Poker.How to Play?

Caribbean Poker

The Game

Caribbean poker has become a very popular casino game in the last few years. If you like poker, you will love Caribbean Poker! Each player competes only against the dealer, independently of other players. Your goal is to beat the dealer's hand.Some casinos makes the game even more exciting by allowing players to place an optional $1 bonus bet in order to participate in a progressive jackpot game. You can win big when you least expect it!!

How It Works

Once you have entered the online casino, you can easily check the guest book to see if any of your friends are currently in the casino and the games in which they are currently participating by clicking on "Information/Info." You can then go back to the game menu to select your game. In the "game room", some tables will be occupied while others will be free. If a table is marked "reserved", you must ask permission to enter. The player that initially opens the table has the authority to grant permission or deny access to new players.

If you find all the tables occupied, simply click on the arrow in the upper right corner to move to the next game room.

The Rules

The Caribbean Poker game conforms to the standard rules that apply in Nevada casinos, but also offers players the opportunity to participate in a progressive jackpot game by placing an optional $1 bonus bet.

Caribbean poker is played with a deck of 52 cards. In order to participate in the game, you must first place an "ante bet" plus an optional $1 bonus bet. You are then dealt a hand of five cards-all of them face up. (Although your cards are dealt face up, the cards of other players will appear to be dealt face down.) The dealer also receives five cards; four cards dealt face down and one card face up. In Caribbean poker, the player and the dealer compare hands formed from their five cards. No additional cards are dealt.

When you have looked at your cards and the dealer's up card, you must decide whether to challenge the dealer's hand with a bet or to surrender. If you wish to challenge the dealer, you must place a bet by pressing the BET button. The bet is always equal to twice the ante. If you do not wish to challenge the dealer's hand, you must opt to press SURRENDER and lose your ante.

When you receive a good hand, you will naturally wish to place a bet to challenge the dealer's hand. When the bet has been placed, the dealer reveals his four remaining cards and the hands are compared. To make your gaming experience more enjoyable, the dealer will announce your hand!

*) Please note: No chatting is allowed during a hand. If you or other players chat about held cards during a game, the casino has the right to void all hands. Your bet and any possible winnings of others will be forfeited. If other players chat about their held cards, it is your responsibility to leave the table and contact support services.
The Dealer Must Qualify

In Caribbean poker, the dealer's hand must contain at least one ace and one king in order to qualify. If the dealer's hand does not qualify, you receive 1 to 1 on your ante and your bet is returned to you without winnings.

If the dealer's hand does qualify with a value of at least one ace + one king, the best hand wins. Your winning hand receives 1 to 1 on the ante plus the winnings on your bet, which are calculated according to the winnings table.
Push

When the dealer and the player receive poker hands of equal value (i.e. a push game), both the ante and the bet are returned to the player.

Betting Limits

The ante bet limits in Caribbean Poker are:

$1 to $100
$5 to $500

Winnings Table

Hand Pays Card Specifications
Nothing 1 to 1 Five cards of different values.
One Pair 1 to 1 Two cards of the same value.
Two Pairs 2 to 1 Two sets of two cards of the same value.
Three of a Kind 3 to 1 Three cards of the same value.
Straight 4 to 1 Five cards in numerical sequence but of different suits.
Flush 5 to 1 Five cards of the same suit of any value.
Full House 7 to 1 One pair + three of a kind.
Four of a Kind 20 to 1 Four cards of the same value.
Straight Flush 50 to 1 Five cards in numeric sequence and of the same suit.
Royal Flush 100 to 1 Ace, king, queen, jack, and 10; all of the same suit.

* Please note! The aggregate payout limit of $25,000 per hand excluding the progressive jackpot.

$1 Progressive Jackpot

The Caribbean Poker players are offered with the opportunity to place a $1 bonus bet if they wish to participate in a progressive jackpot game. By placing an additional $1 wager, you have the chance to win even when the dealer does not qualify! Below are the winnings based on the optional $1 wager.

Progressive Jackpot Winnings Table

The dealer does not need to qualify for you to win based on the value of your own five-card hand.

Royal Flush 100% of the Jackpot
Straight Flush 10% of the Jackpot
Four of a Kind $500
Full House $100
Flush $50

Options Dialog Box

In Caribbean Poker, the Options dialog box offers the following game settings:
Play sound effects
Play midi music
Shortcut Keys

The following shortcut keys are available in Caribbean Poker:

To Press
Make the same bet again F1
Deal F2
Surrender F3
Bet F4
Quit F12
Open Options dialog box F9
Open Help files F10

Pai Gow Poker

The Game

Pai Gow Poker, an exciting game of skill, has developed under the influence of American poker and the ancient Chinese game of Pai Go. The popularity of Pai Gow Poker in U.S. casinos has increased tremendously in the last ten years. The object of the game is to use seven dealt cards to construct two hands that will beat the dealer's two hands.

