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Live Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker Rules

Game Play and Game Rules

The ultimate objective is to make the best five-card poker hand, using any of your two starting cards and any of the five community cards. See the hierarchy of poker hands.

Begin the game by making an ante bet. You can also choose to make a Bonus bet and/or a Progressive Jackpot bet. Both optional bets are evaluated separately at the end of each game and provide a different opportunity to win. 

Once your ante is placed, you are then dealt two cards face-up, and the dealer is dealt two cards face-down. These first two cards are called the hole cards.

You can either fold (and lose your ante bet) or bet (2 x ante). Then three community (shared) cards are dealt face-up. This is the flop.

You then have the chance to either check (do nothing) or bet (1 x ante). A fourth card (the turn) is then dealt face-up. You can either check or bet, before the last card (the river) is dealt face-up. Unlike the poker version, there is no more betting once the river is dealt.

Just like its poker cousin, the aim is to make the best five-card hand using a combination of your two hole cards and the five community cards.

Both you and the dealer place an ante bet to get started, and there are three further chances to bet before the showdown. If you beat the dealer, you win. If it’s a tie, then stakes are returned. And if the dealer bests your hand, you lose your ante and any other bets (excluding bonus bets which are treated separately, see below for more).

Who has the best five-card hand?

  • If your hand beats the dealer, you are paid out at even money (1:1) on the flop, turn and river bets. Win even money on the ante bet if your hand is a Straight or better – otherwise the ante bet pushes (returns to player and dealer).
  • If your hand is equal to the dealers, the ante, flop, and turn bets will all push.
  • If the dealer beats your hand, you lose all main game bets.

Main bet Payouts

Bet TypePayout
Ante bet 1:1 on hands that are a Straight or better. Pushes on all other hands
Flop, turn and river bet 1:1

In every scenario, any Bonus bets or Progressive Jackpot bets pay on qualifying hands no matter what the dealer achieves.

Bonus bet

The Bonus bet is based on your starting hand of two cards. In the case of the top payout, it’s also based on the dealer’s first two cards.

Various combinations of the starting cards will trigger a Bonus payout of 3:1 up to 1,000:1.

Bonus bet Payouts

Hand combinations listed refer to your two starting cards only.

Bet type Payout
Player AA & dealer AA (Player’s first two cards are aces and dealer’s first two cards are aces) 1,000:1
A-A (player only) (First two cards are aces) 30:1
A-K (Suited) (First two cards are A + K in same suit) 25:1
A-Q or A-J (Suited) (First two cards are A + Q or A + J in same suit) 20:1
A-K (Different suits) (First two cards are A + K of different suits) 15:1
K-K or Q-Q or J-J (First two cards are K + K or Q + Q or J + J) 10:1
A-Q or A-J (different suits) (First two cards are A + Q or A + J of different suits) 5:1
10-10 through 2-2 (pocket pairs) (First two cards are 10 + 10 down to 2 + 2) 3:1

The ante bet is required before a player can place the Bonus bet.

Progressive Jackpot Side bet

The Progressive Jackpot keeps growing until it’s won with a Royal Flush. All seated players who placed a Jackpot bet in that winning round share the total amount on the Progressive Jackpot meter. There are also lower fixed prizes on offer. Find further information inside your game window.

Progressive Jackpot bet Payouts

Royal FlushThe Progressive Jackpot
Straight Flush 2,500:1
Four of a Kind 250:1
Full House 50:1
Flush 25:1
Straight 10:1
Three of a Kind 3:1

The original bet is not paid out to the player as part of the winning payout.

Game RTPs

The theoretical percentage return to player (RTP) is as follows:

Game TypeRTP
Ante bet 97.96%
Total bet 99.47%
Bonus bet 91.46%
Progressive Jackpot bet 81.84%