A Gambling Game In Which Players Bet Against The Dealer

• A Gambling Game In Which Players Bet Against The Dealer Near Me
• A Gambling Game In Which Players Bet Against The Dealer Record
• A Gambling Game In Which Players Bet Against The Dealer Locator

Introduction

Just remember, this is only true if the rules are consistent over both games. Therefore if a casino's double deck game has the exact same rules as their 6-deck game, the double deck game has better player odds. Tip #4 – Try to find the best table rules you can. Ideally you want the dealer to stand on 'Soft 17'. The dealer will bust 29.1% of the time. Moreover, if the dealer hits on a soft 17, he'll bust 29.6%. The odds against the player losing the hand is 2 or 3 times, basically, it's meh. Push your luck is a side when the player's hand ties with that of the dealer's. This bet pays 10 to 1 if the player pushes the dealer. One of the newest casino table games popping up in casinos across the country is the 'Texas Hold'em Bonus' game. Simply, it pits each player against the dealer in heads-up hands of Texas Hold'em poker. Whoever has the best five-card poker hand at the end, wins.

A gambling card game of Spanish origin; 3 or 4 cards are dealt face up and players bet that one of them will be matched before the others as the cards are dealt. It is a comparing card game between one or more players and a dealer, where each player in turn competes against the dealer. Players do not compete against each other. It is played with one or more decks of 52 cards, and is the most widely played casino banking game in the world.: 342.

Free Bet Blackjack is a blackjack variant by game inventor Geoff Hall. The twist to this one is the player doesn't have to risk his own money when splitting or doubling (most of the time). It is like playing with a generous boyfriend at the table who makes all the supplemental bets for you and lets you keep the winnings. What is the catch? Like in Geoff's other game, Blackjack Switch, if the dealer gets a 22, all bets left standing push.

The game opened for business on June 20, 2012 at the Golden Nugget. I went down for the game's debut and found the table full of people enjoying the game. The strategy is simpler and offers more doubles and splits than conventional blackjack. Gamblers who find the basic strategy of conventional blackjack too complicated to memorize may take relief in the simplicity of Free Bet Blackjack.

Rules

• Six decks
• Dealer hits soft 17's
• Blackjacks pay 3 to 2
• Double after split allowed
• Double on two cards only
• Re-split pairs up to four hands, including aces
• No surrender

The game introduces two major rule changes:

1. 'Free Doubles' on hard totals of two-card total of 9, 10, or 11. Regular doubles are still allowed on all other two-card hands. With a 'free double,' the player's original wager is matched with a 'free bet' button and the player receives one additional card. At the end of the hand:
   • If the dealer wins, the player loses his original wager only.
   • If the hand results in a push, the player gets back his original wager only.
   • Otherwise, if the player wins, the player gets back his original wager plus winnings equal to double that wager.
2. 'Free Splits' on all pairs except 10's. With a 'free split,' the player's two cards are divided into two one-card hands. The player's original wager is placed with the first hand and a 'free bet' button is placed with the second hand. The player plays out each hand one at a time and is entitled to a 'free double' or 'free split' on both hands. For winning hands, each 'free bet' button is replaced with real chips equaling the original wager. On hands resulting in a player loss or push, the dealer takes back the 'free bet' button.
3. Dealer pushes on 22. If the player has 21 or less and the dealer busts with 22, then the player's wager is a push.

Basic Strategy

Strategy depends on whether you are playing a real money bet or a free bet. There is a difference because a push is just as bad as a loss on a Free Bet, thus causing a more aggressive strategy. The following three tables show the strategy for a real money hand, free bet hand, and pairs respectively.

If you remember just one thing about the strategy, accept every free double and free split opportunity.

House Edge

The house edge under the standard rules above is 1.04%.

Rule Variants

Following are the effects of some possible rule variants. The effects are the change in the player's expected return. The figures below with a (SH) were taken with permission from Discount Gambling. The ones with a (Wiz) were calculated by me. It is interesting that the greater the number of decks, the better the odds for the player, which is the opposite of conventional blackjack. I assume it is because there is more free-splitting with more decks, due to a lesser effect of non-replacement.

