Pragmatic Casino Hold’em is a live dealer casino game inspired by Texas Hold’em. The concept of casino hold’em has been around for quite a while now, so Pragmatic is relatively late to the party when it comes to introducing their own table. Still, this version of the game offers premium-quality graphics, top-notch presentation, and an interesting pair of side bets that you wouldn’t necessarily be able to find elsewhere. The game also boasts a high RTP rate and an exciting, interactive base gameplay loop that will be enjoyable for any fan of card games.
This review of Casino Hold’em by Pragmatic Play covers everything you need to know about the game before you play it (and whether playing it at all is a good thing.) We’ll explain the rules, bets, and features of this game while comparing the odds and quality to other casino hold’em live dealer tables.
Game Specifications | |
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Game name | Pragmatic Casino Hold'em |
Game provider | Pragmatic Play |
Game type | Casino Hold'em |
Streaming from | |
RTP | 97.84% |
Bet range | €1 - €5,000 |
Max win | 20,000x |
Side bets | Yes |
Supported platforms |
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Supported OS |
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Languages |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() All supported languages
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Casino Hold’em was invented by Stephen Au-Yeung, who created the variant in 2000 for training purposes. As opposed to the original form of poker game where players are competing against each other, the dealer is your only opponent. It was created as a way of attracting poker enthusiasts to live casinos. The game has since drawn huge crowds on desktop and tablet, so there’s interest in something like that. Played with a single deck of cards that are shuffled after each hand and featuring an enticing game play that differs from the one in regular Texas Hold’em poker, Casino Hold’em impresses on so many levels.
Currently, the game is available through multiple major software providers, most notably Evolution and Playtech. It seems Pragmatic decided to throw their hat into the Hold’em ring in 2025, which is when their own version first hit the casinos.
Since the gameplay itself follows a standard ruleset, there aren’t any major differences between this version and competing tables. The game looks great and runs well, but so do its competitors. However, it also offers two side betting options that help it stand out a bit. First of all, there’s the AA+ bet, which is known as the Bonus bet in Evolution’s version. AA+ is all about assembling 5-card hands using your hand and Turn and River.
Beyond that, Pragmatic’s table also offers a unique Jackpot bet. Although Evo offers something similar, Pragmatic Play’s version is not actually progressive. It’s just a big, volatile wager with a huge maximum payout.
The game uses a single deck of standard playing cards which is shuffled between every round using an automatic shuffler.
Every round of Casino Hold’em starts with an Ante bet. You have to place this wager if you want to participate in the upcoming round.
After the Ante bet is submitted, the dealer draws two cards for the player, two cards for the house (facing down) and three community cards (facing up). The community cards are placed at the center of the table, and they’re often referred to as the Flop.
At this point, the player has to make a decision after checking the cards. If you think your hand is worth playing, you need to place a second bet called the Call bet. The stake of the Call bet in Casino Hold’em is always double the Ante stake. Alternatively, you can choose to Fold. This means that you lose the money you used for the Ante, and the round is over for you. The idea is for you to measure whether the round is worth playing by considering your hand, the community cards, and whether they’re likely to make a strong poker hand.
If you have decided to Call, the dealer will place two more community cards at the center of the table. These are often called the Turn and River.
At this point, the dealer’s cards are also revealed. Before proceeding to the next step, the dealer first has to qualify. This means that their hand (when combined with the community cards) has to have at least a pair of 4s. If the qualification is successful, the round proceeds to the next step. If not, player Ante bets win while Call bets Push (the full stake is returned to the player.)
Finally, both the player’s and dealer’s hands combine with community cards in order to make the strongest possible hand. The stronger hand of the two wins. The hands are ranked as follows: from strongest to weakest:
If you want to know more about poker hands, how they rank, and how they’re made, check out this poker hand tutorial.
The Ante pays depending on how strong the winning hand is. On the other hand, the Call bet always pays 1:1.
There are actually several possible outcomes to a round of Casino Hold’em, depending on whether the dealer qualified or not:
Result | Ante | Play |
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Dealer does not qualify and you win | Win | Push |
Dealer qualifies and you win | Win | 1:1 |
Dealer qualifies and you lose | Lose | Lose |
Dealer qualifies and you tie | Push | Push |
Player folds | Lose | Lose |
The two side wagers can add a bit of extra spice to the game
While a lot of it comes down to luck, there is an element of strategy in Casino Hold’em. Specifically, players need to know when to Fold and when to Call if they want to maximize their returns (and thus the game’s RTP.)
With that in mind, here are some tips for knowing when to play the Call bet:
Players should also play less aggressively if the community cards are high or mostly of one suit. In this scenario, you should consider folding even Queens or Kings.
