Dealer Bluff Six Card Poker®is a registered trademark of Bally Gaming, Inc. and is used with permission on this website.
A rather unique poker game found in casinos today is Dealer Bluff Six Card Poker. It’s a unique table game in that the dealer makes the first move and the players react to what he or she does. The dealer may also bluff, but your poker tell expertise won’t help because it’s all done with an electronic card reader programmed to operate randomly. Tables are up and running at the Thunder Valley Casino in Sacramento, CA.
The player must first make equal ante and blind bets. The dealer gives six cards face down to the player and him or herself. The dealer bets first, with the option to bet 1x, 2x, or 3x the player’s ante. The electronic card reader announces the dealer’s wager. Typically the dealer will bet more with a strong hand and less with a weak hand. However, keep in mind that he/she could occasionally bluff. The objective of this poker game is to beat the dealer heads up with a better five card poker hand.
After the dealer bets, the player has the option to fold (lose the ante and blind wagers), call (make a play wager equal to the dealer’s), or raise (double the dealer’s bet). The cards are then turned face up to determine the winner.
If the dealer has less than a pair, the ante wager is a push. All other bets receive action. If the dealer wins, the player’s ante, play, and blind bets lose. If the player wins, the ante and play bets pay even money. The blind bet pays according to the following table:
Hand Payout
Royal Flush 500/1
Straight flush 50/1
Four of a Kind 15/1
Full House 4/1
Flush 3/1
Straight 1.5/1
3 of a Kind 1/1
All Other Push
A tie between the dealer and player is a push.
Aces Up - an optional bet is where a player wins if his or her hand has a pair of aces or higher. The bet pays the following even if the player loses the original hand:
Hand Payout
Royal Flush 200/1
Straight Flush 50/1
Four of a Kind 30/1
Full House 8/1
Flush 7/1
Straight 6/1
Three of a Kind 4/1
Two Pair 2/1
Pair of Aces 1/1
Two Way Bad Beat - This option pays the following if the dealer or player has a pair of aces or better and loses. No matter who wins the hand, the player is always a winner if a bad beat occurs, unless there is a tie.
Hand Payout
Straight Flush 10,000/1
Four of a Kind 5,000/1
Full House 500/1
Flush 200/1
Straight 100/1
Three of a Kind 35/1
Two Pair 10/1
Pair of Aces 9/1
The house edge for the initial hand is about 1.7%, Optional Aces Up and Bad Beat wagers are about 6.2% and 10.6% respectively.
The recommended strategy from the experts is: If the dealer wagers 1X – fold with a K-J-8 or less, raise with a pair of 3’s or better, call on all other hands. If the dealer wagers 2X – Fold with a pair of 6’s or lower, raise with a pair of 10’s or better, call on all other hands. If the dealer wagers 3X – fold with a pair of 9’s or less, raise with a pair of Kings or better, call on all other hands.
The poker game is pretty simple once you understand it. There is also a benefit to the player in that the dealer must bet first. You react to what he or she does. If Dealer Bluff catches on with gamers, you may soon find it in casinos across the country.