Ultimate Texas Holdem At Casinos

Practical Collusion for Ultimate Texas Hold’em Posted in collusion, ultimate texas hold'em by stephenhow on January 15, 2010 Most casinos that spread Ultimate Texas Hold’em don’t really mind when players discretely show their hands to their neighbors, or even flash the entire table. This is because overall, a player can’t gain much.

Ultimate Texas Hold ’Em is one of the newest variations of poker to be created and it has become widely available in most U.S. casinos over the last several years. Today it is one of the most popular niche table games in almost every casino that offers it.

When Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em was first introduced, the game was only available on multiplayer electronic machines. Since that time, its popularity has exploded and it has been expanded into a live table game which is the most common variety played in casinos today. It is now a registered trademark of Bally Gaming.

Currently Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em is available at most Las Vegas casinos and many others throughout the country. Like other forms of poker, Ultimate Texas Hold ’Em is played with a single 52-card standard deck of cards. Players start off by making a blind and ante bet. Unlike traditional Texas Hold ‘Em variations, however, these two wagers must be equal. There is also an optional Trips side bet which pays regardless of whether your hand wins or loses. Read on to learn more about Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em payouts, rules and how to play.

Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em Articles

– Read Our Guide to Playing Ultimate Texas Hold’em Online

Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em Payouts & Winning Hands

The blind, ante and play bets are each scored slightly differently depending on the outcome of the hand. The blind bet has its own special pay table, according to the strength of the overall hand. For the blind, winning hands of a straight or better have special payouts. Winning ante and play bets are paid out at 1:1. Below we have put together a basic chart outlining each of these:

Overall Payouts Based on Winning Hand

WinnerDealer QualifiesBlind BetAnte BetPlay Bet
Player
Win
Win
Win
Player
Win
Push
Win
Dealer
Lose
Lose
Lose
Dealer
Lose
Push
Lose
Tie
N/A
Push
Push
Push

Blind Bet Payout

– Royal Flush: 500-1
– Straight Flush: 50-1
– Four of a Kind: 10-1
– Full House: 3-1
– Flush: 3-2
– Straight: 1-1

Trips Bet Payouts

Holdem

The Trips side bet is optional and pays regardless of whether the hand wins or not. It even wins if the board makes the hand, making it one of the most popular features of Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em. It is also worth noting that players may fold and still win the Trips bet. Below we have outlined payouts based on the winning hand:

– Royal Flush: 50-1
– Straight Flush: 40-1
– Four of a Kind: 30-1
– Three of a Kind: 8-1
– Full House: 8-1
– Flush: 6-1
– Straight: 5-1

How to Play Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em

The format used in Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em is similar to other versions of Texas Hold ‘Em that are spread in poker rooms. The biggest draws are that unlike other poker varieties, Ultimate Hold ‘Em is played against the dealer and there is an optional trips bet (which we go over below). Another draw comes from the raise format, which offers the player an opportunity to raise as a multiple of of ante. These factors help add a higher level of excitement to the game. Below we’ll outline the rules and payouts associated with Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em.

1. To start off, players receive two cards and so does the dealer. The players look at their cards and decide whether to check or to raise. If they opt to raise, it must amount to four times the ante. There is also an option to raise only three times – however, there is never a hand where basic strategy calls for this move. A raise at any point in the hand ends any player action.

2. After this decision, three cards (known as the flop) are shown. Players that did not raise before the flop now have the option of raising two times the ante. Checking is also an option here.

3. After the post-flop betting has been resolved, the last two cards are shown. At this point, players must either match their ante or fold.

4. The dealer then exposes his two cards and grades the hand. The dealer must have at least one pair to qualify. A paired board is considered a qualifier, even if the dealer did not match it.

5. If the dealer does not qualify, then the ante pushes; even if the player’s hand loses to the dealer. If the dealer’s hand qualifies, the best hand wins the ante bet. This is the same whether playing in a casino or online at top poker sites for real money.

Additional notes: Regardless of whether the dealer qualifies, the blind and raises are in play. If the dealer beats the player then the blind bet and raise lose. If the player beats the dealer, the raise is matched. Ties push the raise and blind bet.

Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em Progressive

When it comes to the excitement level of Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em, the possibility of hitting a progressive certainly adds to the game. There are generally two types of progressive available at a table. This includes a “small” and “big” progressive. Obviously, this will vary from casino to casino, and sometimes even state to state. Most commonly, to qualify for the progressive requires the player to place a $1 side bet.

Small Progressive

A “small progressive” refers to a player making certain hands by using at least 1 hole card. The highest payout comes from hitting a Royal Flush. Doing so will mean you get paid out the entire small progressive jackpot. Other hands qualifying for the progressive are community royals, straight flushes, four of a kinds and full houses.

Big Progressive

A “big progressive” refers to when a player makes the same hands listed above without using any hole cards. Instead, the player must flop a Royal Flush to win the jackpot. The jackpot for big progressives are generally much higher than the small progressive, since the odds are much lower on hitting one. You can still, however, win by using hole cards. For example, making a royal with a hole card still pays 5% of the jackpot, while a community royal will generally pay $3,000.

