Pragmatic Play Live Expands Poker Offering

Pragmatic Play Live is one of the most notable live dealer software providers. No matter what game you want to play, they have a couple of tables for you to enjoy. The only game that wasn’t in Pragmatic Play’s offering was live poker. However, with the release of two new titles, the team has remedied their weak point and reaffirmed why they’re one of the best iGaming developers.

Join us for a thorough look at Casino Hold’em and Jacks or Better Draw Poker to see if they’re worth your time. We’ll provide an overview of how these titles are played, along with the kind of RTPs you can expect.

Casino Hold’em

If you’re looking for standard poker gameplay without any extra bells and whistles, Pragmatic Play’s Live Casino Hold’em is the game to go with. Both the player and the dealer get two personal cards that can only be used by them. The host then draws five community cards, which you use in addition to your cards to create a five-card poker hand.

To win, your hand has to be better than the dealer’s at the end of the round. The reward you get depends on the quality of the hand. Payouts are as follows:

Casino Hold’em from Pragmatic Play also boasts two side bets. The first is the AA+ side bet, which requires you to get a pair of aces or better. While its top prize is the same as the regular bet, the rest of the bets pay slightly better. However, the side bet is harder to hit, resulting in an RTP of 93.74%, much lower than the base game’s 99.18%.

Another side bet you should keep an eye on is the Jackpot bet. It requires players to get a Straight or better with their first five cards. This can award impressive payouts up to 20,000x your stake, significantly higher than you could typically get from regular live poker. The RTP for this side bet is 94.04%.

Jacks or Better Draw Poker

The team over at Pragmatic Play Live understood that not everyone would want a classic poker experience. That is why the studio came forward with Jacks or Better Draw Poker, bringing the fun of video poker to the live casino setting.

When the round begins, you receive five cards. You can choose to hold onto any of the cards currently on the table, but you don’t have to. If you get a bad hand, you can discard your entire hand. Similarly, if you get an amazing hand immediately, you can keep all five cards. Any cards you choose not to hold are automatically discarded and replaced with new cards on the next draw.

To win, you need to get at least a Jacks or Better hand. Like in Casino Hold’em, the better your hand is, the more you win. However, you don’t have to beat the dealer to win in Jacks or Better Draw Poker. Just getting the right cards is enough to take home the rewards.

Pragmatic Play Live also added the fixed jackpots we saw in Casino Hold’em. The payouts and RTP are exactly the same as they were in that game, too, which is a big plus. While the 20,000x top prize is better than the base game, the 94.04% RTP is still below the 96.69% you can get with the simplified strategy. If you play optimally, Jacks or Better Draw Poker has an RTP of 99.54%.

Are These Poker Games Worth Playing?

Absolutely. All the quality we’ve come to expect from Pragmatic Play is here. The user interface is fantastic, the camera quality is top-tier, and the dealers are friendly and professional. The games themselves are a lot of fun, sticking to familiar poker gameplay while offering players the opportunity to win massive fixed jackpots.