06-16-05, LearnTexasHoldem:

Not Quite Holdem Game

Question: The Casino's in Atlantic City now have Holdem tables that are similar to blackjack.You play against the dealers 2 hole cards.There is an upfront bet you place for your 2 cards. Then if you want to continue to the flop,you bet again.The same for the turn & river except the bet is doubled if you want to continue.At the end the dealer shows his cards & the better hand wins.My question is what advice can you give in regard to what hands & how these tables should be played.Thx,Mike

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Answer: I'm assuming this is a single deck game... I haven't seen this game before, but I have heard about it some. First of all, as with any other game that you play against the house, there is no way to win in the long run. You have black jack and craps where the edge is smaller, but in the end they will get you.

This game reminds me of Casino War. Casino War is played just like you played regular War when you are a kid. Each player gets a card and then the person with the higher card gets the money. On the surface this seems like an even money game. How they get you, unless I've missed something, is just by the fact that they have more money than you do. The casino will never go broke, but the average gambler with a hundred bucks will lose it quickly and then won't be able to continue playing.

I think the War game would actually be easier to beat than this "Holdem" game. The reason this would be so tough to beat is because you have to put in a forced bet preflop (before you see your cards). Granted, both you and the dealer have to do this, but the key is that the dealer wins all times you fold, and there is no way for you to maximize your winnings on good hands. Now if the game allowed the player to double the size of the bet at anytime they wanted after they viewed their cards and the dealer must call, I could dominate the game, but they aren't that stupid.

Now while I wouldn't suggest playing this game if you want to win, gambling and having fun is another thing. Since there will always be three bets in the pot for every one bet I put in to see the flop, and since if I hit something I'll get paid off to the river every time, I would play everyhand to the flop. So that's the first tip, it doesn't matter if you have 72 or AK, see the flop. Then on the flop, you are looking for two things: a pair or better, or high card strength.

The vast majority of the time, if you flop a pair against a random hand, it will hold up till the river. If you fold some pairs on the flop, you are just giving away two bets to a hand that probably doesn't have it beat. Next, in the case of not having a pair, I would look for high card strength. If you have a hand like AT and the flop is 9-4-2, you could already have the best hand, let alone catch one of 6 cards to make a bigger pair. Following the high card strength there are hands that may have a draw with extra outs.

For example, you may have a hand like 46 and the flop is A-7-3. A 5 gives you a straight, which will definitely win, but also your 4 or 6 may give you the winner if you hit. If you play this as well as you can, you'll be playing very loosely and going to the river every time. In the end I think this will just be like Casino War where it is a battle for who has the most money. But like anything else with luck, you can get ahead and leave ahead (key being leave while you are up).

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