Abstract: A poker side bet and the method of playing the same can be added to 7 card casino games such as Texas Hold'Em and other poker-style games as a way of allowing the casino to increase betting and participate in the outcomes of each player's poker hand. The side bet can be applied to live poker play as well as interne poker play with multiple players or individual machine poker play. In the side bet method each player is allowed to place a side bet at the beginning of each poker hand. The side bet is separate from the poker pot for the given hand that is wagered between and among the individual players. The side bet is a bet with the casino/house. The side bet is a wager that the player's optimum hand, formed from the player's personal cards and community cards, will merit a payout based on a published payout schedule. The casino sets the payout schedule, and the casino can do so in a manner so as to entice side betting by, for example, granting large payouts for those hands that are difficult to achieve.