Texas Hold`Em is the king of poker games. Although little is known about the origins of the game, the Texas State Legislature officially recognised Robstown, Texas as the game's birthplace, dating the game to the early 1900s. Texas Hold`em becam truly popular in the beginning of  the 21st century due to online poker, world poker  championships broadcast on Tv and cinema.

General rules
Texas Hold’em Poker is a fun, exciting game which allows players to test their strategic skills against other like minded players to win the ‘pot’.  This poker game varies from other games offered in that players do not play against the House. The game is played with a standard 52-card deck. 

The blinds and the dealer button

For every hand dealt, a big blind and a small blind are required to ensure that betting subsequently occurs ( anyone playing for the pot must have an investment in it).  These blinds rotate clockwise around the table each hand. 

The first two cards

All players receive two cards face down. The big blind is considered a bet and must be called to play the hand. Players following the big blind have the option the ‘call’ the bet, ‘fold’ the hand, or ‘raise’.  A maximum of three raises per betting round are allowed.

The flop
Three cards are then dealt face up in the middle of the table. This is called the ‘flop’ which is part of the ‘board’.  The board is the five community cards used by all players. A betting round will follow. All betting will begin with the player to the left of the player who has the “Dealer button”. This player now has the option to ‘check’ or action a ‘bet’. 
If the first player has ‘checked’, all other players still remaining in the hand may also check.  However, once a player has made a bet, players then have to either ‘call’, ‘fold’ or ‘raise’.

The turn 
Next, the fourth,  card is dealt face up next to the flop followed by another betting round.

The river
The last, card is then dealt face up next to the turn card followed by the final betting round.

 

The showdown

At the end of the final betting round, all players will turn over their two hole cards. The player with the best five card hands will be awarded the pot. A player may use any combination of five cards (one from their hand, four from the board, etc.) to determine their best hand.

A player may use all of the board cards which is termed ‘playing the board’. In the case of more than one player having the best five card hand, the pot will be split equally between these players.

 

Card ranking:
The rank of each card in descending order is Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8. 7. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.  The Ace is interchangeable, and may be used as a low card in a small straight, i.e. 5, 4, 3, 2, Ace.

The order of poker hands, in descending order, is as follows:

1. Royal Flush
2. Straight Flush
3. Four of a Kind
4. Full House
5. Flush
6. Straight
7. Three of a Kind
8. Two Pair
9. One Pair
10. No Pair/High Card

 

The rank of suits, highest to lowest, will be:

1. Spades
2. Hearts
3. Diamonds
4. Club

The rank of suits are used in minor events like deciding where players may be seated but will never be used to decide the winner of a hand.

The first roulette was devised in the 17th century by Blaise Pascal while trying to figure out a perpetual motion machine. Created initially with two zeroes (0 and 00) during the 18th century, the single zero roulette was introduced in the casino in the city of Homburg, Germany by the Blanc family. It soon became popular since it offered better winning chances for the players. Legend has it that Francois Blanc bargained with the devil to obtain the secrets of roulette, as by adding up the roulette numbers 1 to 36, one will get 666, the “Number of the Beast”.

How to play American Roulette
American Roulette uses a spinning wheel, with 37 separately numbered pockets . The numbers change back and forth between red and black. There are 36 numbers plus a 0 which is green. The player can bet using coloured chips, which are assigned a value when he/she buys in at the table. The player can wager on a number landing straight up, as part of a combination, an odd or even number or a certain color. Odds are paid according to the table below.
Straight up -1 number straight up. One can bet on any number including zero by placing their chip/s on the centre of a number.
Split bet – One  can bet on two numbers by placing a chip/s on the line that divides two numbers.
Street bet – One can bet on 3 numbers by placing their chip/s on the inner left boundary line of the roulette table that is next to the corresponding row of three numbers.
Corner bet – One can bet on four numbers by placing their chip/s at the corner where four numbers meet.
Line bet – One can bet on two street bets (i.e., the six different numbers in two rows of three numbers) by placing their chip/s on the inner left boundary line where the line dividing the two rows intersects it.
Column Bet - There are 3 boxes labeled “2:1” at the bottom of the column numbers. One can place bets for all of these numbers by placing their chips (minimum of 5 chips) in these boxes. If any of the numbers in the column is hit the player gets paid 2:1. 0 is a losing number.
Dozen bet – One can bet on a group of twelve numbers by placing their chips (a minimum of 5 chips) in one of the three boxes marked “1st 12, 2nd 12 or 3rd 12”. If one of the numbers is hit, the player is paid 2:1 and 0 is a losing number.
Red/Black, Odd/Even, Low/High Bets – One can place a bet in one of the boxes on the left, long side of the table that covers half of the roulette table numbers ( excluding the 0 ) Each box covers 18 numbers. The player wins even money (1 to 1) on all of these bets, 0 is a losing number.

