Casino Poker Games: Your Complete Guide to Table Poker

When you hear "poker" in a casino context, it can mean two very different things: the poker room where players compete against each other in games like Texas Hold'em, or the casino floor where players compete against the house in poker-based table games.

This guide covers casino poker table games—games where you play against the dealer, not other players. These games use poker hand rankings but operate like blackjack: you make your bet, receive your cards, and try to beat the house.

Table of Contents

1. Casino Poker vs. Poker Room Poker
2. Poker Hand Rankings
3. Three Card Poker
4. Caribbean Stud Poker
5. Let It Ride
6. Four Card Poker
7. Pai Gow Poker
8. Ultimate Texas Hold'em
9. Mississippi Stud
10. Choosing Your Game
11. Frequently Asked Questions
12. Conclusion

Casino Poker vs. Poker Room Poker

Understanding the distinction between these two types of poker is essential.

Poker Room Games

In the poker room, you play against other players. The casino takes a small percentage of each pot (the "rake") but has no stake in who wins. Your profit comes from outplaying opponents.

Games include Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Seven Card Stud, and others. Skill plays a major role. Professional poker players exist because skilled players can consistently profit over time.

Casino Table Poker

At poker table games on the casino floor, you play against the house. The casino banks all bets and has a mathematical edge built into the rules. Your decisions matter, but the house maintains an advantage regardless of skill.

Games include Three Card Poker, Caribbean Stud, Let It Ride, and many others. They use poker hand rankings but play more like blackjack—structured bets against a dealer.

Why Casino Poker Games Exist

These games offer poker flavor without the intimidation of playing against skilled opponents. The pace is predictable, the rules are clear, and you do not need to outthink other players.

For casual players who enjoy poker hands but prefer the structure of table games, casino poker is ideal.

Poker Hand Rankings

All casino poker games use standard poker hand rankings. Memorize these from highest to lowest:

In games using fewer than five cards (like Three Card Poker), the rankings adjust slightly because some hands become impossible or change in probability.

Three Card Poker

Three Card Poker is the most popular casino poker game, found in virtually every casino. Its simplicity and dual betting structure make it appealing to players of all levels.

How to Play

1. Make an Ante bet and/or a Pair Plus bet
2. Receive three cards face down
3. Look at your cards
4. Decide to fold (lose ante) or make a Play bet equal to your ante
5. Dealer reveals their cards
6. Compare hands—best three-card poker hand wins

Three-Card Hand Rankings

With only three cards, rankings differ from five-card poker:

Note: Three of a kind beats straight because it is harder to make with only three cards.

The Two Bets

Ante/Play: You compete against the dealer. Dealer needs Queen-high or better to qualify. If dealer does not qualify, ante pays 1:1 and play bet pushes.

Pair Plus: A separate bet that pays based on your hand strength regardless of dealer's hand. Typical payouts:

Optimal Strategy

Play with Q-6-4 or better. Fold with anything worse.

This simple rule minimizes the house edge on the ante/play portion.

House Edge

• Ante/Play with optimal strategy: 3.37%
• Pair Plus: 2.32% to 7.28% (depends on paytable)

Caribbean Stud Poker

Caribbean Stud offers five-card poker against the dealer with the chance at a progressive jackpot.

How to Play

1. Make an Ante bet (and optional $1 jackpot side bet)
2. Receive five cards face down
3. Dealer receives five cards, one face up
4. Look at your cards
5. Fold (lose ante) or make a Call bet of exactly 2x your ante
6. Dealer reveals their hand
7. Dealer needs A-K or better to qualify
8. Best five-card hand wins

Payouts

If dealer qualifies and you win:

• Ante pays 1:1
• Call bet pays according to schedule:

If dealer does not qualify: Ante pays 1:1, call bet pushes.

Progressive Jackpot

The $1 side bet pays for strong hands regardless of dealer:

• Royal Flush: 100% of jackpot
• Straight Flush: 10% of jackpot
• Four of a Kind: $500 (typical)
• Full House: $100
• Flush: $50

The jackpot bet has a high house edge (26%+) unless the jackpot is very large.

Optimal Strategy

Call with A-K-J-8-3 or better. Fold with anything worse.

The complete strategy is complex, but this approximation covers most decisions.

House Edge

• Main game with optimal strategy: 5.22%
• Progressive jackpot: 26%+ (varies with jackpot size)

Let It Ride

Let It Ride is unique because you do not play against the dealer—you simply try to make a winning poker hand using your three cards plus two community cards.

How to Play

1. Make three equal bets in the 1, 2, and $ circles
2. Receive three cards face down
3. Two community cards are dealt face down
4. Look at your cards
5. Decide to pull back bet #1 or "let it ride"
6. First community card is revealed
7. Decide to pull back bet #2 or "let it ride"
8. Second community card is revealed
9. Final five-card hand determines payout

Payouts

You need at least a pair of 10s to win:

Optimal Strategy

Bet #1 - Let it ride with:

• Any paying hand (pair of 10s or better)
• Any three to a royal flush
• Three suited cards in a row (except A-2-3, 2-3-4)
• Three to a straight flush with at least one high card

Bet #2 - Let it ride with:

• Any paying hand
• Any four to a flush
• Any four to an outside straight

House Edge

With optimal strategy: 3.51%

Four Card Poker

Four Card Poker resembles Three Card Poker but uses four cards and allows players to make larger play bets when they have strong hands.