How It Works

Once you have entered the online casino, you can easily check the guest book to see if any of your friends are currently in the casino and the games in which they are currently participating by clicking on "Information/Info." You can then go back to the game menu to select your game. In the game room, some tables will be occupied while others will be free. If a table is marked "reserved," you must ask permission to enter. The player that initially opens the table has the authority to grant permission or deny access to new players.

If you find all the tables occupied, simply click on the arrow in the upper right corner to move to the next game room.

The Rules

Pai Gow Poker is played with a deck of 53 cards: a standard 52-card deck plus one wild joker. Each player is dealt seven cards and must split them into two separate hands. The first hand is referred to as "the highest hand" and consists of five cards. The second hand is referred to as "the second highest" and consists of only two cards. The 5-card hand must always rank higher than the 2-card hand. [For example, if your seven cards are: ace + ace + 9 + 7 + 5 + 4 + 3, you cannot place the two aces in your 2-card hand. The pair of aces must be kept in "the highest hand" (i.e. the 5-card hand).]

Your goal as the player is to beat both of the dealer's hands: the 5-card hand and the 2-card hand. If both of your hands beat the dealer's hands, you receive "even money" on your bet (i.e. 1 to 1), with the exception that the bank takes a 5% commission from your winnings. If both your hands lose against the dealer's hands, the dealer takes the bet. If you succeed in winning only one of the two hands, the round results in a tie or "push".

Pai Gow Poker game follows the standard rules employed by casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. However, ElcasinoNetwork has eliminated the option of playing the dragon and the casino does not automatically win if the player should create a so-called "dead" hand. This is explained further below.
Poker Hand Ranking.

In Pai Gow Poker, the highest-ranking hand is five aces (i.e. four aces plus the wild card). This poker hand beats a royal flush. The only difference between the system of ranking hands in Pai Gow Poker and in other poker games is that A-K-Q-J-10 ranks as the highest straight, A-2-3-4-5 ranks as the second highest straight, followed by the straight composed of K-Q-J-10-9.
Highest, Five-Card Hand

The 5-card hand must have the highest rank of the two hands. The player must try to create the best possible 5-card hand from his seven dealt cards.
Second Highest, Two-Card Hand

The 2-card hand must have the second-highest rank of the two hands. The highest-ranking 2-card hand is a pair of aces. If the 2-card hand is not composed of a pair, the value of the cards determines the hand's rank.
The Wild Card

The wild card, or joker, may be used only as a single ace or to complete a flush, straight, or a straight flush.
Dead or Foul Hands

A dead or foul hand results when the Pai Gow Poker player fails to divide the seven cards properly into a highest and second highest hand. If the player places his two best cards in the second highest hand, the hand is considered dead. Unlike in most land-based casinos, you will not automatically lose if you create a dead hand at our casinos. When you make a mistake dividing your seven cards, you are merely notified by the dealer that your cards must be redistributed between the two hands.
House Way

Ever get stuck on how to set your two hands? No need to worry here! Simply hit "house way" and your cards will automatically be set for you by the dealer using the same rules employed by the casino.
Copy Hand

When the player and the dealer compare hands that have the same rank, the hand is referred to as a "copy hand." The dealer wins the copy hand in Pai Gow Poker (as opposed to in blackjack, where a copy hand results in a push. For example, if your second-highest hand is composed of an ace + king and the dealer has an ace + king as well, the dealer will win that portion of the hand.)
Player Banking

Just like Pai Gow Poker in your favorite land-based casino or card room, ElcasinoNetwork's Casinos now offers player banking. This means that you will occasionally be given the option to play as the house or banker. As the banker, you have the advantage of winning any copy hands, just like the dealer. When you play as the banker, you must first place a bet against the dealer. This wager will always be the amount of your previous wager or the table minimum. You must also cover all wagers placed by the other players seated at your table. In the first showdown, your cards will be judged against the dealer's. Your cards will then be judged against the cards of all players at your table. Your winnings will be charged a 5% commission by the house.
How Often Can You Be the Banker?

The casino dealer will bank every other hand. On every second hand, the option to play as the banker will pass in rotation to the different seating positions at the table. In other words, seat #1 will be given the option to bank first, then seat #2, 3, 4, and 5 on every other hand, regardless if there is a player located in the seat or not. (This means that if you are seated in seat #5 and there is only one other player at the table in seat #1, you will still have to wait until the game passes seats #2, 3, and 4 before you will be given the option to bank.)
The Dragon

In many land-based casinos, Pai Gow Poker players have the option of playing the dragon in turn as an extra game. The dragon has been eliminated.

Betting Limits

There's three betting limits:
$5-100
$25-500
$50-1,000
Winnings

Players win even money (i.e. 1 to 1) on their bets, but must pay a 5% commission on their winnings to the bank. Your actual winnings are thus 95% of your bet.

Options Dialog Box

In Pai Gow Poker, the Options dialog box offers the following game settings:
Play sound effects
Play midi music
Shortcut Keys

The following shortcut keys are available in Pai Gow Poker:

To Press
Make the same bet again F1
Deal F2
Quit ESC
Open Options dialog box F9
Open Help files F10