In Caribbean stud poker, for example, the house edge is 5.22%, which is close to that of double zero roulette at 5.26%. However the ratio of average money lost to average money wagered in Caribbean stud is only 2.56%. The player only looking at the house edge may be indifferent between roulette and Caribbean stud poker.
I’ve been on a kick lately where I’ve been reviewing new casino table games that are based on poker. Chase the Flush is the latest game on my radar. It’s one of the games available from AGS, which is also responsible for Premium Hold’em.
A word about poker-based casino games:
Some people who aren’t as savvy about the casino game industry might not realize how major the difference between a real poker game and a casino table game based on poker is. In a real poker game, you’re competing with other players of varying skill levels. If you’re more skilled than the other players at the table, you have a positive expectation.
With casino table games like Chase the Flush, the house has a built-in edge that can’t be overcome regardless of how skillfully you play. In these games, you use the trappings of poker—the hand rankings, some of the raising rules, and sometimes wild cards—but you compete only with the dealer and maybe a pay table.
Games like Chase the Flush and Premium Hold’em have a built-in mathematical edge for the casino that can’t be overcome. This is true of almost every casino game, in fact.
But don’t get into a game like Chase the Flush expecting to get an edge just because you’re a skilled poker player. That’s not how it works.
How to Play Chase the Flush
Here’s how Chase the Flush’s official website describes the game:
Chase the Flush is an exciting new card game where players and the dealer compete head-to-head using three hole cards and four community cards to make their longest possible seven-card flush. Players win by having more cards in their flush than the dealer. Card rankings Ace (high) – 2 (low) are used to break ties if a player and the dealer have the same number of cards in their flush. Mandatory X-Tra Bonus pays when player wins with four or more cards of the same suit. Optional Same Suit Bonus bet wins if the player has a four-card flush or higher.
I think it’s funny how the marketing departments for all these casino games invariably describe their new games as “exciting.”
Here are the specific rules for playing Chase the Flush:
Like most of these kinds of games, you play Chase the Flush against a dealer, who uses a standard deck of cards. (52 cards, 13 ranks, an 4 suits.)
You start by making an ante bet and an “x-tra bonus” bet. (At this point, the game is just like Premium Hold’em, in fact. They’re from the same company, so maybe the 2 games have the same designer. You can also place an optional side bet called the “same suit bonus” bet.
After you’ve bet, you get 3 hole cards. The dealer also gets 3 hole cards. (So far, it’s still just like Premium Hold’em.)
After you look at your cards, you can make 1 of 2 moves:
- Check
- All In
If you check, you don’t put up any additional money, but you’re still in the hand. This is how checking works in regular poker, too, by the way—although your opponents have the option to bet into you when you check at the poker table. You don’t have to worry about the dealer doing that in this game.
If you go all in, you must put up another wager equal to 3X the ante that you placed.
Once you’ve decided, the dealer deals the 1st 2 community cards. These work just like community cards in regular Texas hold’em—you use a combination of your hole cards along with the community cards to form your final poker hand.
At this point, you can check or go all in—unless you’ve already gone all in. If you go all in at this point, you’re limited to 2X the size of your ante.
Then the dealer deals 2 more community cards, for a total of 3 hole cards in your hand and 4 cards that are going to be shared.
You now have a final betting round. If you haven’t already gone all in, you again have that option. This time, you’re limited to placing an all in bet of the same size as your ante. At this point, you can also fold. You cannot check on the final betting round. You must bet or fold.
When your betting action is finished, the dealer flips over her 3 hole cards. She needs a 3-card flush with a high card of 9 to qualify. If she doesn’t qualify, the ante is treated as a push. You get your bet back, but you don’t get any winnings.
Then you compare hands with the dealer to see who has the higher flush. The flush with the most suited cards always wins, but if you have the same number of cards, you compare the ranks of the cards in your flush. In this respect, Chase the Flush works just like regular poker.
If you have a better hand than the dealer, you get even money on your ante bet and on your all in bets. You also get a payout for the x-tra bonus bet based on the game’s pay table.
