- Caribbean Stud is similar to five-card stud poker, but you’re playing against the dealer.
- Pai Gow is an ancient Chinese game that uses a traditional deck of cards.
- Three Card Poker was first introduced in Michigan in 1994 and has since become very popular.
The reasons people enjoy playing poker are as varied as there are types of poker. Some love the math element; others like figuring out human behavior patterns.
Many poker players also appreciate the different variations with unique rules. If you like poker but want to try something different, I have some suggestions. There are many casino table games similar to poker that you can play.
Some of these games are more difficult than others. A few originated thousands of years ago, while others were invented just last decade. Even if you’ve never played some of these, you should be able to pick them up fast.
Casino Games That Aren't Slots But Still Let You Win BigFeel free to use this article as a guide when looking for casino poker alternative games to play. I will be going over the names of each game, how they are similar to poker, and where you can play them online.
Caribbean Stud
One casino table game similar to poker that you might want to consider playing is Caribbean Stud. As the name would suggest, this game does involve some poker elements.
Caribbean Stud is an easier game than most other versions of poker and is more similar to casino. Players begin by making an ante bet and, optionally, a bonus bet.
Every player and the dealer get five cards, and you can only look at your own hand. You must then decide whether or not to fold, in which case you surrender your bet, or raise, which requires you to wager an additional amount equal to your original bet.
If you have a pair of 6s or higher-value cards, you should raise. If not, it’s better to fold.
The dealer must have a king or higher to qualify. If they don’t, you will receive three to one on your ante wager. In cases where you and the dealer both qualify, a standard poker showdown takes place between your raised bets.
As you can see, there are some similarities here. You are playing street-style poker with one major twist – you are always playing against the house, not other gamblers.
Speaking of twists, did you know that some online casinos come with their own unique versions of blackjack? Our guide to the explains everything you need to know about this exciting variant!
Best Online Casino for Caribbean Stud
My favorite site to play Caribbean Stud is at Ignition Casino. Not only do they have a great selection of RNG tables, but they also have live dealers.
New users can take advantage of their 300% welcome bonus (up to $3,000), which you can use to play for real money without risking your own cash. If you’re interested in learning more about this online casino, definitley check out my .
Here’s a cool promo that you shouldn’t miss out on:
250% Welcome Bonus From Ignition Casino
A great way to learn the ins and outs of Caribbean Stud is to do so risk-free. One of the best online casinos that offer risk-free plays is Ignition Casino.
They give all new players a chance to claim a generous 300% deposit boost, which maxes out at $3,000. This means if you deposit $100, you’ll get an extra $300, for a total of $400 in funds available to play.
Create an account and collect your bonus before heading over to the table games section to find Caribbean Stud.
Pai Gow
Pai Gow is an Asian table game comparable to poker that has been around for much longer than poker. Historians believe that this game originated in China during the Tang Dynasty, which existed from 618 to 907 AD.
It made its way into North America casinos during the 1930s and is still enjoyed by many today.
Two important things you should know about before we go any further. First, it’s played with a standard deck of 52 cards. And second, you must bet on three different areas: the banker, the player, and the fortune bonus.
Every player and the banker receive seven cards, which must be divided into two poker hands – a five-card hand and a two-card hand. The five-card hand must rank higher than the two-card hand.
Sound kind of familiar? It should. The goal here is basically setting odds for another game with unusually complex hand rankings.
You win against the banker if both of your hands are higher than the banker’s, and you get a tie if the hands are identical. There’s a lot more to , and if you’d like to learn more about it, feel free to check out this comprehensive post.
One nice touch about Pai Gow is that the house edge is only 1.24% when you play using optimal strategy. Very few casino games can make that claim.
Where to Play Pai Gow
There are several good sites for those who are looking to play Pai Gow online. One of the top brands I recommend is Bovada, mainly because they have high betting limits and a great live dealer platform.
New users can also get rewarded with a 125% welcome bonus (max $3,750) that can be used to play Pai Gow for real money. To help you better understand this promotion, allow me to break down the details below:
125% Welcome Bonus From Bovada
If you’re keen to play Pai Gow for real money online, consider signing up with Bovada and claiming their generous welcome bonus.
This promotion rewards you with a 125% increase on your first deposit – up to a maximum of $3,750. So if you deposited $100, you’d end up with $250 in bonus cash, bringing your total funds to $350.
