Even hardcore poker players like to take a break from the game now and then. Sometimes, they find their way to the casino. Inevitably, they flock to the poker-inspired table games – the games that remind them of poker. They offer a chance to hit those big hands poker players dream of like straights and flushes, and can also provide players with jackpot possibilities.

Below you’ll find 4 table games for poker players that will scratch that poker itch without requiring that you go head-to-head with anyone!

#1. Caribbean Stud Poker

In Caribbean Stud Poker, the basic concept is to bet on whether your five-card hand will beat the dealer’s. After you ante and press Deal, you will see your five cards, but only one of the dealer’s. Then, you decide whether you want to raise or fold. If you raise, you’ll go to a showdown with the dealer.

The dealer only qualifies with ace king or better. If the dealer doesn’t qualify, your ante gets paid 1:1, and your raise is returned to you. If the dealer qualifies and your hand outranks the dealer’s hand, you get paid a nice prize. If your hand does not outrank the dealer’s qualifying hand, you lose your ante and raise. But the real money is on the progressive jackpot side bet!

By placing a dollar on the big red button, you become eligible for the progressive jackpot. If you get a big hand, you get paid extra money. Here’s a chart that shows the prize amounts:

Royal  Flush100%
Straight Flush10%
Four of a Kind500%
Full House100%
Flush75%

The bottom three hands get you a fixed amount. Straight flushes get your 10% of the progressive jackpot. And royal flushes get you the whole shebang. Because you only need to wager a dollar to win, the potential profit from this game goes way above even high stakes No Limit Texas Hold’Em cash games.

#2. Tri Card Poker

Tri Card Poker is a lot like Caribbean Stud in that you’ll be dealt a hand and have to bet on whether it will beat the dealer. In this game, the dealer only needs a queen high to qualify or “play.”

Your decision is to raise or fold, based on the three cards you have. Strategy guides often advise players to raise when dealt Q64, Q7x, or better. This should be enough to maximize the chances of beating the dealer if the dealer is going to play.

Pair+ makes it super rewarding if you hit those big hands. Trips, for example, gives you a 30x payout. If you’re betting ten-dollar hands, a three-hundred-dollar prize is in store for a fairly simple hand to hit. This makes it one of the best table games for poker players. Unlike a cash game opponent, this game always pays off your sets, provided you’ve got that side bet active.

#3. Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow Poker is slightly more complicated than the other poker-inspired table games on this list. This time around, you’ll need to make two hands. You’re dealt seven cards and need to split them into a two-card “little” hand and a five-card “big” hand. The main rule to keep in mind is that the big hand must outrank the little hand.

Each hand will then be compared to the dealer’s hands. If the dealer wins both hands, you lost your ante. If you and the dealer each win a hand, it’s a push and your ante comes back to you. If you win both hands, you get paid 1:1 on your ante (minus the rake). But wait! There are some fun rule twists in Pai Gow Poker.

Jokers. It’s also good to know that jokers are available, and generally count as an ace. They are wild for purposes of completing straights and flushes. We call them “semi-wild.”

The wheel straight. In Pai Gow Poker, an A-2-3-4-5 straight is the second best straight. When you see a low straight, keep in mind that it might actually be quite powerful.

What’s the right Pai Gow strategy? Well, the most basic tip is to keep your single pair in the big hand and to send your best kickers to the low. This is the most common situation, and if you get it right, you stand a good chance of maximizing wins. Plus, you can view this video on how to play Pai Gow to win.

#4. Video Poker

Video poker at Ignition takes a number of forms: Let’s talk about Jacks or Better as an example.

In this version of video poker, you’re trying to make the best five-card hand you can. After selecting your wager amount, you’ll press Deal and get five cards. You then decide which ones to keep, and which to redraw. As you can probably guess, you need jacks or better to win money, and you’re paid according to a payout chart.

The royal flush carries an absolutely massive payout. Again, when you’re at a cash game or tournament, you’re not always getting action on your monster hands like that. But here, in video poker land, your monsters are rewarded handsomely.

If you’re a multi-tabler, you can play versions of video poker at Ignition that feature 3 and 10 runouts of your chosen draws. That is, once you tap on the cards you want to keep and press Draw, you’ll see multiple runouts of your draws coming in. It’s a fun way to reduce variance and let chance work in your favor on your good decisions.

Conclusion

Whether you’re playing classic video poker or you’re trying something like Pai Gow that might be new, these are all fantastic table games for poker players to give a shot. Make sure you review the rules and check out our strategy tips in relevant articles. There can be some differences to the poker games you’re used to, and you don’t want any unwelcome surprises. Fortune favors the well-informed!