Casino Poker Games: Poker Table Games, House Edge, and Where to Play

When you play casino poker games online, you’re playing against the dealer’s hand or a fixed pay table, never other players. You’ll find each game at RNG tables and at live dealer tables, so you can pick fast software hands or a real dealer streamed from a studio.

That’s the big difference from Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Stud against other people. In those games, the casino has no house edge on the hands. The poker room takes a rake (a small cut of each pot) instead, which is why a better player can come out ahead there over time, but not at these tables.

Poker Table Games Snapshot

I’ve ranked the six poker table games you’ll find at licensed US online casinos from the lowest edge per ante to the highest. With correct strategy, they run from 2.16% to 4.91% per ante.

Pay attention to the two edge columns, because they measure different things. The per-ante figure divides what you lose by your first bet only. The per-dollar figure divides the same loss by everything you put on the table, raises included.

Mississippi Stud shows why that matters. It looks like the worst game here at 4.91% per ante, but you bet an average of 3.59 antes per hand, so the edge on each dollar you bet is 1.37%. Ultimate Texas Hold’em works the same way: about 4.15 antes go out per hand, which turns 2.19% into 0.53%.

Casino Hold’em’s source doesn’t publish a per-dollar figure, so the table says so. The limits are the lowest minimum and highest maximum we found across licensed US sites, and each one comes from a licensed operator’s own lobby or game page, listed in the Sources box at the bottom.

If you’re looking for Caribbean Stud Poker, we found no licensed US online casino that offers it.

Poker Table Games Online: How Each Game Works

Most of these poker casino games follow the same pattern: you bet an Ante (your opening bet), the cards come out, and you raise or fold as the hand plays out.

One thing holds across almost all of them: the side bets carry higher edges than the main game, so I leave them alone. Also keep in mind that your lobby may not match someone else’s. One player on Reddit reports that what shows up, live tables in particular, depends on the state you play from.

Ultimate Texas Hold’em

Ultimate Texas Hold’em is the game I’d sit down at first. It plays like a hand of Hold’em where the dealer is your only opponent. You bet an Ante and a Blind of the same size, then get one raise per hand: 4x or 3x the Ante before the flop, 2x after it, or 1x after the river.

With correct strategy, the house edge is 2.19% per ante and 0.53% per dollar wagered, the lowest per-dollar figure on this page. Your decisions matter here and the edge on each dollar is low, which is the mix I look for at any table.

Three Card Poker

Three Card Poker is the fastest of these games to learn, so it’s a good place to start if you’re new to casino poker. You bet an Ante, you and the dealer each get three cards, and you either fold or add a Play bet equal to the Ante. The dealer needs queen-high or better to qualify.

The whole strategy is one rule: raise with queen-six-four or better and fold the rest. Play it that way, and the Ante and Play bets carry a 3.37% house edge per ante. Raise on any queen instead, and the casino gets 3.45%. Raise every hand, and it gets 7.65%, more than double.

Check the Pair Plus pay table before you bet it. If a flush pays 3 to 1, skip it, because that bet carries a 7.28% house edge.

Casino Hold’em

Casino Hold’em keeps it simple, with one decision per hand. You bet an Ante, get two hole cards (the private cards only you see), see a three-card flop, and then fold or call with a bet of exactly 2x the Ante. The dealer needs a pair of fours or better to qualify.

On the most common pay table, the house edge is 2.16% per ante, and if you play it right, you’ll call about 82% of hands. I like it for a relaxed session, because the edge is fair and there’s only one choice to make each hand.

Mississippi Stud

Mississippi Stud is the game where your bet grows fastest, and it has no dealer hand. You bet an Ante, get two cards, and before each of three community cards is turned over, you fold or bet 1x to 3x the Ante. Your final hand is paid from a pay table, with jacks or better paying 1 to 1.

The house edge is 4.91% per ante and 1.37% per dollar wagered. Your decisions matter, but keep an eye on your stake, because it grows fast every time you raise 3x. A $10 Ante with three 3x raises puts $100 on the table.

Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow Poker is the game I’d pick to make a small bankroll last. It uses a 53-card deck with a joker that is partly wild, and you split seven cards into a five-card high hand and a two-card low hand.

Win both and you’re paid even money less a 5% commission. Win one and lose one, and the hand pushes, which means you get your bet back.

The house edge is 2.72% if you set your hands by the house way, the casino’s fixed rules for splitting the cards. So many hands end in a push that your money can last a long time, which makes it a slow, steady game.

Let It Ride

What I like about Let It Ride is that it’s the only game here where you can take money back. You place three equal bets and can pull back the first two as the cards come out. There’s no dealer hand, and your hand is paid from tens or better at 1 to 1.

With correct strategy, the house edge is 3.51% per base bet. Skip the 5-Card Bonus side bet, though. Its edge runs from 13.77% to 36.52%, far worse than any main game on this page.

Casino Poker vs Online Poker Against Other Players

The big difference is who you’re playing against. In a casino poker game, the casino is your opponent. Your hand gets compared with the dealer’s or paid from a pay table, so bluffing and reading other players won’t help you.

The casino makes its money from the pay table and the rule that the dealer has to qualify. That shows up as the house edge: 0.53% to 2.85% per dollar wagered for the five games with a per-dollar figure.

In poker against other players, the room takes a rake from each pot instead, and a better player can come out ahead.

Correct strategy lowers the edge in these games, but it never removes it. In Three Card Poker, the Q-6-4 rule gives the casino 3.37% per ante, and raising every hand gives it 7.65%. You still lose over time with the Q-6-4 rule, just more slowly, so play these games for fun and not to make money.

Video poker is a separate category, and it’s worth a look if you want a lower edge. You play one machine with no dealer hand, and a 9/6 Jacks or Better pay table has a 0.46% house edge with optimal play.

Pick RNG or live based on how you like to play. RNG tables deal a hand in seconds, while live tables run slower but allow higher maximums, like the $5,000 top bet on FanDuel’s live Three Card Poker.

Poker Table Games FAQ

What You Can Do Next

• If you want decisions and the lowest edge, start with Ultimate Texas Hold’em at 0.53% per dollar wagered.
• Check the Pair Plus flush payout before you bet it: 4 to 1, or skip it.
• Skip the 5-Card Bonus and the other high-edge side bets.
• Compare these games with blackjack, baccarat, and craps on our full casino games list.
• Play casino poker games online only at state-licensed online casinos.
• Set a loss limit before your session starts.