Top Casinos for Live Casino Hold’em Online 2023

What is Live Dealer Casino Hold’em?

Live Casino Hold’em Poker is a fairly new game at online casinos. It allows people to play poker hands against a dealer instead of against other players for a communal pot.

It was designed in the late 1990s by an American student named Stephen Au-Yeung, who was looking to help teach his then-partner how to play traditional poker.

The game soon took on a life of its own, and by 2002, casino Hold’em Poker machines and tables were available in casinos across the US. Internet giants soon jumped on the game too, and not long after that, live casino developers wanted in on the action as well.

How We Rate Live Dealer Casino Hold’em Sites

1. Safety, Security, and Support

If an online casino doesn’t have the right licensing and security information available, we won’t recommend playing there. It’s that simple.

After that, some of the other things we look at include ownership information, security protocols, and customer support.

After all, an online casino could have the best game collection and the most innovatively designed site ever, but if they aren’t a safe and secure operation players can trust with their money, then no-one should recommend them.

2. General Overview & Banking

After confirming that it’s a reputable and secure place to play, we look for casinos with great banking systems.

This means a wide variety of fast banking options and a well-designed menu system. The casino should explain everything clearly when you need details, yet also have features that save you time when you want to jump quickly into the game.

Withdrawals should never take longer than three to five days, unless by check or bank transfer. The best live dealer Hold’em casinos will process e-wallet withdrawals within 24 hours or less – and we’ll always point out sites that offer these speedy transactions.

3. Live Dealer Collection

There are three or four types of live casino Hold ’em on the market today, across the same number of developers. We’d expect a well-known live casino to host Hold’em games from leading provider Evolution Gaming, plus a few from Playtech or Microgaming.

Available games should cover the standard version, and some variety, such as Playtech’s or Evo’s Three Card Brag, Evo’s Ultimate casino Hold’em, or even more niche Bet on Poker games such as BetConstruct’s Bet on Poker or Russian Poker.

4. Bonuses

Last but definitely not least, we take a look at bonuses, promotions, and offers. The chance for some free wins is understandably very important to all casino players, including live Hold’em fans, but issues such as banking and the actual games selection tend to be more of a priority for us.

Obviously, we’ll still look to find all of the best deals and offers out there, though, and the bonuses available can definitely make a good online casino into a truly great one.

Reasons to Play Live Casino Hold’em

Live Casino Atmosphere

The potential for exciting and interactive immersion is the most appealing thing about live casino games for many people.

Most developers, such as top-tier Evolution and Playtech, will host live dealer casino Hold’em in dedicated studios.

You can hear and see other tables, with other dealers shuffling cards, talking to their players, and developer staff walking around and checking that the tables are running smoothly. This creates a real casino floor vibe unrivalled by any other gaming experience you’ll find online.

Historic Game

Although casino Hold’em was only invented in the 1990s, poker’s roots in the USA go back to the 1860s. The game’s origins trace back even further into the past, coming from a similar 16th-century game called Primero.

That means poker has been played almost as long as classic 21-based games like blackjack. Today, you can enjoy this iconic game in crystal clear HD, streamed from hundreds of miles away, in the comfort of your own home — or even out and about on your mobile device.

Easier to Get a Seat than Blackjack

Because all players share one hand, and you make your own bets independently, there’s always a seat available at live Hold’em tables.

Compare this to the most popular live casino card game, live blackjack, in which (depending on the developers hosted by your casino) you might occasionally find trouble getting the seat you want at peak hours.

Way Better Odds than Video Poker

Since live casino games use real decks of cards, the odds of getting any particular hand are exactly the same as in real poker.

Video casino Hold’em terminals are not bound by physical cards. This means rare hands like a Full House or Royal Flush can have astronomical odds against them appearing.

Because of that, jackpot prizes for pulling such a hand can be much higher on video terminals. However, you’re much more likely to pull such exciting (but still very rare) combos in a Live Casino Hold’em game.

Step by Step Guide to Playing Live casino hold’em

1. Place Ante Bets

The first bet in any poker game is called the ‘ante,’ and it’s the same here. Bets start at about $1 (or your currency equivalent) and can go up to $5000 or so, depending on the casino or developer with whom you’ve chosen to play.

This is the time when you can choose to place any side bets as well, such as Perfect Pairs or Trips.

2. First Cards

You and all of the other players will get two face-down cards from the dealer, and then they’ll take two face-down cards for themselves.

Three face-up community cards are then put down by the dealer to be shared by all players. These are called the ‘flop’ cards.

Everybody then makes their best hand (done automatically by the software) out of their cards and the flop.

3. Choose and Turn

Once you’ve got your hand, you can choose to either call or fold.

If you call, you repeat your ante bet. If you fold, you’re out of the game for that round, and you lose your original bet. The dealer then puts another two face-up cards on the table, known as the ‘turn’ and ‘river’ cards.

4. Winners Revealed

The players and the dealer then assemble another poker hand with the inclusion of the new cards. If you beat the dealer with your hand, you win the round.

However, watch out for the dealer’s hand. If the best hand they can make is below a pair of fours, then bets are pushed. This means your ante bet is paid back from a lower paytable, even if you had a very strong hand like a Royal Flush, and your call bet is paid back to you.

You’d still bag a decent payout on a top-hand, around 20x or so. However, it’s usually about a third of what you’d have gotten if the dealer had been holding a qualifying hand too.

The Two Best Live Casino Hold’em Developers

Evolution

Evolution also offers a progressive jackpot across many of their casinos Hold’em tables. Jackpots have reached the $10,000 or more mark on occasion.

Playtech

Playtech casino Hold’em games are also streamed from custom studios around the world.

Their unique title is Three Card Brag, based on an old English version of three-card poker. Their standard live Hold’em tables offer 100:1 payouts on a Royal Flush and feature an exclusive AA side bet that pays out if your hand is better than a pair of aces.

While their stream quality is excellent and the user interface perfectly playable, just a few little kinks here and there keep Playtech’s efforts from being as stellar as Evolution Gaming’s offering.

Other game providers

Ezugi and BetConstruct are the only two other notable providers of live casino poker games.

Ezugi’s tables are similar to Playtech’s. They have a decent format, including digitized cards for those who have trouble seeing them on the table, and the option to tip your dealer a small sum whenever you want.

BetConstruct doesn’t offer live casino hold’em, exactly. Instead, they have a few Bet on Poker games, which use the same poker hands, but aren’t quite as interactive or strategic as Hold ‘Em games.

Types of Live Dealer Casino Hold’em

Casino Hold’em

Casino Hold’em is the original and most popular version of this classic game. If you’re just starting out or want the purest experience, this is the live dealer variety you should play.

All of the developers that provide Hold’em games will have this standard format in their collection.

Payouts vary between 5:1 on a winning Straight all the way up to 1000:1 on winning side bets, and even some progressive jackpot bets are thrown in too.

Ultimate

Only Evolution Gaming offers Ultimate Casino Hold’em at the current time. It gives you the option of raising your bet during every round – if you’re feeling confident, you’ve got a winning hand.

It also allows an optional side bet called ‘trips’ that pays out if you pull any hand with any value above Three of a Kind. This pays out a maximum of 50:1 if you get lucky and bag a Royal Flush and a low of 5x on a Straight.

Three-Card Games

Evolution Gaming offers a couple of live variants of three-card poker, which is even easier to play than typical casino Hold’em. There are literally just two rounds of bets each game, the ante and one after the first card, before the last two of the three flop cards are revealed, and wagers are paid out or lost.

Bet on Poker Games

Both Evolution Gaming, in the form of the 80’s-themed title Side Bet City, and BetConstruct offer ‘bet on poker’ style titles.

These games give only one hand to the dealer. You and the other players just have to bet on poker hands that might be the outcome.

Usually, you can bet on 3, 5, and 7 card hands, as well as bets like Pairs, Trips, Full House, Flush, etc.

Although they lack some strategic choices, Bet on Poker games can be super fun to play in their own right. They’re certainly much easier to follow than standard casino Hold’em (for new players at least).

As a side note, Evolution’s Side Bet City also looks the absolute business.

It has its own custom-built studio drenched in neon nostalgia and resembling a bar straight out of iconic 80’s cop show ‘Miami Vice.’ Everything, from the betting overlay to the host’s outfits, is impressively tailored to the theme.

Live Hold’Em Poker Bonuses

Sadly, Hold’em games aren’t the most popular live casino titles out there, and therefore, you won’t find many dedicated bonuses for them.

They do exist, though, especially on the very best casino sites with a lot of weekly or monthly promotions. We’ll always highlight these operators when we see them, so keep an eye out for our reviews, and you might find one.

Not many cash welcome bonuses are usable on live casino titles in general, but again, you do see them sometimes. Fortunately, there are promotions and offers for live casino Hold’em fans out there; you’ve just got to do a little hunting to find them.

Or, let us do the hard work for you.

Playing on Mobile

Just be aware that live dealer streaming takes up more system memory and mobile bandwidth than most other casino games. So, be sure to check your battery and connection strength before you start to play – because no one wants to disconnect in the middle of a winning hand.

Hot Live Dealer Hold ‘Em Tips

1. Learn your poker hands

Poker is an incredibly popular game and cultural touchstone the world over, so knowing the core rules, and most importantly, what makes a good or bad hand, is a great idea for many reasons.

You should definitely look at a broad summary of the different ‘tricks’ or combo hands you might pull.

Having said that, casino Hold’em poker is undeniably the best place to learn, as you’re not under pressure from other players and don’t have to think about bluffing or any other psychological strategies.

2. Avoid folding (most of the time)

Unlike in traditional poker, when you play Casino Hold’em, there’s no chance you’ll have to go all-in or keep increasing your bets (except once) if you don’t fold, so it’s often worth playing a poor hand through, just to see what happens.

It would be best if you also remembered that there is always a distinct possibility of the dealer’s hand not qualifying, in which case all ante bets are pushed anyway. If you also had a disappointing hand, you’ll be glad to have remained in the game when bets are pushed.

3. Use a Calculator or Table

At its heart, any kind of poker is a game of estimating odds.

When you’re learning the ropes, it can be difficult to keep track of all the possible hand combinations. Having a list of them nearby, either on paper or another window on your computer, will assuredly help you out immensely.

For more experienced players, a table of the odds on various hands, cross-referenced with the dealer’s cards, will allow you to make quick estimates of hand potential. For example, this type of table can simplify the process of judging whether it is worth ‘raising’ in games that allow you to do so (like Evolution Gaming’s Ultimate Hold’em).

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