Have you ever watched one of our table games and wanted to play, but felt intimidated? All our games are easy to learn, and our friendly dealers are happy to explain the rules. In addition, we are debuting Graton’s Guide to Table Games as an additional resource to help you feel confident approaching the tables for your first time.
With the introduction of side bets, many table games are more exciting to play. Read on to learn about the various games available at Graton and the basic rules, how to wager, side bets, payouts and more, that will help you become a Table Game Master on your next trip!
*Rules and limits subject to change
BACCARAT
Table Minimums Start at $15
The objective of Baccarat is to successfully make a prediction between two potential winning hands. Players must place their wagers on either Player or Banker depending on their best guess on which of the two hands will have point totals closest to 9. Once all bets have been placed, the dealer will call No More Bets and draw four cards.
All numeric cards 1-9 are equal to their corresponding number. 10’s and face cards have a value of zero. When the point total reaches 10 or more, only the last numeral is used. For example, if a player is dealt a 5 and a 6, (total, 11) the baccarat point total is 1.
The Player and Banker hands are each dealt two cards. The dealer will expose both hands and announce the point total. The baccarat third-card rules then determine whether either or both hands draw one card.
On most Baccarat versions casinos charge a 5% commission on Banker winnings.
Baccarat Third Card Rules
Player Rules
Banker Rules
*Unless the Player shows a Natural 8 or 9
If the Player takes no cards, the banker must draw on 0-5 and stand on 6-9
Dragon Bonus Baccarat
Graton offers two options for players wishing to bet the popular ‘Dragon Bonus’ side bet:
Midi-Baccarat is the standard traditional Baccarat. On Midi-Baccarat, winning Banker wagers are charged a 5% commission.
No-Commission Baccarat balances the Banker and Player hand probabilities a different way. On No-Commission Baccarat, instead of a 5% commission, the House pushes all winning banker wagers whenever the Banker hand has a three-card total of 7 points.
Dragon Bonus Baccarat Side Bets
- Tie (up to 15% of table max): Pays if the Player and Banker hands have the same total. Ties pay 8 to 1.
- Fortune 7 ($1-$100): Available on No Commission Baccarat only: Pays 40-1 when the Bank hand has a three-card total of 7 points.
- Dragon Bonus ($1-$100): Pays when you win on your Banker or Player bet with a ‘Natural 9 or 8’ or if you win by a large margin (at least four points). The Dragon Bonus may be played with either a Player or Banker main bet.
Dragon Bonus Pay Table
Golden Frog Baccarat
This is our newest Baccarat variation. It plays like standard No-Commission Baccarat, but offers different side bets.
Golden Frog Baccarat Side Bets ($1-$50 / $1-$100 in High Limit)
- Tie (up to 15% of table max): Pays 8-1 if the Player and Banker hands have the same total.
- Koi 8: Pays 25-1 when the Player hand has a three-card total of 8 points.
- Jin Chan 7: Pays 40-1 when the Banker hand has a three-card total of 7 points.
Royal 9 Progressive ($5)
Royal 9 is the first Baccarat Progressive and is one of our most popular side bets at Graton Resort & Casino. This progressive features multiple top-line jackpots.
Each player position has one unique personal King-9 combination printed on the layout that can award a progressive. Personal King-9 combinations are non-suited and unique to each player seat.
If the player or banker hand contains that specific King-9 suit combination, the wager wins according to the posted pay table.
Royal 9 Pay Table
BLACKJACK
Table Minimums Start at $10
Many of you will be familiar with this classic casino table game. In Blackjack (sometimes called 21), the player and House go head-to-head. Multiple players can play against the House at one time, but each player is dealt their own set of cards.
- The House and each player are initially dealt two cards. For the House, one card is face up and the other card is hidden (hole card).
- The objective is to get as close to or exactly 21 without going over or using strategy stay with a low point total in hopes the House hand busts.
- Any point total above 21 is considered a “bust” or a lost hand. Cards (2 -10) are equal to their numeric value while face cards are equal to 10.
- Aces may be used as a 1 or 11 for both the players and House.
