While traditional Hold'em is played against other players, casinos have invented a version where you play directly against the house.

This specific variation, often called Ultimate Texas Hold'em or Casino Hold'em, has exploded in popularity on the gaming floor.

How a Hand of Casino Hold'em is Played

To be dealt into the hand, you must place your chips on the Ante circle before the cards are distributed.

If you like your starting hand, you place a 'Play' bet, which is usually exactly double the size of your original Ante.

• You are strictly playing your hand against the dealer's hand; the other players at the table do not matter
• Knowing when to aggressively raise pre-flop is the key to minimizing the house edge in this variation
• The game uses a standard 52-card deck which is thoroughly shuffled after every single hand

Basic Strategy for Beating the Dealer

Statistically, you should be placing the 'Play' bet on roughly 82% of all the starting hands you receive.

Folding should be reserved strictly for absolute garbage hands where you have virtually no chance of making a pair or better.

By aggressively playing decent hands, you put maximum pressure on the dealer's qualification rules.