Prepare yourself by learning the proper strategies, and it’s a table game worth wagering on

by Michael Shackleford

Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em is a good bet when you use optimal strategy. The game also has a slow pace, which means you’ll lose less money per hour on average. Another side benefit is that casinos often comp these poker-based games pretty well.

Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em is one of the more popular poker variations to make it into the crowded business of casino table games. The twist to this game is that the player makes a one-time Play bet of either four times his Ante bet after seeing his hole cards; two times his Ante after the flop; or one time his Ante after the river. Here’s a rundown of the complete set of rules.

  1. A single, ordinary 52-card deck is used.
  2. The player must make equal bets on both the Ante and Blind.
  3. Two cards are dealt face down to the player and dealer. The player may look at his own cards.
  4. The player may check or make a Play bet equal to three or four times the Ante.
  5. The dealer deals the three community cards (the flop).
  6. If the player previously checked, then he may make a Play bet equal to two times his Ante.
  7. The dealer deals two more community cards (the turn and river).
  8. If the player previously checked twice, then he must either make a Play bet equal to exactly his Ante or fold.
  9. The player and dealer will both make the best possible hand using any combination of his own two cards and the five community cards. The higher hand shall win.
  10. Winning Ante bets pay even money. However, if the dealer can not open with a pair or higher, then Ante bets will automatically push.
  11. Winning Play bets always pay even money.
  12. Winning Blind bets pay according to the posted pay table.

Blind Pay Table

Player HandPays
Royal flush500 to 1
Straight flush50 to 1
Four of a kind10 to 1
Full house3 to 1
Flush3 to 2
Straight1 to 1
All otherPush

The Play bet works strongly in the player’s favor. It’s a way to get more money down when you know you have good cards, and it always pays even money. However, the player pays for that with the Ante and Blind bets. The Ante bet works in the dealer’s favor, because the dealer needs a pair to open. If he doesn’t have a pair, the player will most likely have the higher hand, but the Ante will push. The Blind bet also favors the dealer, because wins of three of a kind or less push.

Strategy

The following strategy advises you when to make the 4X raise. The player should never make a 3X raise at this point.

Pairs: Raise on 3s or higher.

Ace high: Always raise.

King high: Raise except with unsuited K4 or less.

Queen high: Raise with Q8 or higher and suited Q6 and Q7.

Ultimate Texas Holdem Casino Online

Jack high: Raise with JT and unsuited J8 and J9.

All other: Don’t raise.

The strategy for raising after the flop and river is rather complicated. I don’t have enough room to cover it here; I recommend the website www.discountgambling.net for the complete strategy.

Ultimate Texas Holdem Casino Game

Odds

Assuming the player follows optimal strategy, the house edge, as defined as the ratio of the expected loss to the Ante bet, is 2.185%. The purpose of the house edge is to estimate losses per hand over time. So, if the player started with $10 bets (on both Ante and Blind), for two hours and we assume 50 hands per hour, the expected loss would be 10*2*50*0.02185 = $21.85.

For the purposes of comparing one game to another, I prefer to use the “element of risk,” which is the ratio of the expected loss to the average bet. In this case, the final bet will be 4.152 times your Ante bet by the end of the hand. Thus, the element of risk is 2.185%/4.152 = 0.526%. That’s very low!

Trips Bet

Every poker-based game seems to offer at least one side bet, and Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em is no exception. A popular offering is “Trips.” It pays based on the poker value of the player’s final hand. Four pay tables are known. The following table shows what each hand pays under each pay table, and the house edge.

HandP.T. 1P.T. 2P.T. 3P.T. 4
Royal flush50505050
Straight flush40404040
Four of a kind30303020
Full house9887
Flush7676
Straight4545
Three of a kind3333
All otherLossLossLossLoss
House Edge0.902%1.904%3.498%6.181%

Progressive Jackpot

Some tables now have a $1 progressive jackpot side bet, also based on the player’s cards only. The following pay table is the one I have seen in Las Vegas:

Holdem

Player flops royal flush pays the jackpot.

Any other royal partially on board pays 5% of jackpot.

Royal entirely on board pays $3000.

Straight flush pays $250.

Four of a kind pays $100

Full house pays $10.

The return is 50.19% plus 3% for each $10,000 in the meter. To reach breakeven, the meter would need to get to $165,959.74. Most of the time the meter will be much less, and thus it carries a high house edge.

Ultimate Texas Holdem Holland Casino

In Conclusion…

Ultimate Texas Holdem Casino Locations

Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em is a good bet when you use optimal strategy. The game also has a slow pace, which means you’ll lose less money per hour on average. Another side benefit is that casinos often comp these poker-based games pretty well. The strategy is rather complicated, however. Before you give this game a shot, you should at least memorize when to make the big raise. For more information about Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em, visit my web site www.wizardofodds.com or www.discountgambling.net.

Ultimate Texas Holdem Casino Game

Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em.