menu.
The Total Bet indicator shows the total value of all bets placed in the current game round.
Each game round is identified by a unique Game ID number. The Time indicator shows your current local time.
Please use the game ID number for reference (or take a screenshot of the game number) if there are any questions and you wish to contact Customer Service.
Decision Phase
After hole cards and the flop are dealt, a DECISION window is displayed, and the decision timer begins. Click/tap PLAY to continue the round, or FOLD to end the game, surrendering your bets.
Choose PLAY to continue, and a Play bet, double your Ante bet, will be automatically placed on the Play bet spot. Choose FOLD to end the round and forfeit your Ante bet.
If you have not made a decision during the provided time, your hand will be automatically folded, and you will lose your placed bets.
Decision Statistics show the percentage of decisions made by all players during the current decision phase.
Game Result
After all the cards are dealt, the winnings are calculated based on the Payout table. The total win amount is displayed in the win message on your screen.
The Winner List is displayed at the end of the game round and shows the nicknames of all the players who won at the current table in the last game round. The winning amount is shown in your currency.
Navigation Controls
The Lobby button can be selected at any time from any game. It allows you to easily change the game table, select any other live game or simply leave the table. You will not be removed from your current table until you have selected the new game table you wish to join. You can use the Lobby to browse other games while remaining at the current table. Once on the Lobby page, please click/tap the Close Lobby button to exit the Lobby page and return to your open table.
Clicking/tapping the Chat button opens the chat window. You can chat with the Dealer and other players. The dealer will communicate with you directly and answer any questions regarding the game.
If you wish to speak with the Live Support, please select the corresponding chat room by clicking/tapping the Support button, and you will be assisted in a private chat.
Chat messages are monitored by dedicated Customer Support personnel at all times. Players who misuse Chat by abusing the Dealer or other players, or by using inappropriate and/or offensive language might have their chat privileges disabled.
Clicking/tapping the Volume Control button opens a slider and lets you adjust the sound volume at your table. Click/tap the Volume control button to mute the sound. To unmute, click/tap the Volume Control button icon again.
Click/tap the History button to launch a window showing details of your gaming activity. By default, it will open your history for today. Under the tab Older you can view your previous gaming history.
Simply select a game round from the list to review it in detail, arranged by game round information and information about bets.
Clicking/tapping the Game Help button opens the Help window.
Click/tap the Settings button to open the Settings window allowing you to select your preferences.
Under the tab General following settings are available:
- Manage video quality
- Manage game sounds
Clicking/tapping the Classic View button changes the game view to Classic mode, showing the video inside a small frame. Below the video, the virtual table with graphical cards displayed for each side will be available.
The game interface may also change automatically to Classic mode if your internet connection is slow or unstable. If this happens, the video will be automatically set to Low video resolution.
Click/tap the Full Screen button to launch the Full Screen mode. To exit this mode, click/tap the button again or use the “Esc” key on your keyboard.
Subtitles
Subtitles may not be completely accurate. Please refer to the information from the in-game user interface as the primary source.
Cards Shuffle and Change
Cards are shuffled by a shuffling machine according to the shuffling procedure.
Two decks of cards are used: one is shuffled while the other is used for a game round, then the decks are swapped.
The card change procedure occurs once every 24 hours or, additionally, in the following cases:
- Table has been opened after a period of inactivity.
- Video stream was unavailable at the table.
- More than three cards fell on the floor during the game round.
- A card with a defective barcode is present in the shoe.
Game Inconveniences
If there is an error in the game, system, game procedure or transaction activity, the game round will be temporarily paused, and the Shift manager immediately notified. You and other players will be informed by an on-screen notification that the issue is being investigated.
If the error can be immediately resolved, the game round will continue as usual. If immediate resolution is not possible, the game round will be cancelled, and initial bets will be refunded to all players who participated in the game round.
If you wish to discuss any game related issues, please contact Live Support, providing your Game Name
Disconnection Policy
Pragmatic Play Live Casino services are delivered over the Internet, and occasionally disconnections may occur.
After being disconnected, check your winnings in the History window. If you have any questions regarding the game outcomes, please contact Live Support within the game or Casino Customer Support, providing your Game name.
