Beginners’ Guide to Ultimate Texas Hold’em

Overview of Ultimate Texas Hold’em

Without a doubt, Ultimate Texas Hold’em has become one of the most popular variations among the variations of Texas Hold’em. It combines excitement, intensity, and skills with accessibility and speed of other casino games, making it a great option for players that are looking for exhilarating fun. In this guide, you will be able to read all about the game, including its rules, odds, payout, and how you can boost your winning odds in the game.

It is important to mention that there are quite a number of similarities between Ultimate Texas Hold’em and the standard Texas Hold’em. However, it has a major difference. The biggest difference between the two is that in Ultimate Texas Hold’em, the player plays absolutely against the dealer. In addition to this, its table is similar in layout to the table of a blackjack game. Although a player plays exclusively against the dealer in the game, it is essential to mention that many players can play against the dealer at the same time. In the game, there are three distinctive betting areas that are marked Play, Blind, Trips, and Ante, before each player. This directly impact on the payouts of Ultimate Texas Hold’em. We’ll talk more on this later in the post.

The principle of the game is quite simple; beat the dealer in the standard hand of a Texas Hold’em game. Although there is a little different between a player playing against dealer and a player playing against another player, the standard hand rankings of the poker variation remain constant. As soon as the betting is completed, the dealer and player compare their hands and the one with the best five-card poker hand will win the game. At the conclusion of the game, the winning party is paid out based on the bet made along the way as well as in the final hand.

Rules of Ultimate Texas Hold’em

As mentioned earlier, whether you are playing online or live, you will have specific betting circles on the table before you. These circles have Ante, Blinds, Trips, Play, and Trips written on them. When you want to play a hand at the game, you have to make a minimum of two bets, that is, the Blinds and Ante bets. It’s important to note that the Trips bet is usually an optional bet that a player can make. Its payout is only if the player attains certain hands.

You can use the ‘Play’ bet in different options of the original bets at different points in the game hand. Let’s look at the process of how an Ultimate Texas Hold’em hand works:

1. The dealer and the player at the table place the two compulsory opening bets, which are ‘Blinds’ and an ‘Ante’ bets.
2. Before the deal, the players also have the option to use the ‘Trips’ bet.
3. At the commencement of the game, two cards will be dealt face-down to the dealer as well as the player.
4. As soon as the player checked the card, they may decide to include a ‘Play’ bet with a value that is thrice or four times the ante bet.
5. The player may also choose to check and wait until the next betting round.
6. The dealer goes ahead to deal three community cards facing up on the game table. Both the player and the dealer share these cards.
7. In a situation where the player checked in during the first betting round, they may place a ‘Play’ bet that is worth twice of ante or they can check again.
8. As soon as the player places the ‘Play’ bet, they can go ahead to bet again.
9. When the player has placed a bet again or decides to check, the dealer will deal two additional shared community cards and place it at the middle of the table.
10. In case the player hasn’t make a ‘Play’ yet, they have to either fold, which means they lose both their blinds and ante bets, or they bet once more on ante.

When all the cards have already been dealt and all the ‘Play’ bets made, the dealer then reveal the hole cards with them and announce their best five-card hand.

Dealer Qualifying Hand in Ultimate Texas Hold’em

It is important to note that the dealer needs to have a minimum of a pair in order to have a qualifying hand. In the case that the dealer doesn’t have the qualifying hand and the player’s Ante bet is returned to him, all the other bets will receive action.

The Payouts in Ultimate Hold’em

Subsequent to the distribution of all the cards and the placement of all additional ‘Play’ bets, the hands will be evaluated according to the standard poker hand ranking. After this, a decision will be made on if there is a need for payouts. There are specific ways in which payouts requirements are determined. Let’s look at these in detail.

Ante, Blind, and Play Bets

If the player’s hand wins against the hand of the dealer, the Ante and Play bets will pay on 1:1. The Blinds bet on the other hand pays according to the available scale. Secondly, if the hand of the dealer beats the player’s hand, all Blind, Ante, and Play bets lose. Thirdly, if the dealer refuses to open, the Ante bet will be returned to the player. Lastly, if the final hands of both the dealer and player are tied, all the bets are regarded as a push.

Blind Bet Payouts

A player’s Blinds bet from the start of the hand will payout based on the strength of their hand. This is irrespective of whether the hand wins against the hand of the dealer or not. The least hand that a player needs to get paid is the Straight. In the situation where the player wins against the dealer with lower than a Straight, the player’s bet will be a push. Below is the standard chart for payout of Blinds bets in Ultimate Texas Hold’em:

Trips Bet in Ultimate Texas Hold’em

The payout structure of Trips bet is a little bit more complex when compared to the other bets. Here, bets are won based on the value of the hand of the player, irrespective of whether their hand wins against the hand of the dealer. Although each payout table of each ‘Trips’ may differ, the standard table will look like the one below:

It’s important to emphasize that this is an optional bet, which means you don’t have to place it before a hand begins to pay but it can payout as an extra bonus if you hit a big hand. Additionally, the house edge for ‘Trips’ bet is often about 1.9%.