After two initial cards are dealt to each player and the house, the dealer will offer each player the opportunity to act on their hand in turn. Hand signals are required for each action. Options include:
- Hit: If the player wishes to draw another card a clear scratching motion on the table will signal the dealer to deliver another card. In most cases players may hit until their point total reached or exceeds 21.
- Split: When a player has a pair of same value cards they may opt to split the pair into two hands. Place a wager identical in value to the original wager next to the betting spot and signal by spreading two fingers flat to the table (peace-sign). The dealer will reposition the wagers and cards. Now both split hands are played independently.
- Double-Down: Doubling-down allows you to get more money in action if you feel you have an advantage after seeing the House up-card. Keep in mind, when you double-down you may only receive one additional card. Place an additional wager in any amount up to the amount of your original bet and signal by pointing your index finger flat on the table near your hand (for one card).
- Stand: If you’re satisfied with your hand, signal you don’t wish to take additional cards by making a side-to-side motion flat to the table with your hand. The dealer will move on.
Once all players have played their hands, the dealer will expose the face-down card and play out their hand in accordance with house rules. Graton hits Soft 17 and stands on Hard 17 or more.
The dealer will then compare each player hand to the house hand. The hand with the higher total wins. If the house and player hand has a matching point count, this is called a “push” and the wager is returned.
Blackjack Side Bets ($1-$50)
Lucky Lucky ($1-$50) Our most popular side bet available on Blackjack.
After the dealer delivers each hand two cards, the dealer will count the total of the player’s first two cards plus the House up-card.
If the point total is 19, 20 or 21, the Lucky Lucky bet wins. Special combinations pay the highest, including “suited” combinations. Suited means all three cards are Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds or Spades.
Lucky Lucky Pay Table
Buster Blackjack ($1-$50)
Buster Blackjack pays when the House hand busts. The more cards in the house hand when it busts, the higher the payout.
Players get an additional Free Bonus when they have a $5 or higher Buster bet with Blackjack in their hands and the House hand busts with seven cards or more.
Buster Pay Table Free Bonus Pay Table
Super 4 Blackjack Progressive ($5)
Super 4 is the exciting new Blackjack progressive featured at Graton Resort & Casino. This progressive also offers multiple top-line jackpots.
- Once all wagers are placed, the dealer will deal the game normally. If the house has an ace up, but does not have a blackjack (Ace and 10-value card) all players are awarded $10.
- However, if the House does have blackjack, a four-card poker hand is created combining the House hand and the player’s hand.
- Winnings are then paid out in varying amounts depending on the type of poker hand created. If a player does not have a poker hand that can be formed, the player still wins $25 when the house gets a blackjack!
Super 4 Progressive Pay Table
Free Bet Blackjack
Minimums Start at $10
Free Bet Blackjack follows the basic rules of standard blackjack (“21”), with the following additional benefits:
- Free Double-Down on first two-card hard total of 9, 10, or 11
- Free Splits on all pairs except 10 value cards
- Free Double-Down allowed After Split or Free Split (following standard BJ splitting rules)
- Free Re-Splits allowed up to four hands (following standard BJ splitting rules)
- All normal Splits allowed
- Regular Double-Down allowed on two-card hands
- Dealer Pushes on 22
- Dealer Hits Soft 17
- Blackjack pays 6-to-5 / No Even Money Offered on this game
- Late Surrender allowed
In this version of Blackjack, the House covers your Double-Downs and Splits.
When Doubling-Down or Splitting, instead of the player putting up extra money, the dealer places tokens representing the wager for the player.
Push 22 Side Bet ($1-$50)
Push 22: This side bet pays 11 to 1 if the dealer busts with a point total of 22.
Blackjack Switch
Minimums Start at $10
In Blackjack Switch each Player plays two hands of Blackjack. The Player can choose to switch the second card of each hand.
The Player can also make the optional Push 22 bet which is based on the Dealer’s hand.
- Players make equal bets on both betting spots. The Dealer then deals out two hands of Blackjack to every Player and one to themselves.