How to Play

1. Make an Ante bet and optional Aces Up side bet
2. Receive five cards face down (you will use best four)
3. Dealer receives six cards (uses best four), one face up
4. Look at your cards
5. Fold (lose ante) or make a Play bet of 1x to 3x your ante
6. Dealer reveals their hand
7. Best four-card hand wins (dealer always qualifies)

Four-Card Hand Rankings

Optimal Strategy

• Fold with pair of 2s or less
• Bet 1x with pair of 3s through pair of 9s
• Bet 3x with pair of 10s or better

House Edge

• Main game: 2.76%
• Aces Up side bet: Varies by paytable (typically 2-8%)

Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow Poker combines poker with the Chinese domino game Pai Gow. You set two hands from seven cards and try to beat both of the dealer's hands.

How to Play

1. Make your bet
2. Receive seven cards
3. Arrange cards into a five-card "high" hand and two-card "low" hand
4. High hand must rank higher than low hand
5. Dealer arranges their cards according to house rules
6. Compare hands—win both to win, lose both to lose, split is a push
7. 5% commission charged on wins

Setting Your Hands

The challenge is arranging your seven cards optimally. Your five-card hand must be stronger than your two-card hand (you cannot put a pair in the two-card hand if your five-card hand has no pair).

Basic Strategy:

• No pair: Highest card in high hand, next two highest in low hand
• One pair: Pair in high hand, two highest others in low hand
• Two pair: Split pairs if both are low (6s or less) or one high/one low; keep together if both high
• Three of a kind: Keep together unless three aces (split one ace to low hand)

The Joker

Pai Gow Poker uses a joker that can be used as an ace, or to complete a straight, flush, or straight flush.

House Edge

With optimal strategy and 5% commission: 2.54%

The frequent pushes make Pai Gow Poker a low-volatility choice for extended play.

Ultimate Texas Hold'em

Ultimate Texas Hold'em brings the community card format of Texas Hold'em to a casino table game.

How to Play

1. Make equal Ante and Blind bets
2. Receive two hole cards, dealer receives two hole cards
3. Option to make Play bet of 3x or 4x ante (pre-flop)
4. Three community cards (flop) dealt
5. If no play bet yet, option to make 2x ante bet
6. Two more community cards (turn and river) dealt
7. If no play bet yet, must make 1x ante bet or fold
8. Best five-card hand from seven cards wins

Payouts

• Blind bet pays only with straight or better (various schedules)
• Ante bet pays 1:1 but only if dealer has pair or better (otherwise push)
• Play bet pays 1:1

Basic Strategy

• Bet 4x pre-flop with any ace, K-5 suited or better, K-2 or better, Q-8 suited or better, Q-8 or better, J-10 suited
• Bet 2x on flop with two pair or better, hidden pair (using both hole cards), four to a flush with hidden 10 or better
• Bet 1x on river with anything that beats dealer; fold with less than 21-high

House Edge

With optimal strategy: 2.19%

Mississippi Stud

Mississippi Stud is a five-card poker game where you make betting decisions as community cards are revealed, trying to make a pair of 6s or better.

How to Play

1. Make an Ante bet
2. Receive two cards face down
3. Decide to fold or make a 3rd Street bet (1x to 3x ante)
4. First community card revealed
5. Decide to fold or make a 4th Street bet (1x to 3x ante)
6. Second community card revealed
7. Decide to fold or make a 5th Street bet (1x to 3x ante)
8. Third community card revealed
9. Final five-card hand determines payout

Payouts

Hands lower than pair of 6s lose all bets.

Basic Strategy

3rd Street (two hole cards):

• Bet 3x with any pair, suited 6-5 or higher
• Bet 1x with any suited cards, 5-5 or higher, two mid cards (6-10)
• Fold with 2-3 through 2-6 unsuited

4th/5th Street:

• Bet 3x with made winners or strong draws
• Bet 1x with medium-strength hands
• Fold only when mathematically hopeless

House Edge

With optimal strategy: 4.91%

Choosing Your Game

With many casino poker games available, how do you choose?

Lowest House Edge

1. Pai Gow Poker: 2.54%
2. Ultimate Texas Hold'em: 2.19%
3. Four Card Poker: 2.76%
4. Three Card Poker: 3.37%

Simplest to Learn

1. Three Card Poker (three cards, simple decisions)
2. Let It Ride (no dealer competition)
3. Caribbean Stud (five cards, straightforward)

Most Action

1. Ultimate Texas Hold'em (multiple betting rounds)
2. Mississippi Stud (four decisions per hand)
3. Let It Ride (three decision points)

Lowest Volatility

1. Pai Gow Poker (many pushes, slow grind)
2. Three Card Poker (quick hands, moderate swings)

Best for Social Players

1. Pai Gow Poker (slow pace, conversation possible)
2. Three Card Poker (popular, always players around)

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Casino poker games offer the satisfaction of poker hand rankings with the structure of table games. You compete against the house rather than other players, with clear rules and fixed odds.

For the best odds: Choose Ultimate Texas Hold'em or Pai Gow Poker and learn optimal strategy.

For the simplest experience: Three Card Poker is intuitive and widely available.

For extended play: Pai Gow Poker's frequent pushes stretch your bankroll.

Whatever game you choose, remember that the house maintains an edge. Play for entertainment, set a budget, and enjoy the poker-flavored action without the pressure of competing against skilled opponents.

Good luck at the tables.