Crypto Poker Games and Strategies to Win More

How to Play and Win Bitcoin Poker Games at Canadian Crypto Casinos

When we think of poker, the first thing to come to mind is usually Texas Hold’em, Stud Poker, or even 5 Card Draw, depending what generation taught you to play. We think of these as player-vs-player (PvP) games, played in a separate, smoky room of the casino, or around the kitchen table with friends and family. But games are very different today. You don’t even need a group to play anymore.

Most casinos offer popular poker games as house-banked variants. And when you choose to play at online casinos, you can play anytime, from anywhere, for fun, fiat money, or the increasingly fashionable crypto currency.

There are quite a few poker games you can play at Bitcoin casinos, which means we’ve got a lot of ground to cover in terms of rules and strategies. We’ll also discuss where to play these games online, and which crypto coins you can use to play them. So let’s dive right in.

Table of Contents

• Poker Game Rules & Strategies
  • Casino Hold’em
  • Caribbean Poker
  • Three Card Poker
  • 6+ Poker – Live
  • Bet On Poker – Live
• Poker at Crypto Casinos
• Betting on Poker with Crypto

How to Play and Win Bitcoin Poker Games

The variety of casino poker games will vary from one destination to the next. We’ve chosen the most popular titles, like Casino Hold’em, Caribbean Poker and Three Card Poker, as well as two unique live dealer options, Bet On Poker and 6+ Poker, streaming direct from BetOnGames’ live dealer studio.

Below are the basic rules for each game, followed by a brief strategy section to ensure you’re getting the most bang for your Bitcoin buck.

Casino Holdem Rules & Strategy

Casino Hold’em is the most common of all house-banked poker games. It goes by a slew of names – Casino Hold’em, Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker, Extreme Texas Holdem, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, etc. While the pay tables and side bet features may vary slightly from one name to the next, the basic rules are as follows. We also provide a standardized paytable, but again, payouts could vary.

Rules of Casino Holdem

Casino Holdem is based on the rules of PvP Texas Holdem, except that the dealer isn’t just there to handle the cards. S/He actually participates in the game, controlling the house hand. Much like blackjack, players do not compete against each other; only the dealer. To win, your hand must rank higher than the dealer’s hand. The amount you win depends on the rank of your hand, and whether the dealer’s hand ‘qualifies’.

Here’s the basic order of events:

• Ante Bet: Each player makes an Ante Bet.
• Hole Cards: Players and dealer are each dealt two cards, face down.
• The Flop: Three community cards are dealt to the center of the table, face up.
• Fold or Call: Each player examines their hand, then decides whether to Fold (forfeit the Ante bet) or Call (place a bet of 2x the Ante). If you Fold, your game ends here. Otherwise…
• Turn + River: Two more community cards are dealt to the center of the table, face up.
• Showdown: The player’s two hole cards are combined with the 5 community cards to produce the highest ranking poker hand possible. The dealer does the same with the house hand. The two hands are compared to see which is highest.
• Dealer Qualification: The dealer’s hand must rank as a Pair of 4s or better to “Qualify”. Based on qualification, here’s what happens next:
  • Dealer Does Not Qualify: Ante Bet pays out according to the Ante Paytable (below). The Call Bet Pushes. The rank of the player’s hand has no bearing on this decision.
  • Dealer Qualifies, Player Hand Wins: Ante Bet pays out according to the Ante Paytable (below). Call Bet pays even money, 1:1.
  • Dealer Qualifies, Player Hand Loses: Ante and Call Bets are both lost.
  • Dealer Qualifies, Player Hand Ties: Ante and Call Bets both Push.

Casino Holdem Ante Bet Paytable

Casino Holdem Strategy

A perfect strategy for this game cannot be laid out in simple text format. There are simply too many variables to be considered, regarding the vast number of possible card combinations that may be visible to the player as hole and community cards. For a perfect situational strategy, you’ll need a computer program or app that allows you to input the exact cards you’ve been dealt, The program then outputs the correct decision. What we can tell you (in a reasonable amount of time) is this:

• Optimal Casino Holdem strategy dictates the player will Call on 82% of all possible hands.
• Correct play will see you Folding 18% of the time; these being the worst 18% of all possible hands.
• The worst hands, generally speaking, are those where the player is dealt two mismatched cards of lower rank than the community cards, with little or no possibility of connecting to a straight and/or flush.

The house edge in Casino Holdem, according to the rules and pay table above, is 2.16%.

