Would the casino's object if you and the other players at the table simply turned your hands face up? It seems like that would make 'collusion' a lot easier...

I've heard most don't mind sharing hands, which makes it lololol easier.

This goes on a lot more often than you'd think- people showing their big hands proudly or saying "What do I do here??" to the dealer. My least favorite are the nits who squeeze their hole cards like they're at a WSOP final table. I have only gotten heat a few times for semi-obviously showing/looking at cards, and this is because I was playing ~$400 a hand at the Hilton with some friends.

Earlier in this thread GBV said that a full table of players showing cards to each other could beat Texas Bonus Holdem. I know it is theoretical but what would the edge be?

All three of these points have been quoted for truth, especially the last two. To be brutally honest, I had never really thought to grab the third-base seat and pay strict attention to how my tablemates are betting. If they're hammering away with bets and you have a good piece of the flop, hop on board! I can think of too many times where I've checked down my bottom pair of fives only to have the dealer flip up 42o.

Also, pay attention to when people put out their river bets before the turn hits. For example, if I'm playing Ad3d and the flop comes down three diamonds, I'll put out my river bet immediately along with my turn bet (rather than wait until the turn hits). Obviously I'm not going to check down the nut flush no matter what card comes on the turn, and this is probably true for most people who get a big piece of the flop.

The rules in Brantford Casino, in Ontario are a little bit different, in that the player gets even money for their ante as long as they have better then trip 10's. I'm still not certain as to colluding, some dealers don't mind, some do. Yesterday was my second time playing so i haven't bothered making sure, but i'll ask the next time i play.

So with that slight rule change, how much better are my odds?

The dealer error rate on this game is hilarious. You need to keep a REALLY careful eye on your hand because they will get confused and try not to pay you from time to time. They also will completely miss their own hands constantly and pay you off. If you play to Wizard of Odds and dont let them make mistakes to your detriment, you are probably in one of the better situations you can get in a gaming pit, which means not that great.

I am also convinced this is +EV if you know how to bet A and K high hands, and if you can pound a few beers and become friendly with others at the table and 'help' them bet their hands.

One night in Vegas, I was betting like $25 a hand and this middle aged lady was betting the minimum, and we were both pretty drunk. I was helping her with strategy, which meant I would get to see her hand and tell her 'what I would do' and always say 'but it is up to you' and then I would make my bet. Obviously if she has any part of the board or an A or K high, I can make my hand that much stronger because the dealer is now less likely to have that.

Also when this was first released, the dealers were horrible and spotting 5 card hands, obviously I was perfect at it. If they made a mistake in my favor, I kept my mouth shut, and if it was in the houses favor, I quickly corrected them. I know for a fact this had to be +EV, but on recent trips, I have seen far fewer mistakes, although I keep my mouth closed on kicker issues and hope they overlook it and call it a push. I even say things like "we both have a pair of 8s" after they flip their hand over, hoping they will just mindlessly push it.

Obviously this doesn't hurt the dealer themselves, I can't be blamed for 'stealing' from the casino if they can't train their dealers properly.

yah dealers are terrible at reading the board. last time i was playing, i remember getting a push when i shouldve lost. i had like Q5 vs 58 on a 3467X board, something like that.

The sit down video version of the Texas Holdem game allows every player to see every other players hand. The dealer must qualify with a pair or better for anything other than ante to pay out. If pair shows on the board then dealer is guaranteed to qualify.

game is crushable if youre good at holecarding

I had another good session at this game last night. My casino was spreading two $15-min tables, I sat down with $300 and played for three hours. Ran my stack up to $975 at one point, eventually hit a downswing and ended up chashing out for $750, or a $450 profit. Once again, I was the only guy playing the bonus at my table.

I think WPT All In holdem was for a short while +EV before they changed the rules a bit. Texas Hold'em Bonus you lose so much seeing the flop imo.

This game is so funny to watch in the casino. They're edge may be small but they're making so much more from all the idiots that play poorly.

I was at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls last Thursday afternoon, and was watching a friend playing this game (after getting felted in 2-5). The board was something like Ah Ks 3h 7c 5h. The dealer has Th9h and says she has ten-high. I checked the board three times to make sure I wasn't seeing things, but kept my mouth shut until the cards were gone. Of course, my friend who knows next to nothing about poker missed the flush too (but got paid off).

A few hands later, he gets excited because he has a king on a A Q T 9 J board. Dealer has 98 and pays everyone that can beat her pair of 9's. Suddenly, I think maybe I might have an edge at this game and sit down, but we left shortly afterwards.

Just by looking at the payouts I could tell the bonus was an absolute joke, but the players still chided me for not playing it. Also, you aren't supposed to share information, but no one seemed to care if you did.