- After seeing their two Blackjack starting hands, Players have a choice to switch the second card of each hand. Rotating two fingers to signal the dealer who will perform the card switch for the player, then each hand can be played according to the normal house rules of Blackjack.
Also, on Blackjack Switch:
- Blackjacks pay even money.
- Dealer total of 22 will push all non-bust Player hands.
Push 22 Side Bet ($1-$50)
Push 22: This side bet pays 11 to 1 if the dealer busts with a point total of 22.
CASINO WAR
Minimums Start at $10
Casino War is a game played against the Dealer where the highest-ranking card wins. Players make a mandatory primary bet and may also make an optional Tie wager.
The dealer delivers one card to each player and the House. Then the dealer will compare each player’s card to the House card.
- If the Guest’s card is higher than the House card:
1. The Tie wager, if made, loses.
2. The Guest wins even money on the primary wager. - If the House card is higher than the Guest’s:
1. The Tie wager, if made, loses.
2. The Guest loses the primary bet. - If the House card ties the Guest’s card:
1. The Tie wager, if made wins 10 to 1.
After all non-tied hands are settled, the dealer will offer a player(s) with a tied hand the choice to:
- Surrender. The Guest will make a hand signal by drawing a line on the layout with their finger perpendicular to their wager. The Dealer collects half of the primary wager.
- Go to War. If the Guest goes to war, the Guest and the House must match the original wager, resulting in three units in action.
How To Go To War
- The player must place chips equal to the original wager in the betting spot, resulting in two wagers.
- The Dealer will place a third amount equal to the original wager and place it next to the two wagers.
1. The Dealer will burn three cards and give the Guest the next card, face-up and turned sideways.
2. The Dealer will burn three more cards and deliver the next card to the house, face-up and turned sideways. - If the Player’s card beats the House card:
The player wins all three wagers (original primary wager, second player matching wager and the wager placed by house). - If the Player’s card ties the House card:
The player not only wins the three-units available, but wins an additional unit. - If the House card beats the Player’s card:
The house collects the three units.
Casino War Progressive ($5)
- The bet wins if the player ties the dealer. If the player goes to war and ties the dealer again, the payouts increase.
- Unlike most table games progressive, Casino War Progressive offers ‘Odds Payouts’ for the progressive wager amount, plus a possible progressive meter pay (refer to Pay Table)
Casino War Progressive Pay Table
FOUR CARD POKER
Minimums Start at $10 – – $25,000 Maximum Bonus Payout per Round
Four Card Poker is a slightly altered variation of Three Card Poker, with players being dealt five cards to create a four-card poker hand rather than a three-card poker hand.
Ante & Play rules still apply in the same fashion with players having to place an initial ante and then a wager to play should they wish to, or fold if not.
Once all antes have been placed, the dealer provides each player with five cards and six cards for their hand.
Unlike Three Card Poker, in Four Card Poker, the House does not have to qualify their hand to play. Wagers can be placed in multiplier zones ranging from one to three times your ante.
Four Card Poker Optional Side Bets ($1-$50)
Aces-Up: Wagers can also be placed on “Aces Up”. The “Aces Up” side bet pays out if a player’s initial hand has a pair of aces or better.
Automatic Bonus: If the Player has placed a Play wager and has a qualifying hand for the automatic bonus, the automatic bonus will be paid based on the ante wager regardless of the Dealer’s hand.
Bad Beat Bonus: The Bad Beat Bonus is another optional bonus bet than can be placed when making wagers at the beginning of each game. This bet wins if:
- The player loses with two pair or better.
- The player beats the House hand with two pair or better.
- The Bonus is paid on the lowest ranking of the two poker hands in the pay table.
Four Card Poker Pay Tables
Four Card Poker Progressive ($1)
This progressive pays when the player has a qualifying hand as listed on the Pay Table.
Four Card Poker Progressive Pay Table
MYSTERY CARD ROULETTE ELITE
Minimums Start at $10
Roulette is another very friendly, entry level game of chance. Players may place wagers on a board of 38 color coded numbers (red and black).
Alongside the table is a board of 38 corresponding, colored numbers. All players at the table begin by placing bets on numbered zones of their choice on the table with chips.
Once all bets have been placed, the dealer will announce the closing of all bets and presses the spin button, prompting the wheel to spin and select a winning number at random.
The dealer then announces the outcome by placing a marker on the corresponding number on the table, and settles all bets. Simple and fun!
PAI GOW POKER
Table Minimums Start at $15 – $25,000 Maximum Bonus Payout per Round
Graton Resort & Casino offers two versions of this popular game.
Pai Gow Poker is an Americanized version of the ancient Chinese game of Pai Gow, which is played with tiles much like dominoes.
Players and the House receive seven cards each and must create two poker hands (one five-card hand and one two-card hand). The five-card hand must be stronger than the two-card hand or the player has set a ‘foul hand’ and automatically loses.
Pai Gow Poker is played with a standard 52-card deck plus one Joker. The joker can be played as an Ace or can be used to complete a Straight or Flush.
- The Pai Gow Poker wager wins when both of their hands beat both House hands.
- If one of their hands wins and the other loses, the bet pushes (ties) and the dealer will take the cards and leave the bet.
- If both hands lose, the player loses their Pai Gow Poker wager.
Note: Any hand that contains identical value cards is called a ‘Copy Hand.’ The house wins copy hands.
Pai Gow Poker Hand Examples
Face Up Pai Gow
Minimums Start at $15 – – $25,000 Maximum Bonus Payout per Round
Unique to Face-Up Pai Gow Poker, the players see the house hand before they look at and set their own hand(s). Additionally, when the House has an Ace-High seven-card hand (a hand in which the House’s only option is to use an ace as the high card with no other poker hand), that hand is called an ‘Ace-High Pai Gow’ and all player hands push.
Pai Gow Poker Side Bets
Ace-High Side Bet ($1-$50) This side bet pays when the House has an Ace-High Pai Gow.
Ace-High Pay Table
Dealer Bonus ($1-$50)
Available on our standard Pai Gow Poker games, the Dealer Bonus Bet is based on the best poker hand from the House’s seven-cards and if multiple combinations are possible, pays on the highest one.
Dealer Bonus Pay Table
Fortune Bonus ($1-$50): The Fortune Bonus is an optional side bet available on both Pai Gow Poker versions. The Fortune Bonus bet pays if the player has a Straight or Better.
Players betting $5 or more on the Fortune Bonus also qualify for the Envy Bonus, which pays if any player on the table has a Four-of-a-Kind or better. (Players may not collect an envy bonus on their own hand).
Fortune Bonus Pay Table
THREE CARD POKER
Minimums Start at $10 – – $25,000 Maximum Bonus Payout per Round
Three-Card Poker is one of our easier games for newer players to learn. There are three ways to play this game:
- Wager against the House
- Wager only on the value of your own hand
- Wager against both the Dealer and on the value of his own hand.
In Three-Card Poker the rank of the cards from highest to lowest rank are: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. All suits are considered equal in rank and an ace may be used to complete a ‘straight flush’ or a ‘straight’ with a two and three.
The permissible poker hands in Three-Card Poker from highest to lowest are:
- Straight-Flush
- Three-of-a Kind
- Straight
- Flush
- Pair
- Start by placing your Ante bet. This is the mandatory primary wager, must be placed prior to the cards being dealt.
- Play: After seeing your first three cards you may fold your hand and forfeit your wager or stay in by placing a Play wager in an amount equal to your Ante wager.
Three Card Poker Optional Side Bets
• Pair Plus ($1-$200): This optional side bet wager that pays if the player hand contains a Pair or Better
• 6-Card Bonus ($1-$50): This optional side bet is based on the best five-card Poker hand that can be made from the six cards dealt to the Dealer and Player. Each player uses their own three cards combined with the House hand three cards.
6-Card Bonus & Pair Plus Pay Table
After all players have acted on their hands, the dealer will reveal the house hand and set them in the best possible poker ranking and one by one compare them to each remaining player’s hand.
- If the House hand doesn’t qualify (contain a “Queen-high or better” rank), the ante wager will be paid 1 to 1 and the play wager returns to the Player.