Caribbean Poker Rules & Strategy

Caribbean Poker, a.k.a. Caribbean Stud, or Caribbean Stud Poker, is based on the classic rules of 5 Card Stud. The player competes one on one with the dealer. There is no draw phase. No community cards are dealt. Nothing happens to enhance the quality of a hand as the game progresses. Just 5 cards versus 5 cards; may the best hand win. One of the game’s more attractive features is that it often carries a Progressive Jackpot, but that would require a side bet to win, and side bets are almost always sucker bets. More on that in a minute…

Rules of Caribbean Stud

The rules of the game are evident in the order of operations. Each hand is played out as follows:

• Ante & Side Bets: Each player makes an obligatory Ante bet, with the option of making a $1 side bet. (Side bet rules and payouts are discussed in the next section.)
• The Deal: Players and the dealer receive 5 cards each. All cards are dealt face down except for the final dealer card, placed face up. Players may examine their own hand, but may not share information with other players.
• Fold or Raise: Each player will choose between Fold (forfeit the Ante and Side Bet, if made) or Raise (place another wager 2x the Ante). If you fold, your game ends here. Otherwise…
• Showdown: The dealer turns over his last four cards. All hands are compared to determine a win, loss or tie between individual player and dealer hands.
• Dealer Qualification: The dealer’s hand must contain at least Ace+King High to “Qualify” (ex. A-K-7-3-2). Anything less, (A+Q High or below) and the dealer does not qualify. Here’s what happens next, based on dealer qualification:
  • Dealer Does Not Qualify: Player wins even money (1:1) on the Ante bet. The Raise Pushes. The rank of the player’s hand has no bearing on this decision.
  • Dealer Qualifies, Player Hand Wins: Ante Bet pays out even money (1:1), and the Raise bet is paid according to the Raise Paytable (below).
  • Dealer Qualifies, Player Hand Loses: Ante and Raise Bets are both lost.
  • Dealer Qualifies, Player Hand Ties: Ante and Raise Bets both Push.
• Progressive Side Bet: If a side bet was made, and the player did not fold, the side bet pays out based on the Progressive Side Bet Paytable (below).

Raise Paytable

This is the standard paytable for Caribbean Poker Raise bets. The actual paytable may vary from one casino to the next. The house edge for this table is 5.20%.

Progressive Side Bet Paytable

Not all Caribbean Stud Poker games offer a side bet with progressive jackpot, but most do. Of those that do, the paytable can vary greatly from one casino to the next. Below is the most common paytable we’ve come across. See the notation below the table for information on the house edge / RTP.

Caribbean Stud Strategy

The best strategy for Caribbean Poker is to abide by the following rules of play:

• Raise with a pair or better.
• Fold with anything less than the dealer’s qualifying hand (A-K High).
• If dealt A-K, you should always Raise if:
  • The dealer’s is showing 2-Q, and it matches one of your other three cards.
  • The dealer’s card is A or K, and you have a Q or J.
  • You have a Queen, the dealer’s card does not match one of your own, and is lower than your fourth highest card.
  • Anything else – Fold.

Three Card Poker Rules & Strategy

Three Card Poker is a popular house-banked poker game found at most traditional online casinos, and a few crypto casinos. The value of this game depends entirely on its paytable, driving a house edge that can range anywhere from 1.56% to 4.28%, with the most common paytables edging out at 3.37% – and that’s just on the Ante/Play bets. The optional Pair Plus bet usually has better odds than the game itself. Let’s have a closer look…

Rules of Three Card Poker

Each hand will play out according to the follow rules:

• Ante & Pair Plus Bets: Each player chooses to make an Ante and/or Pair Plus bet. Note that you can bet on Pair Plus without an Ante Bet, and vice versa.
• The Deal: Players and dealer receive 3 cards each. All cards are dealt face down. Players examine their own hand, but cannot share information with other players.
• Ante – Fold or Raise: Each player who has made an Ante bet will choose to either Fold (forfeit the Ante bet) or Play (place another wager equal the Ante). If you fold, your game ends here. Otherwise…
• Showdown: The dealer turns over his cards. Each player’s hand is compared with the dealer’s hand to determine win, loss or tie. However, dealer qualification determines how and which bets are paid.
• Dealer Qualification: The dealer’s hand must be at least Queen High to “Qualify”. Here’s what happens next, based on dealer qualification:
  • Dealer Does Not Qualify: Player wins even money (1:1) on the Ante bet. The Play bet Pushes. The rank of the player’s hand has no bearing on this decision.
  • Dealer Qualifies, Player Hand Wins: Ante Bet and Play Bet both win even money (1:1).
  • Dealer Qualifies, Player Hand Loses: Ante and Play Bets are both lost.
  • Dealer Qualifies, Player Hand Ties: Ante and Play Bets both Push.
  • Dealer Qualifies, Player has Straight or Better: If the player’s hand is a Straight or better, the Ante Bet is paid according to the Ante Bonus Paytable. The strength of the dealer’s qualifying hand versus the player’s hand has no bearing on this payout.
• Pair Plus Bet: If the Pair Plus Bet was made, its value (win or lose) is determine by the Pair Plus Paytable (below), irrespective of the dealer’s hand, or whether the hand was Folded.

