Pragmatic Play Live Casino Hold’em Poker

Pragmatic Play now have a live Casino Hold’em Poker table. This was their first live poker table to launch with more promised to follow.

Pragmatic are a little late to the poker party, particularly given the how comprehensive their coverage of other games. But better late than never. As usual, their presentation of the game is exceptional.

How to Play Pragmatic’s Casino Hold’em Poker

This is a house poker game. You versus the dealer. The aim of the game is to best the dealer’s poker hand.

An Ante bet gets you in the main game, 2 hole (or pocket) cards and a look at the flop.

You can then choose to fold and forfeit your Ante, or Play (at a cost of 2x your Ante) for a look at the Turn, River and whether you’ve beaten the dealer when they reveal their hole cards.

Player and dealer hands are the best possible poker hand made from respective pocket cards and the 5 community cards.

Win conditions and payouts on your Ante and Play bets are summarised in the below table.

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

* Dealer qualifies with a pair of 4s or better.

In addition to the main (or Ante bet) game, there are a couple of side bets. The AA+ and Jackpot side bets can only be placed after an Ante bet has been placed, and are bets on how good a poker hand is made from the first 5 cards dealt (player pocket and flop). The side bets payout irrespective of whether you beat the dealer on the Ante bet.

Payout tables

	ANTE bet payouts	AA+ side bet payouts	Jackpot side bet payouts
Royal Flush	100 to 1	100 to 1	19,999 to 1
Straight Flush	20 to 1	50 to 1	19,999 to 1
4 of a Kind	10 to 1	40 to 1	999 to 1
Full House	3 to 1	30 to 1	no payout
Flush	2 to 1	20 to 1	no payout
Straight	1 to 1	7 to 1	99 to 1
Below Straight	1 to 1	7 to 1 (down to pair of Aces)	no payout

Ante bet hands are made from player pockets and all 5 community cards.
AA+ and Jackpot side bet hands are made from pockets and Flop cards only.

Theoretical returns by bet

The theoretical return to player (RTP) rate by bet type is as follows:

• Ante bet (optimal play assumed): 97.84%
• AA+ side bet: 93.74%
• Jackpot side bet: 94.04%

If you’re thinking this all sounds pretty familiar, you’d be right. Pragmatic Play’s Casino Hold’em Poker table is identical, with regard to the main Ante/Play game as Evolution Holdem, Playtech Holdem and indeed most live Hold’em tables. Even the AA+ side bet is identical (although Evo call theirs ‘Bonus’ bet).

RTPs for these bets are identical across the tables also.

As on those tables, the key playing strategy to observe is play teh Ante game only and leave the side bets alone!