Other Bets in Ultimate Texas Hold’em

It is possible to find other optional bets at your table depending on the online casino platform or live casino table you are playing your Ultimate Texas Hold’em game. Some of the other options of bets you can find include the following:

• Progressive Jackpot

Sometimes, you can find the optional game of Progressive Jackpot bet at Ultimate Texas Hold’em tables that you can place. This is often on a $1 or a $5 bet. A part of the bet is added to a mounting progressive jackpot that will pay out when a big hand hit. Basically, the game cards that make up the Progressive Jackpot hand are the player’s two hole cards as well as the first three community card. When a game is a Royal Flush, the payout is 100% of the total progressive jackpots. Meanwhile, a Straight Flush pays out 10%. It is essential to point out that hands that are low ranked usually pay out on a sliding scale.

• The Hole Card Bonus

You can find the Hole Card bonus in Vegas or at other casinos. The bonus is paid out on the hole cards alone, and it is applicable to both the player’s and the dealer’s. Some of the regular hole card bonus bets are:

Basic Strategy of Ultimate Texas Hold’em

Without a doubt, players with lots of experience in the game of standard Texas Hold’em will naturally feel comfortable and at home when playing Ultimate Texas Hold’em at a casino or at an online platform. However, it is important to note that the optimal strategy of the game is quite different based on a couple of factors. These factors include:

• As a player, you are playing against only the dealer and not any other player
• There is no bluffing at the table
• There is also no making the dealer to fold or fold equity when you possess a bad hand
• There are no rakes
• Position doesn’t make any difference

In terms of similarities, understanding the basic odds of hitting specific hands on flop, river, and turn in Texas Hold’em is very useful for playing this variant of the game. However, the issue is in determining when to bet and how much to bet, which is quite different between Ultimate Texas Hold’em and the standard variant. It is very critical for players to know when to bet on the maximum, which is thrice or four times, on the flop, or wait for smaller bets and later streets. Understanding this strategy is a critical aspect of becoming successful at the game of Ultimate Texas Hold’em. Interestingly, the equation can be quite complex but it is not something you cannot learn. With a bit of patience and attention to details, you will be able to learn all about the strategies of the calculations. Additionally, players need to understand when their ‘outs’ will most likely hit as this can be an excellent guide in the course of developing an optimal strategy for the game.

Best Payouts for Ultimate Texas Hold’em

The most basic and most effective strategy of the game that players should remember is the pre-flop. This strategy states that player should bet the maximum, which is four times their ante and not thrice, when they are dealt with premium hole cards. Now the question is; what hands really qualify as premium hole cards? Well, there is not an all-inclusive range to this. However, it may include anything within the range below:

• Q6: suited/higher
• Pairs: 33/higher
• J8: suited/higher
• Q8: unsuited/higher
• K5: unsuited/higher
• Any suited King
• Any Ace

In case you possess a combination of hole cards that are lower than these, it is still possible to place your bets on later streets, because they may end up turning into quality hands. However, it is best that you check or fold at this point than to raise pre-flop again.

Post-flop Strategy in Ultimate Texas Hold’em

When you have attained the flop, the decision and computations to play the best Ultimate Texas Hold’em strategy becomes more intricate. If you have already played many Texas Hold’em hands at the online platform, there is a high chance that you will likely perceive the hand that will eventually hit and which will not. In case you can’t seem to figure it out, you may have to use an Ultimate Texas Hold’em odds calculator to know the specific action to take on each situation. Some of the standard rules that apply include:

• Raise twice when you possess two pairs or better – a hidden pair, that is, one community card and one hole card. These should be more than 22 & four cards to a Flush.
• Raise once on final bet if you possess a hidden pair/better/under 21 dealer outs that has the potential to beat your own hand.

The House Edge in Ultimate Texas Hold’em

When compared to other casino table games, this game has a relatively low house edge. For instance, your blinds and ante bets has a potential loss of around 2.2% of the time, that is, when taken separately. Combined, the loss potential significantly drops to around 1%. Overall, a player has a reasonable chance at breaking even. If you want to reduce the house edge, you should follow the optimal strategy outlined above. You can also try to pin down the accurate scenarios using an Ultimate Texas Hold’em chart or calculator. You can do a little bit of research to find out how you can work around this.

Basically, the above is the summary of what the game of Ultimate Texas Hold’em entails. However, before you start playing the game, there are specific things you need to know, especially if you are new in casino games. Some of these points have been mentioned above but for emphasis sake, we will mention some of them again.

Things to Know before you Play Ultimate Texas Hold’em Game

The fact that Texas Hold’em is the most popular game in the poker rooms, whether at online poker websites or live casinos, cannot be overemphasized. The game is exciting and the fact that your odds are great if you know your way around the game also makes it the more interesting. In this section, we’ll look at some important thing you need to know before you hit the online casino site or live casino to play the Ultimate variation of game.