• Free doubles with three or more cards (DG): +0.66%.
• Dealer stands on soft 17 (DG): +0.31%.
• Late surrender allowed (DG): +0.21%.
• One deck: -0.14% (Wiz).
• Two decks: -0.06% (Wiz).
• Eight decks: +0.01% (Wiz,DG).
• No re-splitting aces (DG): -0.08%.
• No free re-splits on a pair of fours (DG): -0.27%.
• No re-splitting 2-9: -0.32% (DG).
• No double or free-double after a split (DG): -0.70%.
• Blackjack pays 6 to 5: -1.36% (Wiz).

Pot of Gold

I have heard reports that some casinos offer a side bet called Pot of Gold, which is based on the number of Free Bet tokens the player accumulates per initial hand. The Washington Gambling Commission lists two Pot of Gold pay tables. Following is my analysis of both of them. These tables were based on a random simulation. The lower right cells show a house edge of 5.77% on pay table 1 and 4.64% on pay table 2.

Pot of Gold — Pay Table 1

Pot of Gold — Pay Table 2

The player can lower the house edge on the Pot of Gold by splitting fives instead of doubling, at the detriment of the primary wager. If the player splits fives the house edge on the Pot of Gold will be 2.75% under Pay Table 1 and 1.48% under Pay Table 2. Splitting fives, instead of doubling, will increase the house edge on the base wager by 0.15%.

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank Geoff Hall, the inventor, for his cooperation with the rules and sharing the math report. This report is based on a combination of work between Stephen How and me. We are in close agreement on the house edge. The basic strategy and some of the effects of rule variations are the work of Stephen How.

Internal Links

• Original rule card. Please note that doubling on three or more cards is no longer allowed but free splits of fours is. Overall, the old rules were better, of course. Table game rules seldom get better for the player.

Outside Links

• Free Bet Blackjack page at Discount Gambling.
• Free Bet Blackjack Facebook page.

I've been on a kick lately where I've been reviewing new casino table games that are based on poker. Chase the Flush is the latest game on my radar. It's one of the games available from AGS, which is also responsible for Premium Hold'em.

A word about poker-based casino games:

Some people who aren't as savvy about the casino game industry might not realize how major the difference between a real poker game and a casino table game based on poker is. In a real poker game, you're competing with other players of varying skill levels. If you're more skilled than the other players at the table, you have a positive expectation.

With casino table games like Chase the Flush, the house has a built-in edge that can't be overcome regardless of how skillfully you play. In these games, you use the trappings of poker—the hand rankings, some of the raising rules, and sometimes wild cards—but you compete only with the dealer and maybe a pay table.

Games like Chase the Flush and Premium Hold'em have a built-in mathematical edge for the casino that can't be overcome. This is true of almost every casino game, in fact.

But don't get into a game like Chase the Flush expecting to get an edge just because you're a skilled poker player. That's not how it works.

How to Play Chase the Flush

Here's how Chase the Flush's official website describes the game:

Chase the Flush is an exciting new card game where players and the dealer compete head-to-head using three hole cards and four community cards to make their longest possible seven-card flush. Players win by having more cards in their flush than the dealer. Card rankings Ace (high) – 2 (low) are used to break ties if a player and the dealer have the same number of cards in their flush. Mandatory X-Tra Bonus pays when player wins with four or more cards of the same suit. Optional Same Suit Bonus bet wins if the player has a four-card flush or higher.

I think it's funny how the marketing departments for all these casino games invariably describe their new games as 'exciting.'

Here are the specific rules for playing Chase the Flush:

Like most of these kinds of games, you play Chase the Flush against a dealer, who uses a standard deck of cards. (52 cards, 13 ranks, an 4 suits.)

You start by making an ante bet and an 'x-tra bonus' bet. (At this point, the game is just like Premium Hold'em, in fact. They're from the same company, so maybe the 2 games have the same designer. You can also place an optional side bet called the 'same suit bonus' bet.

After you've bet, you get 3 hole cards. The dealer also gets 3 hole cards. (So far, it's still just like Premium Hold'em.)

