The popularity of live casino poker games has increased massively in the last few years. This is why today we can find a lot of poker games with live dealers online. Heads up Holdem Poker is Playtech’s take on Ultimate Texas Holdem from Evolution which is one of the most successful live poker games online.
What is Live Heads Up Holdem Poker
Live is a fast-paced poker variant that uses a couple of side bets to build interest with some juicy payouts.
Like most poker variants, it uses a standard 52 card deck and is played against the dealer. The highest poker hand wins. You will have three different opportunities to bet on your primary hand. Plus, there are two popular side bets you can wager on as well.
Playtech has set aside two shufflers for each dealer, so this game is very fast. Make sure and get your bets in, in the time allotted.
How to Play Live Heads Up Holdem Poker
You will receive two cards face up. The dealer will also receive two cards; as the play progresses, the dealer will eventually place 5 community cards in the center of the table. You will use your two cards plus those available from the community cards to make the best 5 card poker hand you can. High hand wins. That 5 card poker hand will also be used to determine side bet wagers and odds and bad beat wins.
The game begins with you placing both an ante and odds bet for an equal amount on the layout, now is also the time to bet on either of the two side wagers, which we will discuss a bit later. The two hole cards are dealt to the player and dealer.
The flop is when the dealer exposes the first three community cards, you now have five cards in your hand, and you can either bet 2x your ante or check. If you bet the 2x, then you are through betting until the reveal. If you check, you have one more stage of betting.
In Heads Up Hold’em Poker, the turn card, and river card are now turned over simultaneously. In contrast, they would be turned separately in many other poker games.
Your options, now with your best 5 card hand made up of the 7 total cards, is whether to bet 1x your bet or fold, meaning throw away your hand. If you do fold, your side bets will remain in action.
Now the dealer will turn over his cards. If he has a pair or better, he qualifies. If your hand is higher, you win. You get paid even money on the raise and Ante, and the odds bet is settled per the paytable.
But if he doesn’t have a pair, your ante and raise bets only push. Of course, your Trips Bet, and Bonus bets aren’t affected by whether the dealer qualifies or not. If the dealer has a higher hand, they win but don’t forget that you will still get paid for the bad beat bonus with a straight or higher.
Trips and Pocket Bonus
The trips bonus will pay if your hand has three of a kind or higher. You can win up to 100x your bet with a Royal, and you still get 3x with 3 of a kind.
The Pocket bonus is based on your first two cards. A pair of Aces gets you 30x, while an ace and face of the same suit gets 20x. An ace and any other face card gets 10x, and any other pair gets 5x.
Conclusion
Live Heads Up Hold’em is a fun game with chances to win big. As a live dealer game, it’s fun to have a dealer to joke with and enjoy the social feed. While Playtech hasn’t augmented this game with many graphics or animation, it still comes across as entertaining and new.
The game pace is fast, and you can find it in many different denominations, from £1 up to £500. It’s easy to learn and plays just like many other poker variations out there. So the next time you’re in the mood for some Poker, give Live Head’s Up Hold’em a shot. You’ll be glad you did.