Poker Switch
Poker Switch was developed specifically for BetVoyager casino. The game’s basic concept resembles Blackjack Switch: the player can switch the last cards dealt to his two hands. For example, if one hand has Q-J-10-9-2 and the other has 5-4-3-A-K, the player may switch the 2 and K to get a straight on both hands. The basic rules of casino poker are described in our Guide section.
BetVoyager features our conventional version of Poker Switch and a version with no house edge.
Main Features
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The player must place at least two ANTES of equal size on any pair of neighbor boxes. If the player wants, he can play on two pairs of boxes. The ANTES on the second pair cannot exceed the ANTES on the first. In addition to each ANTE, the player can bet on the bonus.
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The minimum bet and the maximum payout are clearly stated for each game table, and there is no maximum bet.
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The player may switch the last card dealt to each paired hand. The switch costs the equivalent of 2 ANTES, i.e. 1 ANTE per each hand.
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On each box, after deciding whether to switch or not, the player can either raise his bet or fold. If he raises, he must make a BET equal to twice the ANTE.
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The dealer qualifies with an Ace-King or better. If the dealer qualifies, but the player’s combination is higher, the BET is paid according to the standard payout table. If the player’s hand was engaged in a switch, the ANTE pays 2:1, but otherwise the ANTE is not paid. If the dealer doesn’t qualify, the ANTE is paid 1:1, while the BET is not paid.
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The player with a combination of Three-of-a-Kind or better can insure himself against the dealer getting a non-qualifying hand. The size of the insurance bet can be anywhere from 1 ANTE up to the prospective payout for the BET.
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If the dealer doesn’t qualify, the player may decline the winnings equal to the ANTE and instead replace the dealer’s highest card. The ANTE is removed from the box as a payment for this exchange. If the dealer still doesn’t qualify after the exchange, the ANTE is not returned to the player and is not paid.
Basic Rules
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Before the cards are dealt, the player places two ANTES of equal size on any pair of neighbor boxes. In addition to each ANTE, the player can also make a bonus bet. With this bet, the player is betting that there will be a high poker combination (Three-of-a-Kind or better) in his original hand.
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The player can play on two pairs of boxes at once. The first pair consists of two neighbor boxes that are located on the right side of the table. Two other boxes form the second pair. The ANTES on the second pair cannot be more than the ANTES on the first. The pair with larger ANTES is always played first, regardless of its position on the table.
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Each table indicates the minimum ANTE and the maximum payout on it. The maximum payout on both the basic bet and the bonus bet is the same, and the player can receive the maximum win for both bets at once. The minimum bonus bet is defined by the cheapest chip allowed at the table.
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Each box has the following three figures: a square, an ellipse, and a rectangle. The ANTE is placed on the ellipse and the bonus bet is placed on the square. The square is also used for insurance bets (paragraph 12). The BET is placed on the rectangle (see paragraphs 8-10).
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To make a bet, it is first necessary to choose a chip with the desired face-value. At the beginning of the game, this chip is chosen by default, and the chip with the minimum face-value fixes itself onto the cursor. If the player wants a chip with a different face-value, he can select it by clicking on that chip with the cursor. The player can also use the scroll wheel on his mouse to change the chip’s value. After the chip is selected, the player can place a bet by clicking the mouse on the desired part of the game table and his bet will appear there. Each subsequent click adds another chip of the selected face-value to the bet. If the player wants to remove the last chip from his bet, he can remove the chip fixed onto the cursor by clicking the cursor on any empty part of the game window and then clicking on this bet.
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The "Clear" button can be pressed to remove all the bets from the table. If the player wishes to repeat his bets from the previous hand, he can press the "Rebet" button. The "Deal" button will begin the game after all bets have been made.
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When dealing, the dealer places his final card face-up. After that, succesive play on paired boxes begins. The cards on the first pair of boxes are revealed, after which the result of the bonus bets is determined. The payouts for these bets are given in table 1.
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After looking at his cards, the player has three options:
- switch the rightmost cards on two hands, i.e. the last cards dealt to each paired box (the "Switch" button),
- raise the bet on the first paired box, i.e. place the BET equal to twice the ANTE (the "Bet" button),
- fold and lose the ANTE on the first paired box (the "Fold" button).