After you look at your cards, you can make 1 of 2 moves:

1. Check
2. All In

If you check, you don't put up any additional money, but you're still in the hand. This is how checking works in regular poker, too, by the way—although your opponents have the option to bet into you when you check at the poker table. You don't have to worry about the dealer doing that in this game.

If you go all in, you must put up another wager equal to 3X the ante that you placed.

Once you've decided, the dealer deals the 1^st 2 community cards. These work just like community cards in regular Texas hold'em—you use a combination of your hole cards along with the community cards to form your final poker hand.

At this point, you can check or go all in—unless you've already gone all in. If you go all in at this point, you're limited to 2X the size of your ante.

Then the dealer deals 2 more community cards, for a total of 3 hole cards in your hand and 4 cards that are going to be shared.

You now have a final betting round. If you haven't already gone all in, you again have that option. This time, you're limited to placing an all in bet of the same size as your ante. At this point, you can also fold. You cannot check on the final betting round. You must bet or fold.

When your betting action is finished, the dealer flips over her 3 hole cards. She needs a 3-card flush with a high card of 9 to qualify. If she doesn't qualify, the ante is treated as a push. You get your bet back, but you don't get any winnings.

Then you compare hands with the dealer to see who has the higher flush. The flush with the most suited cards always wins, but if you have the same number of cards, you compare the ranks of the cards in your flush. In this respect, Chase the Flush works just like regular poker.

If you have a better hand than the dealer, you get even money on your ante bet and on your all in bets. You also get a payout for the x-tra bonus bet based on the game's pay table.

If you tie, all bets are treated as a push.

A Gambling Game In Which Players Bet Against The Dealer Near Me

If the dealer wins, you lose all your bets.

The same suit side bet gets paid off based on the pay table regardless of whether the player or the dealer won the hand.

Here's the pay table for the x-tra bonus bet:

Anything less than a 3-card flush results in a push for this bet.

Here's the pay table for the same suits side bet:

The House Edge in Chase the Flush

According to multiple sites, the house edge for Chase the Flush is about 2.65%. I'm uncomfortable with casino table games with a house edge greater than 2%, but that eliminates most of them. Other players are more comfortable with a larger house edge, and 2.65% is significantly better than most of the bets on the craps table or even roulette.

I can't think of any table-based card game with a side bet where the side bet is anything other than a sucker bet. Chase the Flush is no exception. The same suits side bet has a house edge of 5.67%, making it marginally worse than a bet on an American roulette wheel.

I'd like to point out that you can get a lower house edge playing blackjack with perfect basic strategy, craps if you stick with the best bets at the table, or even baccarat—as long as you avoid the sucker bets. None of those games offer the same poker-based thrills as Chase the Flush, though, so you might find this game entertaining enough to take the higher house edge.

Also, it's important to remember that it doesn't matter if the house edge is 1%, 5%, 20%, or 50%–if you play any game where the house has an edge, you'll lose all your money in the long run no matter what. It doesn't pay to be TOO snobbish about the house edge, although I think frugal gamblers pay attention to how much entertainment they're getting for their money.

Strategy Advice and Tips

Chase the Flush is a game where your decisions matter. If you make bad choices, the house edge goes up. This implies that there's a correct basic strategy for the game, just like there is in blackjack.

In blackjack, the house edge of 0.5% or 1% depends on executing basic strategy perfectly. If you ignore basic strategy, the house edge could be 3% or 4% higher because of the multiple strategy mistakes you'll surely make.

I think it's safe to assume that something similar will happen with Chase the Flush. If you're just playing it by ear, you'll probably face a house edge of at least 5%.

According to Discount Gambling, the strategy for the game isn't that hard. He put a lot of work into devising a realistic basic strategy, and you can visit his site for the complete details of that strategy.

Here are some general strategy pointers for those who want to play intelligently but aren't married to being mathematically optimal:

You'll call 1X the ante bet on the river more often than anything else—about 35% of the time. You'll raise with your hole cards about 25% of the time and bet on the flop about 25% of the time, too. You'll fold about 15% of the time.

Pot of Gold

I have heard reports that some casinos offer a side bet called Pot of Gold, which is based on the number of Free Bet tokens the player accumulates per initial hand. The Washington Gambling Commission lists two Pot of Gold pay tables. Following is my analysis of both of them. These tables were based on a random simulation. The lower right cells show a house edge of 5.77% on pay table 1 and 4.64% on pay table 2.