1. You are not playing against other players like in other Texas Hold’em game. In Ultimate Texas Hold’em, you are playing against the dealer. This is quite an advantage because you don’t have to try to measure the hands of other players at the table with you. There is also nothing like bluffing in the game. For you to win, your hand must win against the dealer’s hand. You don’t have to worry about other players.
2. Unlike it is in standard Texas Hold’em, there is no rake in this game. Usually, the house makes some money off games by removing a certain percentage from each winning hand at poker room games. This is applicable in standard Texas Hold’em, Omaha Seven-card stud, and other poker games but this is not the case with this variant of the game. In Ultimate Texas Hold’em the house makes its money based on the mathematical edge that has been incorporated into the game.
3. Your Skills make a significant difference. If you are familiar with the time in the game, such as when to fold and when to hold, the edge that the house has on your initial ante is 2.2% or around 0.5% on your total bets. For instance, if you place $100 per ante, your average loss per ante is $2.2. This is on the low end of the table. The implication of this is that the game gives you a significant shot at winning at table.
4. You get seven cards and the best five makes up your hand. At the commencement of the game, both player and dealer get two cards face down. The two cards are utilized only in your hand. Other cards are the community cards and they can be used in all the hands. The cards are turned up in 2-sets; there is one with 3-cards, and another with 2-cards.
5. You must make Blind and Ante Bets. These bets have to be the same. For instance, if you ante $2, you also have to bet $2 on Blind. It’s important to note that the ante bet allows the player to meet the requirement to play against the dealer and the blind bet fulfills your eligibility requirements to get bigger payoffs when you have high ranking hands.
6. There are three opportunities for betting in reducing amounts. This means that once a player has been dealt the first two cards, they may place a play bet up to four times their ante. They also have another opportunity after the turn up of the first three community cards. If a player doesn’t make the 4-times bet, they may place a play bet that is twice their ante. The final opportunity comes after the turn up of the last two community cards. If the player already place a play bet, they can make a bet that is equal to their ante. This means players can bet the most and most likely win if they have strong cards at the early stage of the game.
7. You don’t have to make a Fold decision or final bet until you have seen all your cards. When playing in poker room games, if your opponents at the table bet, you have to fold and not call them. However, if you place a bet after your first two cards in Ultimate Texas Hold’em or after your first three community cards, you remain in action right until your final betting opportunity. However, when the community cards have all been turned up, you have to either hope to have stronger hand than the dealer or bet. If you don’t do any of these two, you have to fold and go ahead to lose your ante.
8. The dealer needs to have an opening hand in order for your ante to win. A pair is the cut-off point for the dealer to open. Now, irrespective of whether the dealer opens or not, your play bet is already in action but you ante will be a push if the dealer fails to open. Additionally, your play bets and winning ante are paid at breakeven money. This means if you ante $2 and make four times bet of $8 and goes ahead to bet the dealer who opens the game, you will win $2 on ante and $8 on bet. In the case that the dealer fails to open, if you have placed a $2 ante and another $5 play bet. Here, your hand has King High with neither pairs nor better. Let’s say the dealer has Queen high, which he can’t open. In this scenario, you win the $5 play bet and then your $2 ante pushes, thereby it gets returned. In another scenario, let’s say the dealer has Ace high and you have King high, the dealer still fails to open but goes ahead to beat you. Here, your will lose the $5 play bet but you will get a return of your $2 ante.
9. You have the chance to win up to 500:1 on Blind bet. Technically, you get paid on blind bets according to the pay table, irrespective of whether the dealer opens or not.
10. Optional Trips Bet pays based on the pay table. It is essential to reiterate that ‘Trips’ is a side bet and you don’t have to make it. It’s the bet that your hand will add three-of-a-kind or better. There are various pay tables that are available and all of them start with 3-1 on any of the three-of-a-kind and maximum out at 50:1 on royal flush. Additionally, there are payoffs on four-of-a-kind, straights, straight flushes, and full houses. However, the payouts here may vary. With the payoffs being a minimum of 3:1 in each case, ‘Trips’ is designed to incentivize exceptional hands. In about one in every 6.5 hands, you will win a hand. Additionally, the big 50 to 1 payoff is about once in 30,940 hands of the game.

Conclusion

Practice makes perfect, so they say, and this holds true in Ultimate Texas Hold’em. The more you play, the higher your chance of understanding the optimal strategy and the higher your chance of winning big. However, before you get entrenched in the big bets, it is recommended that you start with the free instant play version at any casino platform online. Don’t put in real money until you are sure that you understand the strategy of the game. And when it comes to online casino platform to play the free instant play, the basic fact is that you can choose any of the reputable platforms. By the way, you are not paying to play the free version. As a matter of fact, you can test the waters at different casinos and see the one that pays you best. Now, you definitely will not win real money when playing the free instant play version but the fact is that you will develop great understanding of how the game works and the strategy involved. You will know how and when to place the bets and identify the best hands that will likely win against the dealer.