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The cost of switching is equal to 2 ANTE. After a switch, the player can either raise his bet (the "Bet" button) or fold (the "Fold" button). He can also press the "Switch" button again to restore the initial cards on his hands. The payment for the previous switch will be returned to the player. The "Switch" button can be used as many times as the player wants.
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After the player has raised or folded his hand on the first box, the player has two options on the second box:
- raise the bet, i.e. place the BET equal to twice the ANTE (the "Bet" button),
- fold and lose the ANTE (the "Fold" button).
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After the final decision has been made on the first pair of boxes, the cards on the second pair are revealed (if the player is playing on two pairs of boxes). The game continues according to paragraphs 8-10.
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Before raising the bet (see paragraphs&bsp;8-10), the player can insure himself against the dealer getting a non-qualifying hand. The player can do this if he has a hand of Three-of-a-Kind or better. With this bet, the player is betting that the dealer will not qualify. The minimum size of the insurance is the ANTE, and the maximum is the prospective payout for the BET. Insurance cannot exceed the maximum payout of the table. As with the bonus bet, the chips for insurance are placed on the square.
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When the player has made his decision on all the boxes, the dealer reveals his cards. On those boxes where insurance was purchased, the result is determined by the following:
- If the dealer doesn’t qualify, the insurance pays out 1:1,
- If the dealer qualifies, the player loses the insurance. However, if the dealer’s combination is higher than the player’s one, the insurance is considered unplayed and is returned to the player.
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If the dealer qualifies, his combination is compared to the ones on the boxes remaining in the game. If the dealer has a higher combination, the player loses the ANTE and BET. If the player’s combination is equal to the dealer’s one, the game ends in a draw and the ANTE and BET are returned to the player. If the player has the higher combination, the BET is paid according to table 1. If the player’s hand was engaged in a switch, the ANTE is paid 2:1, but otherwise the ANTE is not paid.
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If the dealer doesn’t qualify, the player can receive his winnings on all boxes by pressing the "Go on" button. In this case all of the ANTES are paid 1:1 and the BETS are not paid. The player may also choose to exchange the dealer’s card. In this case the dealer’s highest card is exchanged and, as a result, he can get a qualifying hand. This exchange is advantageous when the player has a high poker combination because it provides a chance to significantly increase his winnings. To exchange the dealer’s highest card, the player clicks on the ANTE box. After clicking on the box, the chips will darken and will be removed from the box as payment for the exchange after the player clicks "Go on".
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After the player has selected all the boxes that he wishes to participate in the exchange, he continues the game by pressing the "Go on" button. Before this button is pressed, it is possible to cancel a request to exchange the dealer’s card by clicking a second time on the ANTE box.
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After pressing the "Go on" button, the game on the boxes where there wasn’t a request for an exchange then ends. If there was a request for an exchange on any of the boxes, the dealer’s highest card is exchanged. If the dealer’s hand then qualifies, the final results are determined on all boxes remaining in the game. This corresponds to paragraph 14, except for the fact that in this case the ANTE is absent—it has been removed from the table as a payment for the exchange (paragraph 15). If the dealer wins, the player loses only his BET. If the player wins, he will receive the payout for BET, as well as for the ANTE (even though there is no ANTE on the table).
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If, after exchanging the dealer’s card, he still doesn’t qualify, the deal then ends. The ANTE is not paid and the BET is returned to the player.
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During the hand, the player can receive promptings that remind him about the game’s rules. Players can cancel these promptings by using the settings.
For players’ convenience, any changes made to the settings will be saved in the parameters of the player’s browser. If the player finishes the game session and then opens a new one, his settings will be automatically restored.
Table 1. Payout for the BET and the Bonus Bet
Hand | BET | Bonus Bet |
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Royal Flush | 100:1 | 1000:1 |
Straight Flush | 50:1 | 500:1 |
Four of a Kind | 20:1 | 200:1 |
Full House | 7:1 | 70:1 |
Flush | 5:1 | 50:1 |
Straight | 4:1 | 40:1 |
Three of a Kind | 3:1 | 25:1 |
Two Pair | 2:1 | — |
One Pair | 1:1 | — |
Ace-King | 1:1 | — |
Poker Switch with No House Edge features a slightly different payout scheme. It can be viewed in the game window. Please note that the casino doesn’t have any advantage on the ante wager, but it retains its advantage for any bets on the bonus.