The crop of live dealer games available for Michigan online casinos just got a little larger.
Evolution released three new live dealer options on Thursday. Lightning Roulette, Three Card Poker and Ultimate Texas Hold’em are now available at BetMGM Michigan and TwinSpires Online Casino.
Expect other Evolution partners to add the games in the future as well.
Lightning Roulette, 3 Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em join Michigan live dealer lineup
These three games join the likes of Blackjack, Infinite Blackjack, Roulette and Baccarat as available live dealer games in the state. And if you have live dealer games in your online casino, Evolution is likely your partner.
Of the 15 online casinos in Michigan, all but three use Evolution. Two of those have no live dealer game options.
Eagle Casino & Sports recently announced their partnership with Evolution following the release of their online casino in April.
Evolution received approval from the Michigan Gaming Control Board last July and operates out of its studio in Southfield.
How to play Lightning Roulette
Lightning Roulette is similar to classic roulette, but for each spin, between one and five lucky numbers are struck by lightning. These lucky numbers have their payouts raised to a multiplier between 50x and 500x.
Players are able to bet on the full range of roulette bets just like in a standard live roulette game. Additional chances to win come through randomly generated lucky numbers and lucky payouts.
Multipliers include:
- 50x
- 100x
- 200x
- 300x
- 400x
- 500x
After all bets are accepted, the amount of lucky numbers, the lucky numbers themselves and the amounts of lucky payouts are randomly generated. Each lucky number pays one of the lucky payouts between 50-500x if the ball lands on one of those numbers and if the player made a straight bet on that number.
Non-multiplied straight bets pay out 30-1 (rather than 35-1) odds. All other bets such as splits, corners, red/black, and dozens pay the standard roulette odds.
How to play Three Card Poker
Compared to games like Ultimate Texas Hold’em and Let It Ride, the strategy for 3-Card Poker is simple. This makes it accessible to new players – as well as entertaining for experienced table game fans.
The game begins with three cards dealt to each player and the dealer. You then opt to play or fold based on the strength of your hand. There are two different side bets to enjoy with the potential for big money payouts. Fans of this game consider the ‘Pairs+’ side bet to be an essential part of the game.
Before a hand is dealt, players each post a bet known as the ante.
Players and the dealer are then dealt the cards. Your cards will be face up, while the dealer’s cards are face down. Having seen your hand, you must decide whether to ‘play’ or not. If you do, another bet equal to the size of the ante must be placed. If you fold, your ante bet is removed.
When opting to play, the dealer’s hand will be revealed and compared to yours. If the dealer’s hand is better (using standard poker hand ranks), you lose both the ante and the play part of your bet. If your hand is the better of the two, you immediately win your ante bet.
For winning hands there is a dealer qualification rule. If the dealer qualifies with Queen high or better, you get paid on your ‘play’ bet. If the dealer did not qualify, then that bet is a push – the stake is simply returned.
In addition to the main action, there are two side bets you can place for added action:
Pair+: This side bet is based on the strength of your own 3 cards. You will be paid at the following odds if you land any of these hands:
- Pair: 1-1
- Flush: 3-1
- Straight: 6-1
- Three of a Kind: 30-1
- Straight Flush: 40-1
- Mini Royal Flush (AKQ suited): 200-1
6 Card Bonus: This second side bet is based on the best combined 5-card hand you can make from both your 3 cards and the dealer’s 3 cards. Some casinos have progressive jackpots, with the biggest prize for a Royal Flush in diamonds or 6-card Royal. Here are the payouts:
- Three of a Kind: 5-1
- Straight: 10-1
- Flush: 20-1
- Full House: 25-1
- Four of a Kind: 50-1
- Straight Flush: 200-1
- Royal Flush: 1000-1 (or Progressive)
How to play Ultimate Texas Hold’em
Ultimate Texas Hold’em is similar to the popular poker game played around the world, but in a casino format.
Instead of playing against other poker players, this puts you 1-on-1 with the house. The unique betting system means you get to choose when to bet during each hand. This adds some strategy to ‘UTH’ that other casino poker table games lack.
Ultimate Texas Hold’em is played with a single deck of cards. You start by posting both an ante and a blind of equal amounts. At this point, both you and the dealer will be dealt your two hole-cards, with your cards face up and the dealer’s cards face down.
You now choose whether to bet or check (move to the next step without betting). At this stage, the betting options are to bet 4x the ante/blind, 3x the ante/blind. If you decide to bet either 3x or 4x the betting action is now over – and the hand will play out to a conclusion. This bet is based on the strength of your own cards.
If you checked at this point, the first three community cards are dealt. After seeing the ‘flop’, you have the option to either bet 2x the ante/blind or once again to check. If you bet, the hand will play out to the end.
If you checked twice, the final two community cards are then revealed. Now you have the option to either bet 1x the ante/blind or to simply fold.
Payout odds
Payouts can seem complicated, with the ante, blind and raise bets all having their own system.
If you win the hand, any of your bets after the ante/blind are posted will pay at 1-to-1, doubling your money on those raises. This means that the earlier in the hand you committed, the more bet units get the double-up.
The initial ante bet will pay 1-to-1 if the dealer has a hand with at least a pair in it. This bet will be a push if the dealer’s hand has a value that is lower than a pair.
Blind bet payouts are based on the strength your hand. If you win with lower than a straight, then this bet is considered a push. However, the pay outs quickly increase the higher the quality of your hand. Here is the blind bet pay table:
- Straight: 1-1
- Flush: 3-2
- Full House: 3-1
- Four of a Kind: 10-1
- Straight Flush: 50-1
- Royal Flush: 500-1
This is an optional side bet that pays out the following based on the strength of your final poker hand. This is independent of the hand against the dealer:
- Three of a Kind: 3-1
- Straight: 4-1
- Flush: 7-1
- Full House: 8-1
- Four of a Kind: 30-1
- Straight Flush: 40-1
- Royal Flush: 50-1
You can opt to bet the trips wager for a higher or a lower amount than your initial ante/blind.
