In March 2010 Microgaming has released a new poker based online casino card game that is very unusual. The game belongs to the Gold series of Microgaming games and is called Triple Action Hold’em Bonus Poker Gold. What makes this game unusual is that it played with a single deck of 28 cards only. There are no cards in the deck of the rank seven or below. The deck has only eights, nines, tens, jacks, queens, kings and aces.

The game begins like a normal poker game with the player placing the ante bet. At the same time the player can place optional wagers for the bonus bet and for the flop side bet. The player is dealt two cards face up. The three community cards are dealt face down. One of the dealer’s cards is dealt face up and the other card is dealt face down. The player now has to make the crucial decision. Should he play or should he fold. If the player folds he loses the ante wager. But the remaining cards are exposed as usual because the bonus bet and the flop side bet stand even if the player folds. If the player decides to play then a play bet, equal to the ante bet, is automatically wagered. Then the face down cards are exposed.

This game is known as Triple Action because three games are independently played. In the main game, if the dealer does not have a 9 pair or greater then he does not qualify. In that event the player is paid even money on the ante wager and the play wager pushes. If the dealer qualifies then the payouts are as follows. If the player’s hand is higher ranked then both bets pay even money. If the player’s hand is lower ranked then both bets lose. If both hands tie then both bets push. The main game also has an ante bonus. This bonus is eligible for a payout if the player does not fold. It does not matter whether the dealer qualifies or not. The payouts range from 2 to 1 for a full house to 50 to 1 for a royal flush.

The bonus bet payouts are decided on the five card hand of the player. This payout is independent of the outcome of the main game and also independent of whether the player folds or plays. At the lower end two pairs pay out at 1 to 1 and at the higher end a royal flush pays out at 100 to 1. In order to receive the payouts the player has to have wagered the bonus bet.

The flop side bet payouts are decided on the three community cards only. As in the case of the bonus bet, this payout is independent of the outcome of the main game and also independent of whether the player folds or plays. However the player has to have wagered the flop side bet. At the lower end jacks or better pays out at 1 to 1 and at the higher end a straight flush and three of a kind both pay out at 10 to 1.

Triple Action Hold’em Bonus Poker Gold can be played at all Microgaming online casinos such as Platinum Play, All Slots, Roxy Palace and Spin Palace.