If you tie, all bets are treated as a push.
If the dealer wins, you lose all your bets.
The same suit side bet gets paid off based on the pay table regardless of whether the player or the dealer won the hand.
Here’s the pay table for the x-tra bonus bet:
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| 7-card flush | 250 |
| 6-card flush | 50 |
| 5-card flush | 5 |
| 4-card flush | 1 |
Anything less than a 3-card flush results in a push for this bet.
Here’s the pay table for the same suits side bet:
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| 7-card straight flush | 2000 |
| 6-card straight flush | 2000 |
| 7-card flush | 300 |
| 5-card straight flush | 100 |
| 6-card flush | 50 |
| 4-card straight flush | 20 |
| 5-card flush | 10 |
| 4-card flush | 1 |
The House Edge in Chase the Flush
According to multiple sites, the house edge for Chase the Flush is about 2.65%. I’m uncomfortable with casino table games with a house edge greater than 2%, but that eliminates most of them. Other players are more comfortable with a larger house edge, and 2.65% is significantly better than most of the bets on the craps table or even roulette.
I can’t think of any table-based card game with a side bet where the side bet is anything other than a sucker bet. Chase the Flush is no exception. The same suits side bet has a house edge of 5.67%, making it marginally worse than a bet on an American roulette wheel.
I’d like to point out that you can get a lower house edge playing blackjack with perfect basic strategy, craps if you stick with the best bets at the table, or even baccarat—as long as you avoid the sucker bets. None of those games offer the same poker-based thrills as Chase the Flush, though, so you might find this game entertaining enough to take the higher house edge.
Also, it’s important to remember that it doesn’t matter if the house edge is 1%, 5%, 20%, or 50%–if you play any game where the house has an edge, you’ll lose all your money in the long run no matter what. It doesn’t pay to be TOO snobbish about the house edge, although I think frugal gamblers pay attention to how much entertainment they’re getting for their money.
Strategy Advice and Tips
Chase the Flush is a game where your decisions matter. If you make bad choices, the house edge goes up. This implies that there’s a correct basic strategy for the game, just like there is in blackjack.
In blackjack, the house edge of 0.5% or 1% depends on executing basic strategy perfectly. If you ignore basic strategy, the house edge could be 3% or 4% higher because of the multiple strategy mistakes you’ll surely make.
I think it’s safe to assume that something similar will happen with Chase the Flush. If you’re just playing it by ear, you’ll probably face a house edge of at least 5%.
According to Discount Gambling, the strategy for the game isn’t that hard. He put a lot of work into devising a realistic basic strategy, and you can visit his site for the complete details of that strategy.
Here are some general strategy pointers for those who want to play intelligently but aren’t married to being mathematically optimal:
You’ll call 1X the ante bet on the river more often than anything else—about 35% of the time. You’ll raise with your hole cards about 25% of the time and bet on the flop about 25% of the time, too. You’ll fold about 15% of the time.
When you get your hole cards, you’ll raise any time you have 3 suited cards. You’ll also raise if you 2 suited cards that are higher than Q9.
On the flop, raise if you have 3 suited cards or better.
On the final action, raise with any 3 suited cards. You would also raise if you had 2 suited high cards.
That’s only the roughest approximation of basic strategy, though—you’re probably giving up at least 1% in expectation if those are the only guidelines you follow.
Conclusion
Chase the Flush is a reasonably interesting poker-based casino card game. The house edge is higher than I’m comfortable with (2.65%), but for this kind of game, it’s not that bad. I’d still lean toward playing blackjack or craps instead.
Some people enjoy the concept of a casino table game that’s based on poker. One of the important things to remember in Chase the Flush is that you’re only competing with the dealer, and she’ll never fold. What the other players do has no effect on you and your hand.
This is a dramatic difference from traditional poker, so it’s important to point it out.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Table Of Contents
- Casino Hold’em is a variant of Poker that you play against the house
- To play it right, you need to know Casino Hold’em rules and strategy
- Read about it all in this article (and play Casino Hold’em here)
Poker is one of the most challenging games in the world because you play it against other players.