 

Stakes and Odds
1 number (straight up) 35-1
2 numbers (split) 17-1
3 numbers (street) 11-1
4 numbers (corner) 8-1
6 numbers (six line) 5-1
1 Dozen 1st 1-12, 2nd 13-24, 3rd 25-36 2-1
12 numbers (column) 2-1
Even-odd-red-black 1-18, 19-36 1-1

Blackjack, today`s version of the French game “Vingt-et-un”, also known in Romania as “Douazecisiunu” is one of the most popular casino games in the world. Much of blackjack's popularity is due to the mix of chance with elements of skill, and the publicity that surrounds card counting (calculating the probability of advantages based on the ratio of high cards to low cards). When 21 was first launched in the United States, several bonuses were alocated in order to increase the game`s popularity. One of these bonuses was a 10 to 1 payout if the first two cards dealt to a player were an Ace of Spades and a Black Jack (clubs or spades) . This combination was called Blackjack and although the bonus payout was soon abolished, the name stuck to the game. Currently a Blackjack hand is constituted of any Ace and 10 valued card, dealt as first two cards to a player.

General rules
Each player is given two cards face up while the Dealer receives an up card and a hole card (face down).
To win, the player must achieve a higher point total than that of the Dealer’s hand, without exceeding 21.  Should the player’s hand exceed a point total of 21, the player loses. In this game, the Dealer must draw on 16 and stand on all 17’s. The player can draw as many cards as they wish, as long as their total does not exceed 21. Should the Dealer exceed 21 , every hand remaining is paid.  All winning bets are paid at 1 to 1 odds except for a Blackjack (original two card 21) that is paid 3 to 2.
Insurance

When the dealer's first card is an "ace” the player can insure their bet by placing an amount of not more than one-half of the player's original bet.
If the dealer has blackjack, the dealer immediately takes all bets except a player`s blackjack (push).  Then the dealer would pays all insurance bets 2 to 1 .
If the dealer does not have blackjack, all the insurance bets lose, any player with a blackjack is paid 3 to 2 and the remaining players then play their hands in order.

 

Splitting

Whenever the initial two cards dealt to the player are identical or of equal value, the player may elect to split the hand into two separate hands provided that he/she makes a wager on the second hand in an amount equal to his original bet.

Double Down

A player may elect to double on any two cards

Casino Stud Poker the Caribbean Stud Poker version , without the bonus feature, is a newcomer to the world of casino games, being introduced in American casinos in 1988. The game is created around the 5 card stud poker and was first played in the luxurious casino of Aruba. It soon spread to the other Caribbean islands and from there , via the cruise ships to US.

The player must first place an Ante, which is similar to an entry fee, to play the game.  The Dealer and the players then receive five cards each.  After looking at their cards the players must then decide to stay in the game or fold.  If they do not wish to stay in the game, they then fold their cards and forfeit their Ante.  If they wish to stay in the game they then must place a bet exactly twice their Ante.
In order for the game to continue the Dealer must qualify, otherwise the players only receive even money on their Ante and the game is over.  If the Dealer does qualify, each player’s hand will be revealed to see if they win, lose or push.  The winning wagers are paid odds according to the ranking order of their hands.

Cards ranking at Casino Stud Poker
Royal flush                  100:1
Straight flush               50:1
4 of a kind                   20:1
Full House                   7:1
Flush                           5:1
Straight                       4:1
Three of a kind            3:1
Two pairs                    2:1
One pair                      1:1