Ante Bonus Paytable

Pair Plus Playtable

Live 6+ Poker Rules & Strategy

6+ Poker (a.k.a. Short-Deck Hold’em) is a variant of Texas Hold’em in which all cards ranked 6 and below are removed from the deck. Thus, you’re left with a 36-card deck, featuring ranks of 7 through Ace. It’s a very unique game, as the smaller deck alters the traditional order of hand ranks.

In 6+ Poker, hands are ranked, highest to lowest, as follows. Note that Flush is higher than a Full House, and Three of a Kind higher than a Straight.

• Royal Flush
• Straight Flush
• Four of a Kind
• Flush
• Full House
• Three of a Kind
• Straight
• Two Pairs
• One Pair
• High Card

6+ Poker Live is a version of Short-Deck Hold’em available at crypto casinos that employ the live dealer studio software of BetGames.tv. What makes this game so interesting – outside of the fact that it’s played live – is that it supports an unlimited number of players. No one plays their own hand. Instead, it’s more like baccarat, where you bet on which hand will win, then watch it unfold.

Betting on 6+ Poker

You can choose to bet on the Player hand, the Dealer hand, or a Split (Tie) between the two. You also have the option of betting on the type of hand that will win the game – Two Pair, Three of a Kind, Flush, etc. Whatever hands are eligible at that time will be available to bet on. For instance, once the Flop is revealed, if there’s no chance of a Straight Flush, you won’t be able to bet on it.

Just like a regular hold’em game, there are multiple betting rounds available. You can stick with whatever bets you’ve already placed, or make additional bets as the game progresses. For instance, you might bet on the player to win before the game starts, then place a second bet on the dealer’s hand if the Flop totally misses the player’s hole cards. Or, after the turn, if the player is one away from a flush, you may decide to bet on the Flush being the winning hand.

There’s no specific paytable for 6+ Poker. The payouts for each and every bet change with each new situation, depending on the actual probability of that event occurring. For example, with 6-7-8-10 on the board, the payout for a Straight might be 2.88 to 1. What keeps player’s guessing is the fact that you can’t see the dealer’s hole cards until the showdown.

Live Bet On Poker Rules & Strategy

Another live dealer Texas Hold’em game form BetGames.tv is called Bet On Poker. This game is played out just like a 6-seat Texas Hold’em game. Each of the six hands receives two hole cards, with five community cards dealt to the center of the table. Between each dealing (Hole Cards, Flop, Turn, River), players have a chance to place one or more bets. However, unlike PvP Hold’em games, players don’t have a hand to bet on. Instead, they can bet on any of the six non-playable hands to win.

Bet On Poker – Placing Bets

At any given time, players can choose one or more hands to bet on. The odds of each hand winning shift with each new round of cards dealt. Thus, the payout for each bet will shift based on the current odds of each player winning. The live dealer will indicate which hand is in the lead, and the descending order of all hands, between each dealing of cards.

Players also have the option of betting on the rank of the winning hand. Only eligible hands will be shown with odds. For example, if at least one hand is showing a pair, you won’t be able to bet on High Card. If it’s not possible for any hand to be dealt a Royal Flush, no odds will be offered on it.

Once the hand is over, the winning position and winning hand are revealed. All bets on these outcomes are paid; all other bets are lost. In the case of two or more hands tying for the win, bets on any of those hands are paid.

Bet On Poker Strategy

The proper strategy for this game – for any casino game, for that matter – is to bet on the most probable outcome. At the start of the game, before any cards are dealt, each player hand has the same chance of winning, thus there is no optimal choice. Conversely, the odds of each hand rank winning come with a specified house edge, based on the originating pay table.

Before any hole cards are dealt, the Winning Hand Paytable, and corresponding house edge, should look like this:

The best bet, according to this data, is on the Full House, paying 8.7 to 1 with a house edge of 4.97%. From there, the odds and respective edge will change with each new card dealt.

Casinos with Crypto Poker Games

Every traditional (fiat money) online casino has some variety of house-banked poker games, and they are just as common at crypto casinos. In our considerable experience, we’ve found all of Canada’s most respected, reputably licensed Bitcoin casinos actually offer some form of casino poker. Some gaming menus are, however, far more abundant than others.

Below is a list of trusted crypto casinos and the poker games they offer. Any title ending in the word Live is, of course, a live dealer variant of that game. All others are RNG-based games. Please see the next section for the types of payments, including fiat and crypto currencies, elgiible for depositing and wagering.

Playing Online Poker for Bitcoin and Altcoins

This last section details the types of poker games (RNG or Live Dealer), the availability of fiat and/or crypto deposits, and exactly which Bitcoin and Altcoin cryptos you can use at these online casinos. Please click the name of any crypto casino to read a full review from our team of iGaming editors.