The stats tell us that the optimal Casino Hold’em strategy involves Calling more than 82% of all hands. In other words – don’t be shy. Even a seemingly weak hand can still win, especially if the dealer fails to qualify. A folded hand, however, can never possibly win.
Pros | Cons |
✅ Classic Casino Hold’em rules ✅ Standard base game payouts, resulting in an optimal RTP of 97.84% ✅ Exciting side bets that are not available at most competing Hold’em tables ✅ Non-progressive jackpot side wager with payouts up to 20,000x ✅ High-end streaming with multiple camera angles and immersive camera movements |
❌ No unique or innovative features ❌ Does not offer any notable improvements over competing live casino hold’em games ❌ The Jackpot bet implies that it’s progressive. In reality, it’s just a big fixed payout
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There are three casino holdem payouts you’ll need to keep track of.
The Ante Bet’s pay depends on the hand you win with. the stronger the hand in terms of poker rankings, the higher the reward.
The Play bet always pays even money.
The side bets has their own separate tables. It can be a lot to take in, but all of this information is available in-game.
Check out the full Pragmatic Play Casino Hold’em Paytable below:
Bet | Payout | ||
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Ante | |||
Royal Flush | 100:1 | ||
Straight Flush | 20:1 | ||
Four of a Kind | 10:1 | ||
Full House | 3 | ||
Straight | 1 | ||
Three of a Kind | 1 | ||
Two Pairs | 1 | ||
One Pair or less | 1 | ||
Call Bet | |||
Call | 1:1 | ||
AA+ Side Bet | |||
Royal Flush | 100:1 | ||
Straight Flush | 50:1 | ||
Four of a Kind | 40:1 | ||
Full House | 30:1 | ||
Flush | 20:1 | ||
Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pairs, Pair of Aces | 7:1 | ||
Jackpot | |||
Straight Flush | 20,000x | ||
Four of a Kind | 1,000x | ||
Straight | 100x |
The RTP of Casino Hold’em by Pragmatic Play varies depending on several factors.
First of all, the practical RTP of the game depends on your decisions. If you were to blindly Call every possible hand, you would get an RTP of around 97.60%. Optimal play can raise this up to around 98.04%. However, the game’s listed in-game RTP is 97.84%, which is right around average. In other words, the impact of player decisions is not major, but it’s still there.
On the other hand, the two side bets have a fixed RTP rate:
If you’re concerned with playing optimally, we suggest staying away from the side bets. If you’re intent on playing them, though, the JAckpot is the better option, even though its chances of ever winning are minimal.
Make sure to choose the game that suits your taste and budget. For more extensive guides on live casino hold 'em basics, read this article.
The betting interface is very similar to those seen in other baccarat games. The various betting positions are placed front and centre, and they’re quite easy to navigate due to the simple and intuitive layout. Making any bet is a simple matter of selecting the desired stake, clicking on the betting position, and confirming your selections.
One advantage of live casino hold’em is that it’s a fairly exciting game, even without extra features and such. There’s plenty to keep track of and think about, which suits some players well. To help you with that, the game boasts a comprehensive history and stats window. Found in the upper right corner of the screen, it can offer the kind of insight you need to win Casino Hold’em.
Pragmatic Play has been putting out some of the best-looking live dealer games for a while now, and that tradition continues with Hold’em. To be frank, this game doesn’t offer spectacle like some of Pragmatic’s game shows do. It’s actually a relaxed, serious casino game that’s intended to feel like a real brick-and-mortar casino.
As expected, the game stream is top-notch with a high-definition broadcast running 24/7. All of the action is captured from a single camera angle, which makes sense for a card game like this. All in all, the game achieves what it sets out to do in terms of presentation, so we can’t ask for more.
A game like Casino Hold’em feels interesting to play because it offers a high degree of player interaction. It’s not on the level of blackjack, of course, but there’s still a bit of back-and-forth that makes it feel dynamic and strategic. OF course, there are only two decisions you make as a player (not counting the side bets), but every decision feels deliberate and like it contributes to the outcome of the round – because it does.
Beyond that, Pragmatic’s professional dealers really take the game experience to the next level. They have all the charm of experienced hosts combined with the professionalism of trained dealers, which adds up to a premium-level online poker offer.
Here at Livecasinos.com, how we rate casino games is based on a strict set of standards that were developed over many years of playing and analyzing live dealer games of all sorts. Here are some of the key factors we consider before giving our recommendation:
It’s always fun to explore new live casino games, but it’s important to always gamble responsibly. Remember to control your bankroll, don’t go over the budget you set up at the beginning of the game, and take regular breaks so as not to damage your health.
Check out this page to find more information about responsible gambling and useful tips on how to avoid problem gambling and control your spending. If you suspect you may be developing symptoms of problem gambling, we recommend contacting such organizations as: