To say a poker player is out to make money does not necessarily mean he is out to win pots. Of course, you can't win money without winning pots, but attempting to win every pot or too many pots is a losing proposition. If you win $100 in one pot but lose $120 trying to win four others, you have a net loss of $20. You may occasionally be in game where the best strategy is to win as many pots as possible, but such games are exceptions. In most games the bets you save are as important as the bets you win, because your real goal is to maximize your wins and minimize your losses. Ideally you want the pots you win to be as big as possible and the pots you lose to contain nothing more than your ante. You must remember that reducing losses - by not making the calls, for example, that a weaker player would make - adds that much more to your win when the games is over.

Poker as played in casinos is much different than the Friday night games at your neighbor's house. If you are a regular winner in the weekly games at home, don't assume that you can play in a casino and achieve the same results.

Poker, like blackjack, is one of the few casino games where the skill level of the player can make a major difference in long-term win/loss expectation. Unlike blackjack, where your only opponent is the dealer, casino poker attracts many of the best players in the world, and you must learn to defeat (or avoid) them if you want to win at this games.

The rules of play are similar to the home games; the same single deck of cards is used, a royal flush beats a straight flush, etc. Two major differences are that the casino provides a dealer who does not participate as a player in the games (but takes a commission of about 5 percent of each pot, known as the "rate," for the casino's services) and the choice of games is limited to those that the casino wishes to offer.

This games is growing in popularity because it combines the best of Caribbean Stud and Let It Ride. Your objective is to beat the dealer's hand but, in this case, you have a three-card hand instead of a five-card hand. You also have the option of a side bet called Pair Plus, which is paid out independent of your decision against the dealer, with a fixed bonus schedule, similar to a slot machine. There are three types of bets, including Pair Plus-the other two are Ante and Play. The rules of play are described here. Note that in this games, a three-card hand of three-of-a-kind beats a straight or flush because three like cards are more difficult to get than a three-card flush or straight. The house edge is a little less than 2.5 percent.