Casino poker strategy means something different from strategy in a poker room. You are not playing other people but the dealer or the software, and every game has a fixed paytable and a house edge. This guide covers the basic strategies for video poker, Casino Hold'em and three card poker, and what they actually do.
The key point comes first: correct strategy reduces the house edge but never removes it, and no strategy can promise a win. This guide is not about player-versus-player poker, where bluffing and reading opponents decide the result. In casino poker, strategy is mostly about making the mathematically correct decision.
In a poker room, players compete for the pot and results depend on bluffs, position and opponents' habits. In casino poker you face a game with fixed payouts. The dealer does not bluff and you never have to guess an opponent's hand. Your decisions are usually limited to which cards to hold, whether to raise or fold, and how much to stake.
Because these games are precisely defined, the optimal play can be calculated, which is why clear strategy charts exist. If hand ranks are not yet familiar, start with the poker hand rankings.
Every casino poker game has a house edge: the share of stakes the casino keeps over the long run. Strategy keeps that edge as small as it can be. Poor play can add several percentage points to it, while flawless play returns the game's theoretical RTP.
The poker games in our catalogue have high return figures: the average is 97.12%, ranging from 93.74% to 99.70%. Evoplay's Oasis Poker Classic is listed at 99.70% and Habanero's Three Card Poker Deluxe at 98.04%. These figures normally assume correct play, so mistakes lower the return you actually get. The guide to RTP explains what the number means.
In video poker you receive five cards, choose which to hold and the rest are replaced. The whole strategy is hold decisions. The exact right choice depends on the paytable, so always check it first. In Jacks or Better with the full paytable, optimal play returns 99.54%.
A general Jacks or Better order of priority, from top to bottom:
The rule of thumb is that a pair beats a lone high card, and four cards to a royal or straight flush are worth keeping even over a pair. Holds change when the paytable differs, as in Deuces Wild. More detail is in the video poker guide.
In Casino Hold'em you get two cards, the dealer gets two, and three community cards are dealt. You then decide whether to continue with an extra bet or fold and lose your ante. That is the main decision in the game.
A common rule of thumb in strategy charts:
The simplified rule ignores borderline cases, so its house edge is slightly higher than perfect play. In our catalogue Casino Hold'em is listed at 99.18% for the Playtech and Pragmatic Play Live versions, 99.30% for Mascot Gaming and 97.84% for Evolution's 2 Hand Casino Hold'em. The numbers differ because side bets and the way the figure is calculated vary between versions.
In three card poker you get three cards and decide whether to play or fold. The most familiar strategy is simple: play when your hand is queen-six-four or better, and fold anything lower. Q-6-4 and every hand stronger than it, such as K-2-2 or A-3-2, are plays. Q-6-3 and below are folds.
That single rule is nearly the whole optimal strategy, which shows why casino poker strategy is easy to learn. Habanero's Three Card Poker is listed at 97.99% in our catalogue and Three Card Poker Deluxe at 98.04%. Rules and side bets are covered in the three card poker guide.
Caribbean Stud uses the same type of decision: continue or fold. In general a pair or better is played, and the dealer's visible card matters for weaker hands. Habanero's Caribbean Stud is listed at 97.48% in our catalogue. The Oasis Poker games from Betsoft and Nucleus Gaming are listed at 99.39%, but the figure needs accurate play to be realised.
Many casino poker games offer a side bet that pays for particular hands such as three of a kind or a straight flush. Side bets usually carry a clearly larger house edge than the main game, and strategy does not affect them. If you want to keep the overall edge small, count the side bet's cost as part of the game before adding it.
Strategy does not decide how quickly a bankroll is used. Bet size, the number of hands played and the variance of the game do. A few basics:
Play the mathematically correct basic strategy for each game, such as correct hold decisions in video poker or the Q-6-4 rule in three card poker. It reduces the house edge but does not remove it.
There is no assurance of that. Strategy reduces the expected loss over the long run, but the house edge remains and a single session can go either way.
Keep a made hand as it is; otherwise keep pairs, three of a kind and strong four-card draws. The exact order depends on the paytable, so check it before you play.
Generally when your hand is weak and the community cards give no help. Continue with a pair or better. Borderline hands vary by version.
It is the lowest hand worth playing. Weaker hands, such as Q-6-3, are folded.
No. In casino poker you play against the dealer with a fixed paytable, so bluffing and reading opponents do not matter.
No. Betting systems do not change the house edge and only increase the size of your stakes and your risk of loss.