No matter how experienced they are (or not), that requires not only a good strategy but also an ability to read people.
But what if I told you that you can still enjoy all the perks of Poker without worrying about the 'people' part?
No bluffing. Only one competitor. And predefined rules of how your rival has to play.
That does happen. In a variant of Poker that you play against the house. It's called Casino Hold’em.
Why Play Casino Hold’em?
Casino Hold’em is a relatively new game in gambling history. It dates back to the 90s but it was quick to earn its respectable place at the Casinos. Land-based and online alike.
Why?
There are a couple of reasons.
First, it’s the best game to play if you are learning Poker. Especially, Texas Hold’em game.
The rules are similar and the hand ranking is exactly the same. And you don’t need to panic about needing to beat two or more people. You only need to beat the house.
You don’t need to be at a Poker room or a Casino, you don’t need to find people to play with - a laptop or a phone will be just fine.
And what’s even better (if you’re a terrible liar, at least) - you don’t need to bluff your way out of a bad hand.
Bluffing won’t work here - the dealer plays until the end.
Plus, you can bet as low or as high as you want. And no one controls your pace when you play online.
The game may disconnect if you take an hour to make a choice but it should be fine if you leave it for 10 minutes or so.
How to Play Casino Hold’em Online?
Have you ever thought of how Poker is played against the dealer? Open a Casino Hold’em game online and you'll see for yourself.
Casino Hold’em rules are similar to the ones of Texas Hold’em Poker. Except you don’t play against other players. Your goal is to beat the dealer. Like in most Casino games.
Thus, many players simply call it a Casino-style Texas Hold’em Poker. But generally, you will find it online and offline as Casino Hold’em.
Casino Hold’em Rules
Casino Hold’em games include the standard 52-card deck.
You start playing by making an ante bet. It’s a forced wager you need to make before the flop.
You can also make a side bet. In Casino Hold’em it’s known as AA (Bonus) bet.
Once you set your wagers, both you and the dealer get two hole cards each.
When you play Casino Hold’em online, you play alone. In some multi-hand versions, you can play two or three hands at the same time.
When you play at a brick-and-mortar Casino, the number of players can vary. Players come and go.
Once the players’ cards are dealt, the flop with community cards follows.
If you’re not familiar with Poker terms, the flop is the first three cards that are dealt face up on the table.
These cards are called community cards because all the players and the dealer can use them to make a five-card hand with the highest rank.
And that’s what you need to do if you want to win.
Once you see the flop, you have two options:
- to call - to bet and continue playing
- to fold - to discard your hand and wait for another round
Calling requires a bet that’s twice the size of your ante. But you can’t win if you don’t call.
When you fold online, the game skips to the next bet without revealing the remaining cards or the dealer’s cards.
You lose, the house wins.
When you call, the remaining two community cards are dealt.
Then the dealer’s cards go face up and you see the outcome of the game - who has a better hand and takes home the pot.
Casino Hold’em Hand Ranking
From the highest to the lowest, Casino Hold’em hands go like this:
| Casino Hold’em Hand | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 in the same suit | |
| Straight Flush | Five cards in the same suit, all in a rank sequence | |
| Four of a Kind | Four cards of the same rank | |
| Full House | Three of a Kind and a Pair | |
| Flush | Five cards in the same suit | |
| Straight | Five cards a rank sequence | |
| Three of a Kind | Three cards of the same rank | |
| Two Pair | Two pairs of different ranks | |
| Pair | Two cards of the same rank | |
| High Card | Highest card when no higher hand is available |
Royal Flush is the best possible hand you can have when you combine your hand with the community cards. Whereas a pair of Aces is the best hole cards you can get.
But don’t you worry if that’s not exactly what you have in your hand.
There’s more to Casino Hold’em than the best possible cards.
Casino Hold’em Outcomes and Payouts
As there are three bets in the game (ante, raise, and AA), you win each bet under certain conditions.
