Fixed odds arcade games are very popular at online casinos. They are fast paced games with no strategy and minimal decision making. Arcade games are good for unwinding after a strenuous session. Usually Texas Hold’em is offered as a casino poker game under the Table Games category at online casinos. However, the leading software developer Playtech offers a Texas Hold’em game in a fixed odds arcade game format. It is a bit like baccarat in the sense that the player has to predict who will win a hand of Texas Hold’em played out at the tables.

Hold’em Showdown begins with the player selecting the initial bet size. The table displayed on the screen has a Dealer and four Opponents. Each of them is dealt a set of hole cards. Simultaneously two payouts are displayed for each Opponent. One is for the Opponent winning the hand and the other is for the Dealer winning the hand. The payout is the amount that will accrue to the player if he guesses right and includes the current bet. If the player feels that he does not want to play with these sets of hole cards for any reason, he can click the Shuffle button. This will take away the hole cards of all four opponents, but will retain the Dealer’s hole cards. New cards and payouts will be displayed. The player can make a total of three shuffles. Then he will have to carry on with the game.

The player has to choose one of the four Opponents and then predict whether the Dealer or the chosen Opponent will win the Hold’em showdown. The player makes his choice based on his risk taking propensity. Conservative players will select a hand that is very likely to win or lose but will have to settle for a relatively lower payout. Risk taking players will select a more balanced contest but one that offers a much higher payout.

Once the player makes the choice the cards of the Opponents that were not chosen are removed from the table. Then the community cards are dealt. First the three card Flop is dealt, then the single card Turn and finally the single card River. In the normal play the cards are dealt slowly giving time for the excitement to build up as the player can sense whether he will win or lose the wager. Playtech Hold’em Showdown also has a Turbo Bet feature. It deals the cards at a fast pace. Players who want to play quickly and are just interested in the result can activate the Turbo Bet.

On completion of the hand the winner is announced based on normal poker hand rankings and the community cards that go with the final hand, whether of the Dealer or Opponent, are highlighted while the other cards fade away. If the player has guessed wrong then the game is over and a fresh start has to be made. However, if the player has guessed correctly then his initial stake is replaced by the current payout. The player can collect it and start afresh with a different stake. He can collect half his current stake and continue to the next round with half of it wagered. Or he can wager his entire current stake.

Hold’em Showdown can be played in all Playtech online casinos, such as Casino Tropez and Omni Casino.