Live Poker Games at Maxim88 Malaysia
Maxim88 offers three live casino poker variants from Evolution Gaming: Casino Hold'em, Extreme Texas Hold'em and Three Card Poker. Unlike competitive poker where you play against other players, these are casino-format games where you play against the dealer. No bluffing, no reading opponents — just you against the house using poker hand rankings. This guide covers all three games, the rules, hand rankings and strategy tips.
Poker Variants at Maxim88
Casino Hold'em
Texas Hold'em rules played against the dealer. Two hole cards, three community cards (flop) shown before you decide to Call or Fold. Turn and River revealed after your decision. House edge approximately 2.16% with optimal play.
Extreme Texas Hold'em
Evolution's enhanced Hold'em variant with a pre-flop raise option. Bet up to 4x your Ante before the flop when you have strong hole cards. Strong pre-flop hands become significantly more profitable.
Three Card Poker
A simplified poker variant where both you and the dealer receive three cards. Make the best three-card poker hand and compare with the dealer. Play includes Ante bet, Play bet and optional Pair Plus side bet.
Casino Hold'em Rules
Casino Hold'em is based on Texas Hold'em poker. The objective is to make the best five-card poker hand using your two hole cards and the five community cards (flop + turn + river). You play against the dealer, not other players.
Round Structure
- Place Ante bet (and optional AA side bet if available)
- Receive two hole cards face-up; dealer receives two hole cards face-down; three Flop community cards are dealt face-up
- Evaluate your hand: Call (place 2x Ante as Call bet) or Fold (surrender Ante)
- Dealer reveals hole cards; Turn and River community cards are dealt
- Both hands use the best five-card combination from all seven cards available
- Higher five-card hand wins; Ante pays according to payout table, Call pays 1:1
Casino Hold'em Ante Payout Table
| Winning Hand | Ante Payout |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 100:1 |
| Straight Flush | 20:1 |
| Four of a Kind | 10:1 |
| Full House | 3:1 |
| Flush | 2:1 |
| Straight or lower | 1:1 |
Extreme Texas Hold'em
Extreme Texas Hold'em (also called Ultimate Texas Hold'em in some markets) adds a significant strategic dimension to standard Casino Hold'em by allowing a pre-flop raise of up to 4x the Ante. The basic structure is similar to Casino Hold'em but with the following key differences.
Key Differences from Casino Hold'em
- Pre-Flop Raise: Before the flop is dealt, you can raise 3x or 4x your Ante. This is optional — you can also check (no additional bet).
- Flop Raise: If you checked pre-flop, you can raise 2x your Ante after the flop.
- River Raise: If you checked both pre-flop and flop, you can raise 1x your Ante after the River — or fold.
- Dealer Qualification: The dealer must qualify with at least a pair to trigger the Ante payout structure.
Extreme Texas Hold'em rewards aggressive play on strong starting hands. Pocket Aces, high pocket pairs and strong suited connectors are powerful hands to raise 4x pre-flop. With optimal strategy, the house edge is approximately 2.19%.
Three Card Poker
Three Card Poker is the most streamlined poker variant available at Maxim88. Both you and the dealer receive three cards each. You make the best three-card poker hand and compare it against the dealer's three-card hand.
Three Card Poker Hand Rankings
Note: Three Card Poker uses different hand rankings than standard five-card poker because three-card combinations produce different probabilities.
| Hand | Description | Ante Bonus Payout |
|---|---|---|
| Mini Royal (Suited AKQ) | A, K and Q all of the same suit | 4:1 |
| Straight Flush | Three consecutive cards of the same suit | 5:1 |
| Three of a Kind | Three cards of the same rank | 4:1 |
| Straight | Three consecutive cards, mixed suits | 1:1 |
| Flush | Three cards of the same suit, not consecutive | 1:1 |
| Pair | Two cards of the same rank | — |
| High Card | No combination | — |
In Three Card Poker, a Three of a Kind ranks higher than a Straight Flush because Three of a Kind is actually more difficult to achieve with three cards than a Straight Flush. This differs from five-card poker ranking.
Three Card Poker Strategy
The optimal strategy for Three Card Poker is simple: Play (call) if your hand is Queen-6-4 or better. Fold if your hand is Queen-6-3 or worse. With this strategy, the house edge on the Ante bet is approximately 3.37%.
Standard Poker Hand Rankings (Highest to Lowest)
For Casino Hold'em and Extreme Texas Hold'em, standard five-card poker hand rankings apply.
| Rank | Hand | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ |
| 2 | Straight Flush | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ |
| 3 | Four of a Kind | K♠ K♥ K♦ K♣ 7♠ |
| 4 | Full House | J♠ J♥ J♦ 4♣ 4♠ |
| 5 | Flush | A♦ J♦ 8♦ 5♦ 2♦ |
| 6 | Straight | 10♠ 9♥ 8♦ 7♣ 6♠ |
| 7 | Three of a Kind | 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ K♠ 3♥ |
| 8 | Two Pair | A♠ A♥ 5♦ 5♣ J♠ |
| 9 | One Pair | Q♠ Q♦ 9♥ 4♣ 2♠ |
| 10 | High Card | A♠ 9♦ 7♥ 4♣ 2♠ |
How to Play Casino Hold'em at Maxim88 — Step by Step
- Register and Deposit — Create your Maxim88 account and deposit at least MYR 30.
- Open Casino Hold'em — Navigate to Live Casino and select Casino Hold'em.
- Place Your Ante Bet — Set your chip denomination and place your Ante bet in the betting window.
- Receive Your Cards — You get two hole cards face-up. The dealer gets two face-down. Three flop community cards are revealed.
- Call or Fold — If your hand looks strong, Call (bet 2x Ante). If your hand is weak, Fold (lose the Ante).
- Dealer Reveals — Turn and River community cards are dealt. The dealer reveals their hole cards.
- Compare and Collect — Higher five-card hand wins. Ante pays based on hand strength; Call bet pays 1:1.
Live Poker FAQ
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Maxim88 offers Casino Hold'em, Extreme Texas Hold'em and Three Card Poker from Evolution Gaming's live casino portfolio.
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Casino Hold'em is Texas Hold'em played against the dealer rather than other players. Players receive two hole cards and share community cards (flop, turn, river). The decision is Call (continue) or Fold. The best five-card hand from seven available cards wins.
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Extreme Texas Hold'em allows players to raise up to 4x their Ante pre-flop when they have strong starting hands. This significantly increases potential returns on premium hands compared to Casino Hold'em's standard 2x Call option.
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Three Card Poker is a simplified poker variant where both player and dealer receive three cards. Players compare their three-card hand against the dealer's. Optimal strategy: play Queen-6-4 or better, fold worse. House edge approximately 3.37% on Ante bet.
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Basic knowledge of poker hand rankings is helpful but Casino Hold'em and Three Card Poker are designed for casino players, not competitive poker players. There is no bluffing, no other players to read and no complex multi-street decision trees. The games are accessible to anyone who understands hand rankings.