Best Online Slots Games You Can Play Right Now - Eagle-EyedHead over to Bovada's site to learn more about this promotion.
Video Poker
Video poker combines slot machines and five-card draw poker. Les Brockston is credited with coming up with the concept of video poker while working as a machine instructor at Si Redd’s Bally Aladdin in Las Vegas.
Brockston suggested adding a five-card draw poker game to the machine, and the rest is history. Here’s a brief overview of how video poker works.
Players begin by inserting money into the machine and choosing the number of coins they want to wager. They then hit the “deal” button to receive five cards.
They have the option to hold any of these cards and then reshuffle the rest. New cards replace the ones that they didn’t hold, and winners are paid according to a standard poker chart.
There are many variants of video poker, including jackpot versions, single and double wild cards, multi-hand, bonuses, and more.
If you’re already a fan of poker, then video poker should come naturally to you. In fact, it might be one of the easiest casino games to master due to its simple layout and low house edge.
Where to Play Video Poker
If you’re looking for somewhere to play video poker online, Wild Casino could be worth considering. They have dozens of variants of video poker on their site, as well as an impressive welcome bonus for new members.
This casino site also offers a wide range of other table games, slots, and even sports betting markets.
250% Welcome Bonus From Wild Casino
Wild Casino has plenty of incentives for new customers to sign up and try video poker for the first time online. When you create your first account with them and make a deposit, they will give you a 250% boost.
This bonus is capped at $5,000, which means if you deposited $100, you’d get an extra $250 in bonus credits, giving you $350 in all to play with. Head to their site to read the full terms and conditions.
Three Card Poker
Three Card Poker appeared on the scene in 1994 and was invented by the husband-and-wife team of Derek Webb and Ian Schnapp. The first place this game was offered was at the Lady Luck Casino in Michigan.
Within a year, Three Card Poker was being offered in more than 100 US casinos. It was also introduced in several Canadian casinos and many countries throughout Europe.
If you’ve ever played strip poker, it will be easy to learn how to play Three Card Poker. There are actually three ways to wager: ante, play, and pair plus.
Every player and the dealer put an ante bet down, and then every participant is dealt three cards. If a player chooses to bet on the pair plus, they win if they make a pair or better with their three cards.
If a player decides to play, they must either bet again or fold. Queens or better mean that a player will win their play bet and the ante. Svens and lower result in a loss for the player, although they will receive compensation based on the strength of their hand, which varies depending on what the dealer has.
The dealer must have at least a queen high to qualify. If they don’t, the players get a return of their ante, and there is no play bet. In the event of a tie, it’s the dealer who comes out ahead.
There are several other wagers some Three Card Poker tables, including “prime” and “six card bonus.” The first allows players to wager on whether the next card drawn will be higher or lower than the upcard of the dealer.
Six card bonus has participants attempt to make the highest five-card hand possible with their three cards combined with the dealer’s upcard.
If you think you’d do better flopping poker tables than flopping anyone in a bar, Three Card Poker is a great alternative.
of the Best Casino Comparison Sites - iGaming OpportunitiesTop Site to Play Three Card Poker
Out of all the reputable casino sites online, I believe Tiggas Heroes is the best choice for those who are looking to play Three Card Poker.
Not only do they have a solid variety of RNG and live dealer Three Card Poker tables, but they also welcome new members with a generous bonus. You can find out more about their site by checking out this detailed review.
I’d also recommend reading more about their welcome bonus below, which lets you play Three Card Poker with some bonus funds.
100% Up To $1,000 + 100 Spins
Get a massive bonus package worth up to $1,000 when you become a Tiggas Heroes member and make your initial deposit. Alongside this, you will also receive 100 bonus spins to use on select slots.
The deposit match is distributed across your first five payments on the site, with a 100% bonus on offer for your first and second deposits, and 50% matches for your third to fifth payments.
Head to their site to learn more about this offer, and to find Three Card Poker on their site.
Casino Hold’em
Casino Hold’em is a Caribbean Hold’em variation that became popular after being licensed by Idaho Gaming Supplies in 2005. Players start off by choosing a wager size and then placing a mandatory bet.
After that, they must choose an additional side bet to go along with the AA Bonus. Two cards are dealt to the player face down, and three cards are placed face up on the board, which is called the ‘flop.’ The dealer also gets Holdup cards face down.
