How to Play Flop Poker

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Flop Poker uses regular poker rules to make what is essentially a quick-and-easy table game out of a poker game - with a player supported pot of money to be won. As a bonus, the house will chip-in for a large jackpot if a player hits a good hand.

If you know how to play Texas Hold'em, you know the flop is not a bad thing, it's the first three cards the dealer exposes to the players. Two things that make Texas Hold'em so different from poker games like 7-Card Stud and 5-Card Draw, is that each player receives just two cards and then the dealer puts out a total of five community cards, for use by all players.

Flop Poker, from National able Games, uses a flop as the main part of the game. This game is found in Atlantic City, Biloxi, and is now played at several casinos in Missouri. The game uses a single deck of 52-cards with no jokers or wild cards. As a standard house game, the dealer controls the cards and all payoffs, but players compete against each other to win a player-banked pot of money, which is a new concept in table games outside of the poker room.

Flop Poker Rules

To begin, each player makes an Ante wager and a Pot wager. The Ante is any amount that fits the table limits while the Pot wager is the table minimum. Each player receives three cards, face down, and can look at them after all the cards are out. Remember that all players are competing for the pot, but the decision to play the Flop wager may depend on what cards other players hold, so players are not allowed to show their cards to other players.

After viewing their cards, the players may either fold their hand and lose their Ante bet, or raise with a Flop bet equal to their Ante wager. Even if they fold and lose their Ante wager, they retain their cards and can still win the pot.

The Flop

Now the dealer puts up the flop: three cards for use by all players. However, unlike traditional Hold'em, players must use all three of their own cards with any two of the flop cards.There is no additional wagering as the hand is over.

Any player with an Ante wager and a Flop wager will win with at least a pair of jacks according to the pay table. A pair of jacks or lower hand is a house win.

Ante - Flop Pay Table

Pair of Jacks or Better 1 to 1

Two Pair 2 to 1

Three of a Kind 4 to 1

Straight 11 to 1

Flush 20 to 1

Full House 30 to 1

Four of a Kind 100 to 1

Straight Flush 500 to 1

Royal Flush 1000 to 1

As for the pot, well, as in a regular poker game, the player with the best poker hand wins. If two or more players hold the same hand (such as two players with a 6-high straight), they split the pot.

Best Strategy

There isn't much strategy to Flop Poker. In many ways, it is perfect for people who like poker, but don't want to spend months learning to improve their game. Because you are playing against both the house (on your Ante and Flop wagers) as well as against the other players, the edge against you is variable. More players means you have less chance of winning the pot, but the pot will be larger when you do win. Obviously, there is no house edge on the Pot bet, and no player edge.

Since you must make at least a pair of jacks to win on the Ante wager, raise with any three-card hand with a jack or higher. In addition, if you have any pair or three-to-a-flush or straight you should also play the raise wager.

Bonus and Progressive Wagers

This game is also available at some casinos with an optional 3-card Bonus wager and a progressive ($1 bet) jackpot. Pay tables vary but are very much like Three-Card-Poker Progressive.