Pot of Gold — Pay Table 1

Pot of Gold — Pay Table 2

The player can lower the house edge on the Pot of Gold by splitting fives instead of doubling, at the detriment of the primary wager. If the player splits fives the house edge on the Pot of Gold will be 2.75% under Pay Table 1 and 1.48% under Pay Table 2. Splitting fives, instead of doubling, will increase the house edge on the base wager by 0.15%.

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank Geoff Hall, the inventor, for his cooperation with the rules and sharing the math report. This report is based on a combination of work between Stephen How and me. We are in close agreement on the house edge. The basic strategy and some of the effects of rule variations are the work of Stephen How.

Internal Links

• Original rule card. Please note that doubling on three or more cards is no longer allowed but free splits of fours is. Overall, the old rules were better, of course. Table game rules seldom get better for the player.

Outside Links

• Free Bet Blackjack page at Discount Gambling.
• Free Bet Blackjack Facebook page.

I've been on a kick lately where I've been reviewing new casino table games that are based on poker. Chase the Flush is the latest game on my radar. It's one of the games available from AGS, which is also responsible for Premium Hold'em.

A word about poker-based casino games:

Some people who aren't as savvy about the casino game industry might not realize how major the difference between a real poker game and a casino table game based on poker is. In a real poker game, you're competing with other players of varying skill levels. If you're more skilled than the other players at the table, you have a positive expectation.

With casino table games like Chase the Flush, the house has a built-in edge that can't be overcome regardless of how skillfully you play. In these games, you use the trappings of poker—the hand rankings, some of the raising rules, and sometimes wild cards—but you compete only with the dealer and maybe a pay table.

Games like Chase the Flush and Premium Hold'em have a built-in mathematical edge for the casino that can't be overcome. This is true of almost every casino game, in fact.

But don't get into a game like Chase the Flush expecting to get an edge just because you're a skilled poker player. That's not how it works.

How to Play Chase the Flush

Here's how Chase the Flush's official website describes the game:

Chase the Flush is an exciting new card game where players and the dealer compete head-to-head using three hole cards and four community cards to make their longest possible seven-card flush. Players win by having more cards in their flush than the dealer. Card rankings Ace (high) – 2 (low) are used to break ties if a player and the dealer have the same number of cards in their flush. Mandatory X-Tra Bonus pays when player wins with four or more cards of the same suit. Optional Same Suit Bonus bet wins if the player has a four-card flush or higher.

I think it's funny how the marketing departments for all these casino games invariably describe their new games as 'exciting.'

Here are the specific rules for playing Chase the Flush:

Like most of these kinds of games, you play Chase the Flush against a dealer, who uses a standard deck of cards. (52 cards, 13 ranks, an 4 suits.)

You start by making an ante bet and an 'x-tra bonus' bet. (At this point, the game is just like Premium Hold'em, in fact. They're from the same company, so maybe the 2 games have the same designer. You can also place an optional side bet called the 'same suit bonus' bet.

After you've bet, you get 3 hole cards. The dealer also gets 3 hole cards. (So far, it's still just like Premium Hold'em.)

After you look at your cards, you can make 1 of 2 moves:

1. Check
2. All In

If you check, you don't put up any additional money, but you're still in the hand. This is how checking works in regular poker, too, by the way—although your opponents have the option to bet into you when you check at the poker table. You don't have to worry about the dealer doing that in this game.

If you go all in, you must put up another wager equal to 3X the ante that you placed.

Once you've decided, the dealer deals the 1^st 2 community cards. These work just like community cards in regular Texas hold'em—you use a combination of your hole cards along with the community cards to form your final poker hand.

At this point, you can check or go all in—unless you've already gone all in. If you go all in at this point, you're limited to 2X the size of your ante.

Then the dealer deals 2 more community cards, for a total of 3 hole cards in your hand and 4 cards that are going to be shared.

You now have a final betting round. If you haven't already gone all in, you again have that option. This time, you're limited to placing an all in bet of the same size as your ante. At this point, you can also fold. You cannot check on the final betting round. You must bet or fold.

