Casino Poker Tables – A Playing Guide

Approaching a table in either a small or major casino today necessitates understanding of game play, of the rules of the house, of potential opponents and an overall plan of attack. A check of the casino's poker room will reveal a number of games including Pai Go Poker, Caribbean Stud, Hold'em Tournaments and tables for Omaha and Hold'em. Being a highly attuned players requires a careful study of your competitors in advance of you laying down your chips at any table. Accomplishing this, along with carefully deciding on your position and playing carefully you can optimize your asdvantage.

While traditional table poker games have a distinct house advantage, there are strategies that can help ensure you maximize your chances of winning and may even come out ahead when you factor in comps and other perks from the casino. Solid poker players, however, rely upon skill and intuition to play well at traditional competitive games where they are playing against other players rather than the house.

House Poker Games - Pai Gow and Caribbean Stud

Casino dealer games have you competing directly against the house, and require a dominant strategy if you are going to minimize your potential for losses. Be aware that usually house games place the dealer at an advantage even when you practice your best plan of attack.

Pai Gow, or double hand is one of the more popular games. It uses a standard 52 card deck and a joker. The table for Pai Gow is set for six players plus the dealer, and the aim is to better the hand of the banker. Seven cards are dealt, and the player builds two hands - one with five cards the other with two. The players five card hand must count higher than the two cards. Hands are ranked according to standard poker rules, with jokers normally counting as aces. The joker can be wild to make a flush or a straight. Both the five card and two card hands of the player must be better than the dealer in order for the player to win --- and the dealer wins all ties. This give the dealer some advantage, and some tabloes may require antes or commissions in order to increase the house advantage.

Caribbean stud poker - a table game much like stud poker - is another popular casino game. The player receives five cards and the dealer turns one of his cards face up. Without communicating with each other, or sharing hand information, players may bet by doubling their ante or give up that hand and their initial bet by folding. Dealer hands of Ace-King or better enter into play (or else the ante bets are returned to the players) and the best or highest hand wins. This gives a slight advantage to the dealer, although most strong players will play all hands above Ace-King (pair at least). Raising against a dealer's weak hand when yours is strong can also return optimal benefit.

The author is a successful limit cash game player. He plays poker online and receives Aced Poker Rakeback as well as Rakeback at Poker Nordica.

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