Key points
- You play one-on-one against the dealer with Texas Hold’em hands. Place an Ante, look at your two cards and the three flop cards, then make one choice: Call (add twice the Ante) or Fold (lose the Ante).
- The dealer qualifies with a pair of 4s or better. If not, the Ante wins at the pay table and the Call bet is returned.
- The Ante is paid by your hand (1 to 1 up to a straight, flush 2, full house 3, four of a kind 10, and so on).
- The house edge with best play is about 2.16% per Ante.
How a hand goes
- Place an Ante (required). AA Bonus is optional
- You and the dealer get two cards face down, and the flop (the first three of the five shared board cards) is dealt face up
- Decision: Call (put twice the Ante on CALL) or Fold (lose the Ante). This is your only decision
- The turn (fourth card) and river (fifth card) are dealt
- The dealer turns over two cards and qualifies with a pair of 4s or better. Best five of seven cards
- Settlement
Example. Ante 10. You hold 9♥ 8♥ and the flop is 9♣ 5♦ 2♠. Your 9 made a pair, so you put 20 on CALL. The dealer has a pair of 3s and does not qualify. The Ante of 10 wins 1:1 for a pair, and the Call of 20 is returned.
The dealer qualifies
The dealer qualifies only with a pair of 4s or better in seven cards. Two pair or better always qualifies. The hand is still compared when the dealer does not qualify, but the Call is returned.
| Result | Ante | Call |
|---|---|---|
| Dealer does not qualify | Pays on its table | Returned |
| Qualifies, you are higher | Pays on its table | Wins 1:1 |
| Qualifies, dealer is higher | Loses | Loses |
| Same strength | Returned | Returned |
| Fold | Loses | ― |
Hands rank as in Texas Hold’em. From strongest: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card.
Payouts
Ante: when it wins (including when the dealer does not qualify), it pays by your hand. Casinos use different tables.
| Hand | Pays |
|---|---|
| Royal flush | 100 |
| Straight flush | 20 |
| Four of a kind | 10 |
| Full house | 3 |
| Flush | 2 |
| Straight or lower | 1 |
AA Bonus: pays on the five-card hand from your two cards plus the three flop cards, for a pair of aces or better. It ignores the dealer’s hand, but pays only if you call. Tables differ.
| Hand | Pays |
|---|---|
| Royal flush | 100 |
| Straight flush | 50 |
| Four of a kind | 40 |
| Full house | 30 |
| Flush | 20 |
| Straight | 7 |
| Three of a kind | 7 |
| Two pair | 7 |
| Pair of aces | 7 |
The other table (table 1) pays a flat 25 for a flush or better.