Ante Bet
You win ante bet if your hand beats the dealer’s hand.
You receive one of the following payouts, based on where does your hand rank:
| Your Hand | Ante Payout |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 100 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 20 to 1 |
| Four of a Kind | 10 to 1 |
| Full House | 3 to 1 |
| Flush | 2 to 1 |
| Straight or lower | 1 to 1 |
Raise Bet
In order to win most, not only you have to have a good hand but the dealer has to have a decent hand, too.
In Poker terms, the dealer needs to qualify. In the game of Casino Hold’em the dealer qualifies with a Pair of Fours or better.
If your hand beats the dealer’s but the dealer’s hand doesn’t qualify - the raise bet is a push - you get your wager back but you don’t win.
Thus, you win the raise bet only if the dealer qualifies and you beat their hand. When that happens, the raise bet pays 1 to 1.
Casino Hold’em outcomes in a nutshell:
| Dealer qualifies | Dealer doesn’t qualify | |
|---|---|---|
| Your hand beats the dealer's hand | You win both ante and raise bets | You win ante bet, raise bet is a push |
| Your hand doesn’t beat the dealer's hand | You lose both ante and raise bets | You win ante bet but lose the raise bet |
| Both your and dealer’s hands are equal | Both ante and raise bets are a push | Both ante and raise bets are a push |
AA (Bonus) Bet
Unlike ante and raise bets, AA bonus bet is not related to your hand beating the dealer’s or the dealer’s hand qualifying.
It’s considering only your hand the flop (first three community cards).
If during this stage your hand is a Pair of Aces or better, you win AA bet. The payouts are pretty sweet, too:
| Your Hand | AA Payout |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 100 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 50 to 1 |
| Four of a Kind | 40 to 1 |
| Full House | 30 to 1 |
| Flush | 20 to 1 |
| Pair of Aces to Straight | 7 to 1 |
You know whether you win AA bet before you know the final outcome of the game.
No matter what are the remaining community cards, you can only win AA bet if your hand is a Pair of Aces or better during the flop.
Live Casino Hold’em
Like many other Casino games, you can also play Casino Hold’em live.
It means you will still be playing at an online Casino but not against the random number generator.
A real dealer will be dealing your cards and talking to you via a computer or a smartphone screen in the real time.
That’s a good alternative if you need human contact when playing Casino games online.
However, remember: the pace of live dealer games is a lot faster in comparison to when you play against the online game.
Casino Hold’em Strategy
Approximately, Casino Hold’em has a house edge of up to 2.5 percent. That’s not the best odds at a Casino.
But not the worst ones either.
It’s more difficult to come up with a simple basic strategy that games like Blackjack or Pontoon have.
But not everything is lost when playing online.
Yes, calculating the probability whether you will get favorable cards after the flop or not would be a pain in the a*s. But it’s nothing for a computer.
And you are already on one!
Open a Casino Hold’em Strategy calculator in a separate window, type in what cards you have and what community cards are dealt. The computer will advise you whether you should call (raise) or fold.
I have to admit, it won’t be that easy to switch between tabs on a smartphone. And to take time to check every hand will be impossible if you play Casino Hold’em live.
But if you use it frequently enough when playing online, you will start noticing the probability of some cards and have a better feeling when to call or fold. It can help you a lot in the long run.
Where to Play Casino Hold’em?
Once you know how to play Casino Hold’em, you need to know where.
You can consider sites to play for free (for example, here). Many Casino sites will let you practice the game.
But when you want to win money, you need to look further.
You need a place that’s a) trustworthy (safe and secure, licensed and regulated), b) has a Casino Hold’em game in their collection, and c) is available at your location.
So, how about this online Casino?
It does have both Casino Hold’em online and Live games. The minimum bets start at $1 and you can bet up to $100 per round.
Casino Montreal Poker Tournament
Plus, if you join this Casino as a new player, you get a deposit match bonus and extra free spins!
Casino Montreal Poker
That’s a real bargain for anyone who likes playing Casino games.
Montreal Poker Room
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