When your betting action is finished, the dealer flips over her 3 hole cards. She needs a 3-card flush with a high card of 9 to qualify. If she doesn't qualify, the ante is treated as a push. You get your bet back, but you don't get any winnings.

Then you compare hands with the dealer to see who has the higher flush. The flush with the most suited cards always wins, but if you have the same number of cards, you compare the ranks of the cards in your flush. In this respect, Chase the Flush works just like regular poker.

If you have a better hand than the dealer, you get even money on your ante bet and on your all in bets. You also get a payout for the x-tra bonus bet based on the game's pay table.

If you tie, all bets are treated as a push.

A Gambling Game In Which Players Bet Against The Dealer Near Me

If the dealer wins, you lose all your bets.

The same suit side bet gets paid off based on the pay table regardless of whether the player or the dealer won the hand.

Here's the pay table for the x-tra bonus bet:

Anything less than a 3-card flush results in a push for this bet.

Here's the pay table for the same suits side bet:

The House Edge in Chase the Flush

According to multiple sites, the house edge for Chase the Flush is about 2.65%. I'm uncomfortable with casino table games with a house edge greater than 2%, but that eliminates most of them. Other players are more comfortable with a larger house edge, and 2.65% is significantly better than most of the bets on the craps table or even roulette.

I can't think of any table-based card game with a side bet where the side bet is anything other than a sucker bet. Chase the Flush is no exception. The same suits side bet has a house edge of 5.67%, making it marginally worse than a bet on an American roulette wheel.

I'd like to point out that you can get a lower house edge playing blackjack with perfect basic strategy, craps if you stick with the best bets at the table, or even baccarat—as long as you avoid the sucker bets. None of those games offer the same poker-based thrills as Chase the Flush, though, so you might find this game entertaining enough to take the higher house edge.

Also, it's important to remember that it doesn't matter if the house edge is 1%, 5%, 20%, or 50%–if you play any game where the house has an edge, you'll lose all your money in the long run no matter what. It doesn't pay to be TOO snobbish about the house edge, although I think frugal gamblers pay attention to how much entertainment they're getting for their money.

Strategy Advice and Tips

Chase the Flush is a game where your decisions matter. If you make bad choices, the house edge goes up. This implies that there's a correct basic strategy for the game, just like there is in blackjack.

In blackjack, the house edge of 0.5% or 1% depends on executing basic strategy perfectly. If you ignore basic strategy, the house edge could be 3% or 4% higher because of the multiple strategy mistakes you'll surely make.

I think it's safe to assume that something similar will happen with Chase the Flush. If you're just playing it by ear, you'll probably face a house edge of at least 5%.

According to Discount Gambling, the strategy for the game isn't that hard. He put a lot of work into devising a realistic basic strategy, and you can visit his site for the complete details of that strategy.

Here are some general strategy pointers for those who want to play intelligently but aren't married to being mathematically optimal:

You'll call 1X the ante bet on the river more often than anything else—about 35% of the time. You'll raise with your hole cards about 25% of the time and bet on the flop about 25% of the time, too. You'll fold about 15% of the time.

When you get your hole cards, you'll raise any time you have 3 suited cards. You'll also raise if you 2 suited cards that are higher than Q9.

On the flop, raise if you have 3 suited cards or better.

On the final action, raise with any 3 suited cards. You would also raise if you had 2 suited high cards.

That's only the roughest approximation of basic strategy, though—you're probably giving up at least 1% in expectation if those are the only guidelines you follow.

Conclusion

Chase the Flush is a reasonably interesting poker-based casino card game. The house edge is higher than I'm comfortable with (2.65%), but for this kind of game, it's not that bad. I'd still lean toward playing blackjack or craps instead.

A Gambling Game In Which Players Bet Against The Dealer Record

Some people enjoy the concept of a casino table game that's based on poker. One of the important things to remember in Chase the Flush is that you're only competing with the dealer, and she'll never fold. What the other players do has no effect on you and your hand.

This is a dramatic difference from traditional poker, so it's important to point it out.

A Gambling Game In Which Players Bet Against The Dealer Locator