Casino Poker Games — House-Banked, Not Poker
Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold'em, Caribbean Stud and pai gow — poker-flavoured games played against the house, not other players.
Casino poker games use poker hand rankings but you play against the dealer, not other players — so, unlike real poker, they carry a fixed house edge that no strategy can erase. Each has an ante or base bet, often a raise, and usually a side bet. The edge is normally quoted per ante and varies widely: Ultimate Texas Hold'em is among the best (~2.2%), Caribbean Stud among the worst (~5.2%).
In real poker you play opponents and the house takes a rake; skill can make you a long-run winner. In casino poker games you play a fixed-rule dealer, so there is a built-in house edge that optimal play can minimise but never remove. Poker rankings, casino maths.
Ultimate Texas Hold'em ~2.19% per ante (very low element of risk); Three Card Poker ~3.37% per ante (~2.0% element of risk); Let It Ride ~3.5%; Pai Gow Poker ~2.7% against the house (with a 5% commission on wins); Caribbean Stud ~5.22% per ante. Each has an optimal strategy that reaches these figures — deviating costs more.
Because you can raise, the edge quoted per ante overstates the true cost of the money you actually put at risk; the 'element of risk' — edge per unit of total wager — is lower. Both matter: the per-ante figure is the table's headline, the element of risk is what your bankroll really faces.
Almost every casino poker game bolts on a bonus or side bet — Pair Plus, 6-Card Bonus, a progressive — with a much higher edge, often 5% to over 20% on progressives. They are the profit centre; the base game is the loss-leader that gets you to the table.
Education, not advice. This explains how the game works so you can read it clearly — it is not a system to beat the house. Every casino game carries a house edge; over enough play it wins. 18+.