Ultimate Texas Holdem

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UltimateTexas Hold ‘Em ®is a registered trademark of Bally Gaming, Inc. and is used with permission on this website.

Ultimate Texas Holdem is a table game variant of no limit Texas Holdem, the game of choice for poker players worldwide. The poker explosion began in 2003 after Chris Moneymaker (yes, that’s his real name) won $2.5 million dollars at the annual World Series of Poker tournament in Vegas. All this for a meager $40 buy in on an internet satellite tournament.

The game’s popularity paved the way for a couple of variations as a casino table game for play against a house dealer instead of other players. This elated recreational gamers who enjoyed the game but felt a bit intimidated when playing in a poker room against seasoned competitors. One variant is Texas Holdem Bonus, and the other is Ultimate Texas Holdem, which is described below.

How Ultimate Texas Holdem ls Played

The table has positions for up to five players and a house dealer with a standard 52 card deck of playing cards.

Players start by making two bets of equal size in the Ante and Blind Circles. There is also a spot for an optional Trips wager.

The dealer will then give each player and his or her self-two cards face down. S/he will also place five community cards face down on the table.

Players then look at their hole cards and make a decision depending on the strength of their cards to either check, (make no bet) or raise from 3X to 4X their ante wager.

The dealer then turns over three of the five community cards. This is known as the flop. After this action, players that checked may make a play bet equal to 2X the ante, or check again. Players that already bet may not bet further.

The dealer then turns over the two remaining community cards. All players that checked twice must either make a play bet equal to the ante, or fold forfeiting their ante and blind wagers.

The players and dealer make their best possible five card poker hand by using their own two cards and three of the five community cards. The dealer must have at least a pair to open.

If the dealer does not qualify to open, all the players ante bets push. All other bets receive action.

If the player beats the dealer, the play and ante bets win even money. If the dealer beats the player, the ante, play and blind bets lose.

If the dealer and player tie, all bets push.

The blind bet pays with a progressive pay table if the player beats the dealer with at least a straight, otherwise it pushes.

Pay Tables

Pay tables may vary between jurisdictions.

Blind Pay table

Hand                                                      Pays

Straight                                                  1 /1

Flush                                                      3 / 2

Full House                                               3 / 1

Quads                                                     10 / 1

Straight Flush                                         50 / 1

Royal Flush                                             500/ 1

The optional trips bet pays according to the following pay table even if the player loses to the dealer:

 Trips Pay Table

Hand                                                      Pays

Trips                                                       3 / 1

Straight                                                  5 /1

Flush                                                      6 /1

Full House                                               8 / 1

Quads                                                     30 / 1

Straight Flush                                         40 / 1

Royal Flush                                             50 / 1

Strategy & House edge

 

Here's some simple pre-flop strategy: Raise 4X with any A/2 to A/K, raise 4X with suited K/2 to K/4,Q/6 & Q/7, J/8 & J/9. raise 4X on any pair of 3's or higher, never make a 3X raise. Check all other hands. The house edge is between 2 and 2.5% depending on jurisdiction. The optional Trips wager house edge  is about 3.5%.

This site is for educational purposes to learn, practice and master. 

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