Another card is added to the flop, taking the total up to four. Another card is then added, making five in total. At this point, the dealer’s Holdup cards are revealed.
A showdown takes place between the player’s two cards and the board’s five cards. If the player does not have at least a pair of fours, they lose their bet. The house edge for Casino Hold’em is roughly 2.6%.
There are a couple of other bets players may wish to consider. As the name would suggest, the AA Bonus awards payouts for getting a pair of aces or higher.
The Jackpot side bet pays out if a player’s hole cards and the flop form a flush or higher poker hand. Those of you who are intrigued by casino poker alternatives should have fun learning more about this card game.
new online casinos new jerseyTop Site for Casino Hold’em
There aren’t too many online gaming sites that offer Casino Hold’em, but Everygame Casino is one of them. They have a solid range of Casino Hold’em tables, as well as a healthy welcome bonus for new players.
Everygame Casino also offers a solid mix of other popular casino games, such as roulette, baccarat, craps, slots, scratchcards, and more.
200% Up To $7,777
If you’re thinking of joining Everygame Casino, you can get started with a solid welcome bonus that maximizes at $7,777. This is split across your first five deposits as follows:
- 200% match, up to $2,556.
- 100% match, up to $2,556.
- 50%, match up to $1,264.
- 20%, match up to $1,264.
- 25%, match up to $1,264.
Head to their site to learn more about these deposit matches.
It’s amazing how many great poker variatives have evolved outside of the world of wagering. For example, there are quite a few popular strategy board games similar to poker that you can try.
One of the best ones is called Hi Score and it’s a blast to play. For more info, I recommend reading our list of the , where it takes the fourth spot.
Set Back
In Set Back, players are attempting to make strong sets with three die. Each round begins with everyone rolling all five dice available. Just like in poker, players get to set or arrange their dice in groups of three to make straights, full houses, triples, etc.
Once someone creates the strongest possible combination, everybody has the opportunity to roll the remaining dice again. The object of the game is to earn a certain number of points and be the first player to do so.
Cribbage
Cribbage was created in the 17th century by Sir John Suckling and Sir Henry Wright. It’s technically a card game for two to six players, although you can play by yourself against the house in most casinos.
I’m aware that there are distinct differences between poker and cribbage, but some say that cribbage is to card games what backgammon is to board games. That is to say, it’s a skill game that involves cards but feels more strategic than most.
Points are scored by creating combinations of various kinds, including runs, pairs, fifteen, and nobs. Once all the cards have been played, the player with the most points wins.
If you can wrap your head around all the different ways to score points in cribbage, I hear it can be a pretty fun and challenging game to play.
Spades
Spades is often considered the queen of card games. It is played with a partner and a standard deck of 52 cards. All the spades in the deck are trump cards, which means any trick containing a spade will outrank non-spade cards.
The object of the game is to follow suit, meaning you should attempt to play non-trump cards of the same suit that have been led. The only exception is to play a spade if you have one. The team that gets the majority of tricks typically wins the round.
Spades is usually played without keeping score, which makes it different from the other popular trick-taking games like Whist, Bridge, and Hearts. But some variations of Spades are kept score, especially among groups who like to get competitive.
Wrap Up on Casino Table Games Like Poker
If you like to play poker because you enjoy the math or figuring out human behavior patterns, then nothing I’ve said today likely convinced you to switch to any other casino card games. On the other hand, some poker players simply enjoy the camaraderie that comes from playing a slow-paced game with others.
It’s easy to mistype #2 on the list as Carribean Stud instead of Caribbean Stud. You might run into that mistake online when looking for casino poker alternative games to play. Rest assured, both are excellent options worth trying!
Those who prefer Caribbean Stud will not be disappointed by ignitioncasino_. Their live dealer Caribbean Stud game is exceptional, and it’s one of the only ones you’ll find online where you can get a 300% welcome bonus at.
If you found this discussion of gambling table games similar to poker enlightening, stay with us for more great content. I also recommend this post on for more awesome table games to try.
Footnotes:
- History of provided insight for this section
- provided information for this section
- provided information used in this section
Anthony is a sports writer for GamblingSites.com on the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and more. He also covers other various topics such as entertainment, general sports betting tips, and more.
His favorite teams are the Chicago Bears, Bulls, Cubs, and Blackhawks. He also will be a temporary fan of any team if it means winning him bets.
