Premium Hold \"Em

Introduction

Premium Hold 'Em is a variant of poker promoted by AGS, first introduced at Harrah's Rincon near San Diego in early 2018. field trial placement at the Mont Bleu in Lake Tahoe on May 31, 2018.

This game can be closely likened to its counterparts. Ultimate Texas Hold \"Em In both scenarios, players are required to place two equal initial bets. The game also adopts a betting framework similar to Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em, though it offers two raising chances instead of three. A notable difference is that in this game, both the player and dealer receive three hole cards each, along with four community cards. Overall, if players employ optimal strategies, the risk factor stands at a low 0.595%.

Rules

1. A single 52-card deck is used.
2. The scoring of hands is consistent with traditional Texas Hold 'Em, a game many players are likely already familiar with.
3. The game kicks off with the player placing equivalent bets on both the Ante and the X-Tra Bonus. At this point, players have the option to place additional side bets on the Player Bonus and Dealer Bonus.
4. Both the player and the dealer are dealt three hole cards, which remain face down. Players have the opportunity to review their own cards.
5. Players can choose to either make a Play bet equal to three times their Ante or simply check.
6. The dealer then reveals four community cards facing upwards, referred to as the flop.
7. If a player hasn’t made a Play bet prior to the flop, they can either wager 1x or 2x their Ante bet or withdraw from the game. However, if a Play bet was made beforehand, gameplay continues without any further decisions to be made at this time.
8. Once the betting is complete, the dealer unveils their hole cards.
9. To qualify, the dealer must hold a pair of threes or a better hand. If they fail to qualify, any remaining Ante bets will be preserved, preceding any comparison of hands.
10. The player and dealer’s best five-card hands are then compared, with the higher hand declared the winner.
11. If the Ante bet remains active, it and the X-Tra Bonus will return even money to the player if their hand surpasses the dealer's, will push in the event of a tie, and will be lost if the dealer has the superior hand.
12. The payout for the X-Tra Bonus bet is determined based on the pay table below, rewarding the player for having a higher hand, pushing on ties, and resulting in a loss if the dealer has the better hand.
13. The payouts for Player Bonus and Dealer Bonus bets are influenced solely by the poker ranking of the corresponding hand. The winning amounts are detailed in the pay table below.

The pay table below outlines the winnings associated with successful X-Tra Bonus hands (which must outmatch the dealer’s), along with the Player Bonus and Dealer Bonus.

Analysis

The table below illustrates the winnings, combination counts, probabilities, and contributions to returns across various outcomes in Premium Hold 'Em, assuming players employ the best strategies. The data in this table is provided with permission from an exceptional website. Discount Gambling .

The last cell on the bottom right of the above table indicates a house edge of 2.06%, calculated by comparing the expected losses of players to their Ante bets.

The following table presents the likelihood of each bet amount. The lower right cell indicates that by the conclusion of the hand, the player’s average total bet will equate to 3.46 times their Ante bet.

A useful way to assess the value of a wager is by examining the Element of Risk, which is defined as the ratio of expected losses for the player vs. the overall average bet amount. For Premium Hold 'Em, this ratio calculates to 2.058% / 3.458 = 0.595%.

The standard deviation based on the Ante bet is 4.63, which is comparable to Jacks or Better video poker's 4.42. For comparisons with other casino games, you may refer to my resources. house edge comparison .

The next table displays the odds and expected contributions regarding all potential outcomes for the Player Bonus and Dealer Bonus bets. The lower right cell indicates a house edge of 4.87%, which is relatively reasonable for a side wager.

Strategy

Discount Gambling There exists a comprehensive strategy guide specifically for Premium Hold 'Em that I advise you to follow closely.

External Links

• Premium Hold 'Em — Analytical methods and strategies available at Discount Gambling.
• Demo game — by AGS, the game distributor.
• Rack card
• Discussion Discussion about Premium Hold 'Em can be found in my forum at Wizard of Vegas.

Written by: Michael Shackleford