Method and apparatus for playing casino poker game

A method of playing a modified draw poker game comprising:

• providing a table having a playing station for a dealer and playing stations for a plurality of players, each player station comprising a card playing area having first and second betting zones;
• each player placing an ante wager in said first betting zone;
• the dealer dealing an initial, five-card hand, face down, to himself and to each player;
• the dealer placing a common card at a location on the table;
• providing an opportunity for each player to fold or stay, each player who folds forfeiting the wager in said first betting zone to the dealer, and each player who stays placing a second, predetermined wager in the player's second betting zone, said wagers in the second betting zone comprising a Players pot;
• providing an opportunity for each player to discard one card and to utilize said common card to improve his or her poker hand;
• turning all cards to a face up position:
• (a) the dealer collecting the ante wagers in said first betting zone from each player whose poker hand is lower in value than the dealer's hand;
• (b) the dealer:
• i) returning the ante wager, and ii) paying an amount equal to the ante wager in said first betting zone to each player who has a higher poker hand than the dealer's hand;
• (c) increasing the amount of the dealer's payment to a predetermined multiple of the ante wager for each player whose hand comprises a premium hand, provided that said premium hand comprises a higher poker hand than that of the dealer;
• (d) if one or more players has a poker hand with a value in excess of a predetermined threshold, the dealer paying the amount in said Players pot, less a house rake, if any, to the player having the highest poker hand;
• and
• (e) if no player has a poker hand with a value in excess of the predetermined threshold, the wagers comprising said Players pot are retained and form part of the Players pot in the succeeding hand.