- If the House hand qualifies and the player hand ranks higher, both the Ante and Play wagers are paid 1 to 1.
- If the House hand qualifies and the player hand ranks lower, both the Ante and Play wagers lose.
A Player with a hand consisting of a straight, three of a kind or a straight flush will be paid an Ante Bonus.
If the Player has placed a Play wager and has a qualifying hand for the Ante bonus, the Ante bonus will be paid regardless of the Dealer’s hand.
Three Card Poker Progressive ($1)
This progressive pays when the player has a qualifying hand as listed on the Pay Table.
Envy Bonus: A Player with a progressive wager also qualifies to win an envy payout if another player at the table hits an A-K-Q.
The Player with the A-K-Q hand receives the normal prize pay only and does NOT receive the envy pay. All other players with progressive wagers win the extra bonus.
A Player can’t win an envy bonus pay from their own hand or the Dealer’s hand.
ULTIMATE TEXAS HOLD’EM
Minimums Start at $10 – – $25,000 Maximum Bonus Payout per Round
Ultimate Texas Hold’em is very similar to traditional poker. The key difference is that players all play against the House just like in Three Card and Four Card Poker.
Mandatory Wagers
Only seated Players may wager at the game. Each Player must make equal wagers on the Ante and Blind to receive two cards. Each wager must meet the table minimum.
Side Bet Wagers ($1-$50)
Trips Bonus: Players win payouts on the Trips Bonus if their final five-card hand is three-of-a-kind or higher. Winning combinations are paid regardless of the outcome of the Player and Dealer five-card hand.
Trips & Blind Pay Table
Bad Beat Bonus: The Bad Beat Bonus is another optional bonus bet than can be placed when making wagers at the beginning of each game. This bet wins if:
- The Player has three of a kind or better and beats the Dealer.
- The Dealer has three of a kind or better and beats the Player.
- The Bonus is paid on the lowest ranking of the two poker hands in the pay table.
Bad Beat Bonus Pay Table
- Players and the Dealer each receive two cards. Ultimate Texas Hold’em is a community card poker game played with one standard 52-card deck.
- The object of the game, for Players and Dealer alike, is to make the best five-card hand, each using any combination of their two-card hand (hole cards) along with the 3, 4 or all 5 of the community cards (called Board Cards). The standard ranking of five-card poker hands applies.
- Each Player is competing against the Dealer, and the Best Five-Card Hand wins.
- If Players bet before the Flop, they may bet 3x or 4x their Ante. If they bet after the Flop, they may bet 2x their ante. If they wait until the River, when all community cards are out, they may only bet 1x their Ante.
The dealer will then reveal their two cards and begin to make the best five card poker hand they possibly can from the community cards and their own. All players will do the same and determine if their hand beats the dealer. The highest value hand wins in each head to head matchup.
Below is a list of possible poker hands in order of value from highest to lowest:
- Royal flush: A, K, Q, J, 10, all the same suit.
- Straight flush: Five cards in a sequence, all in the same suit.
- Four of a kind: All four cards of the same rank.
- Full house: Three of a kind with a pair.
- Flush: Any five cards of the same suit, but not in a sequence.
- Straight: Five cards in a sequence, but not of the same suit.
- Three of a kind: Three cards of the same rank.
- Two pair: Two different pairs.
- Pair: Two cards of the same rank.
- High Card: When you haven’t made any of the hands above, the highest card plays.
High Limit Table Game Expansion
For those of you living the high roller life, we are happy to announce that our High Limit Table Games Room has been expanded to include a whole new area with six new tables.
Our expanded High Limit area is open to all players, making it easier than ever to drop in and find a seat at a table to play some of your favorite games!
On top of that, fan favorite game, Golden Frog, is now available in our High Limit Room for the first time ever. Make sure to stop in on your next visit.
We hope you’ve all enjoyed learning a little bit more about each of our fun and exciting Table games!
To see highlights, big wins and more from all your favorite games on property, please visit our social media channels.
Thanks for reading and we’ll see you next time!
