AUTHOR: Jerry "Jet" Whittaker TITLE: Casinos deal more than blackjack, poker DATE: 10:09 AM ----- BODY: The undisputed king of casino table games remains blackjack, and the poker
boom of the last few years has helped increase its table presence in
casinos. But those two favorites are far from the only options for gamers
eager to put their money on a card game. Casinos are dedicating more space
to poker- and blackjack-derivative games or, as some gaming executives call
them, "carnival" games. These games are easy to follow for those who already
understand basic blackjack or poker, and the extra incentive of sizable
jackpots in some of them is keeping seats filled. "We've learned that
customers really enjoy new slot products and new video slots," said Joe
Barrett, vice president of table games at Caesars Indiana. "Table games can
drive that same excitement." Poker look-alikes Among the carnival games,
Three-Card Poker has seen the most consumer traffic at Ohio River casinos.
Players are attracted to the ease of the game and the possibility of big
payouts. The premise of the game is simple: Get a pair or better in three
cards. Do that, and you automatically win on a wager called "pair plus."
Three-card straights and flushes count and earn bigger payoffs. The biggest
payoff is earned with a three-card straight flush (three cards in sequence
and of the same suit), which pays 40 times the original bet. Players also
may take on the dealer with an ante and play bet, and if the dealer has at
least a queen in his or her hand, the hands are compared and the player will
win on both bets with a better hand. If the dealer doesn't have a queen, the
play bet is refunded and the ante is paid.
"It's a simple game to understand, with quite nice payoffs (for premium
hands)," said Patrick Banfield, director of table games at Grand Victoria
Casino. "People who like to play for some time can last a lot longer; some
of the other games may be a little more volatile." Caribbean Stud poker is
similar in how a player's five cards take on the dealer's five, but there's
no automatic payoff for pairs or better like Three-Card Poker. Instead, with
an optional dollar side bet, a player receives a bonus for flushes or
better. An elusive royal flush can pay a six-figure jackpot. Let It Ride is
another five-card game with the lure of big payoffs, but players don't have
to play against the dealer. Instead, a player's three cards are combined
with the dealer's two cards to create the best five-card poker hand. A
player starts by making three identical bets and can opt to pull one bet
back after each dealer card is revealed. Depending on the casino, a royal
flush here can pay 1,000-to-1.
Not surprisingly, there's also a game called Texas Hold'em Bonus that's
catching on at casinos. Like the popular poker game, a player gets two cards
of her or her own and five "community" cards that are shared, in this case
between a player and the dealer. If a player's best five-card poker hand
beats the dealer, a payout is won, and an optional bonus bet on the player's
two "hole" cards also can win payouts. --------